After 40 days of fasting and prayer, the season of Lent came to an end with masses held throughout Staten Island Sunday morning. Members of two former congregations celebrated their first Easter together as a merged parish. NY1's Jessica Fragoso filed the report.

After 54 years of being absent from the Catholic Church, Christine Hannan has decided to return and she was confirmed during Easter vigil mass.

"God just led me along the way," said Hannan. "Everything fell into place, and here I am and I'm very thankful for it."

Hannan joined parishioners from two recently merged churches in New Brighton Sunday to celebrate Easter for the first the time as one congregation.

As part of the Archdiocese of New York's restructuring plan, the congregations of the Chapel of St. Paul and the Church of the Assumption merged last summer to become the Assumption-St. Paul Roman Catholic Church.

While services continue to be held at both locations, the congregation is now over seen by one man, Father Michael Cichon. He says it's been a challenge to unite the two parishes.

"A lot of people become very emotionally attached to their family, their family of faith, and whenever anything happens to allow a change for that, it takes time to adapt," said Cichon. "So a lot of people are concerned about the future, and we are concerned, as well."

The parishes merged in July of 2007, and parishioners NY1 spoke with say they still have mixed feelings about the realignment.

"It's tough to be merged," said parishioner Joe Bilotti. "You always feel like you have to share. I'd rather have our own parish."

"It was kind of a rumor for a year before, and then they merged. It's been a little better since then," parishioner Samantha Perez said.

"If it's merged, it needs to be put together as one," added Mary Ellen Presutti, another parishioner. "It's very difficult. You don't know where things are being done, even through these services. Some were here, some where there. It's very confusing to people."

Father Chichon says his goal now is for Assumption-St. Paul Roman Catholic Church to continue to grow as one.

- Jessica Fragoso