ENID, Okla. (AP) — The archbishop of the Oklahoma City archdiocese says one of Enid's two Catholic churches will close on June 1.

Archbishop Eusebius Beltran told parishioners at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church on Sunday that the church will merge with St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. He says the two-parish system had been in place in Enid for almost 40 years.

Beltran tells the Enid News and Eagle that he will remain firm on his decision to close the St. Gregory parish and says he's seen the closure coming for the past 10 years.

He says that in 2010, five priests in the diocese retired and none were ordained. In 2011, he says one priest will be ordained but must return to school for another year before being assigned to a church.