UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - In these tough economic times, more and more people are turning to their faith.

Although luckily, here in the Mohawk Valley, we haven't been hit quite as hard economically as some of the major cities across the country.

Father Joe Salerno at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Utica says people tend to flock to church during the holidays. But he says that has been true even more so over the years when people find themselves dealing with troubling personal issues, like the loss of a loved one, loss of a job, or dealing with financial woes in general.

And this year, more people are finding themselves either out of a job or worried about losing their job.

In the Our Lady of Lourdes church bulletin this week, there's actually an article which talks about how much people should give during these rough times.

Father Salerno says so far his parishioners at least are doing what they can to help not only the church, but the community in general.

"I've been extremely impressed," Father Salerno said. "In fact, I complimented our congregation last weekend on how generous their response has been, in the days before Christmas. We were able to reach out to over 100 families in our area and provide food, Christmas gifts, as many other places and congregations have."

A Wall Street Journal report says church giving is down about 15% and in many parts of the country some churches have fallen behind on loans or even defaulted.