Long a religious stronghold for Houston Hispanics, St. Stephen Catholic Church will close its doors permanently Sunday as archdiocesan leaders push forward with controversial plans to merge the congregation with the nearby but much smaller St. Joseph church.

As Cardinal Daniel DiNardo officiates at a "merger Mass" at the newly renamed St. Joseph-St. Stephen Catholic Church, angry St. Stephen parishioners, dressed in white and brandishing satin religious banners, were expected to gather at the closed church to denounce the combination. The rally is the latest in a series of actions that included a tense face-off between DiNardo and protest leaders at the Houston chancery and an appeal to the Vatican to reverse the cardinal's decision.

"St. Stephen represents our story as well. It's not just about brick walls," said Carmen Gallegos, a spokeswoman for the disgruntled worshippers. "A lot of people who attend the church are low-income. A lot of house-keepers, they ride the bus to get here. We serve a lot of immigrants. Church officials don't see the soul of what they do here. To them, it's just real estate."

The dispute began in August 2014 when DiNardo apprised St. Stephen parishioners that "planned real estate development in the area will require St. Stephen to relocate from its current site." St. Stephen, founded in 1941 near downtown at 1912 Center, is just blocks from burgeoning redevelopment along Washington Avenue.

To accommodate St. Stephen parishioners, a congregation of about 900 households, three Spanish-language Masses will be added to the St. Joseph schedule. St. Joseph, located at 1505 Kane in the Sixth Ward, previously conducted only one Mass in Spanish. Founded in 1879, it has a congregation of about 300 households.

In his first letter, DiNardo characterized the possible merger as a "marriage of husband and wife."

"Each party brings their respective families, history and traditions to the marriage," he wrote.

But the St. Stephen-St. Joseph marriage seemingly wasn't made in heaven. After an exchange of correspondence - and the cardinal's February 2016 decree mandating the merger - Gallegos and her inner circle of about 12 protesters turned to Rome.

An appeal of DiNardo's decision, filed by canon attorney Sister Kate Kuenstler, a member of a social justice-focused order, Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, currently is under review by the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy.

"The cardinal is proceeding as if he had the full backing of the Vatican, and at this point that is not the case," Kuenstler said. "If a contrary decision comes back, he would be responsible for putting everything back in place."

Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston spokesman Jonah Dykus confirmed on Friday that St. Stephen's children's programs have been moved to the St. Joseph site.

The wrangle between the archdiocese and St. Stephen advocates arguably reached a crescendo earlier this year when Gallegos and her brother, Jose Gallegos, met with the cardinal at his downtown office. In the heated exchange that was recorded, DiNardo told the pair that St. Stephen would be "strangled" by development in its current location, and asserted that the decision was his to make.

When Gallegos argued that many longtime worshippers had been traumatized by the merger decision, DiNardo responded that loss of St. Stephen might be painful but "you've decided you don't like the decision. You have to learn to accept."

Saying that he had to "think about the ultimate good of this parish," DiNardo told the pair "You don't want the love and support we want to give you. You want your way. You are opposed to change." He then told them they likely would continue to "work very nastily against the decision."

In its Vatican appeal, Gallegos' group argued that their church had ample space for expansion, more than 94,000 square feet, and was in good financial condition thanks to the generosity of members.

"The cardinal," the appeal charged, "has abandoned the pastoral care of St. Stephen parish. Rather, he has functioned as the CEO of a corporation that wishes to cash out" by selling church property.

Kuenstler said DiNardo has not yet issued a decree to deconsecrate St. Stephen, a move that must be taken before the church property can be sold. If he issues such a decree, she said, an appeal will be lodged with the Vatican.