JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — Samantha Scalise, a parishioner of Sts. Peter and Paul in Jamestown, is leading the effort to keep their doors open, as the Diocese of Buffalo plans to close it as part of its Road to Renewal.
The group is appealing Bishop Michael Fisher's plan to merge the parish with nearby St. James, claiming the process should be more gradual.
"Here, it was an ambush. We were told at the beginning of the Road to Renewal, 'oh, there's no plan to close churches,'" said Scalise.
The Diocese initially kept Sts. Peter and Paul open and closed St. John, until a counterproposal from parishioners there reversed the decision.
The Diocese also accused of violating Cannon Law.
"I would say it goes even beyond frustrating," said Scalise. "I am very familiar with signs of trauma, and I have been seeing that in my fellow parishioners."
Parishioners like Madelaine Liuzzo, who got married at Sts. Peter and Paul, supports the effort.
"Part of the whole richness and beauty of the Catholic Church is its history and so we take these moments where you have the ability to preserve some of that history and we don't," said Liuzzo.
Last fall, leaders announced 160 parishes would be reduced to 79, and has sent a decree for the merger, effective Feb. 28.
"We followed every aspect of Cannon Law we were expected to follow. Really, there's no defense because of all the work that we did to prepare for the decisions that were made," said Father Bryan Zielenieski, vicar, renewal and development, Diocese of Buffalo.
Decisions, he says, in response to the abuse crisis, as well as a decline in parishioners, donations and clergy.
"The hard part is getting across that this is for the betterment of the whole, so that the Catholic Church and the Diocese of Buffalo is not just surviving but striving and growing for the future," said Zielenieski.
Scalise is gathering all of the paperwork to challenge the Diocese.
"Stand up and say like, 'hey, bishop we think you've made a mistake, we think this wasn't done right. Please reconsider,'" she said.
Zielenieski says the Bishop will likely uphold his decision, allowing the group to contact the Vatican.
"If appeals go to Rome and they're overturned, it doesn't matter to me, we have to work together for a future that keeps the church vibrant and alive," he said.
Scalise wants her church part of that future, but disagrees with the approach.
"I definitely think that this was the wrong way to try and solve these problems and it's doing absolutely nothing to help the Catholic Church within this Diocese," said Scalise.
The Diocese of Buffalo not the only group merging parishes and closing churches, as the Diocese of Albany went through similar circumstances in 2006.
