Chapel In Paramus Mall To Close After Nearly 50 Years

PARAMUS, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A chapel that's been inside a  mall in Paramus for nearly 50 years will be closing in two weeks.

For its first 37 years, the Chapel on the Mall was in the basement of the former Bergen Mall before spending a decade above the Marshalls in what's now called the Bergen Town Center.

But the month-to-month rent is no longer manageable, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.

Parishioners are disappointed by the news.

"I wish that they'll find someplace else close that we'll be able to go to," said one parishioner who had been coming to the chapel every day for the past 25 years. "It's a wonderful way to start my day, what's better than going to Mass?"

"I would just thank them and say you've been an important part of everybody's lives for so many years," said Susan Mcallister of Maywood. "It's just been a place of respite and to be able to come here and be spiritual that's a big part of our lives that I think is needed."

The Carmelite Catholic Chapel will hold its final Mass on March 1, Ash Wednesday.