Virginia Sideri won't have to go far to Mass anymore.

That's one of the benefits of moving to the new senior citizen complex attached to St. Martha Catholic Church in the working-class neighborhood of North Hill in Akron.

''I think the Lord probably wanted me here,'' said Sideri, 79, at Thursday's opening celebration of St. Martha Manor.

The housing complex is attached to the church and some of the apartments are actually above the church's sanctuary.

The church's former school building was renovated into the affordable-housing facility. About half of the senior complex's 36 apartments are in a new three-story addition.

St. Martha School moved to Christ the King School's building in 2003. The two merged schools are called North Akron Catholic.

While Sideri is Catholic, residents do not have to be Catholic.

Residents of the facility — built by Humility of Mary Housing Inc. — must have limited incomes.

Sideri, who has been single for 13 years, is moving from a home in Lake Township. ''I couldn't afford it anymore,'' she said of the upkeep.

She was gleeful as she looked around her apartment Thursday.

''All this, just for a single person,'' she said, sweeping her hand over a row of kitchen cupboards.

Sideri isn't planning on leaving her home parish, but she expects occasionally to attend Mass at St. Martha, especially when the weather is bad.

The transformation of St. Martha School — which opened in the early 1920s — gives North Akron a boost and provides affordable housing to seniors, Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic said at Thursday's event.

Ken Radigan, president of Humility of Mary, said the housing ''really extends the life of the church.''

The Rev. Mike Matusz, pastor of St. Martha, said most parishioners have been ''absolutely wonderfully supportive'' of the housing project. ''There may have been some that had doubts, still wishing it were 10, 15, 20 years ago.''

Humility of Mary operates eight other properites in Northest Ohio, including the Villa at Marian Park in Akron's Firestone Park neighborhood.

Rent for most of the St. Martha Manor one-bedroom units ranges from $520 to $545 a month. Rent for the two-bedroom units range from $610 to $630.

Maximum incomes range from $15,150 to $29,550.

The majority of the $4.3 million used to build the apartments was generated by selling tax credits to investors under a federal program designed to stimulate the building of affordable rental housing.

The city pitched in $300,000 in federal money. The state contribued $250,000.

Testa Cos., of Cuyahoga Falls, was the general contractor and Larry Hecky, also of the Falls, was the architect.