AFacebook post Tuesday shared a letter from the Dicastery in the Vatican to the Save Holy Apostles Parish group. The letter from Andres Gabriel Ferrada Moreira, titular archbishop of Tiburnia secretary, said the because resale values of properties was a factor in the decision to decide which parishes would be merged, the office was granting the Save Holy Apostles Parish’s request to suspend the extinctive merger while the Vatican reviews the decision. The Vatican has contacted Michael Fisher, bishop of the Catholic Diocese in Buffalo, for a response. The post said the Vatican would look through the evidence sent to them and decide on the ordered merger at some point.

According to Samantha Scalise, procurator of the Save Holy Apostles Parish group, the Vatican’s response was not only rapid but also well-received, a development that caught her by surprise.

“We got a response quicker than other parishes who filled appeals months before we did,” she said. “I was nervous and excited when I got the official letter. I was expecting an answer closer to June, but I’m happy.”

The closure of Ss. Peter and Paul and its merger into St. James are among the 79 church closures and 39 secondary sites identified for mergers as part of the Catholic Church in America’s Road to Renewal program. Parishes nearby that will remain open include St. James in Jamestown, Sacred Heart in Lakewood, and St. Patrick in Randolph. Holy Apostles St. John’s site in Jamestown will remain a secondary worship site.

More than 380 people attended Easter Sunday services at Ss. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church in Jamestown. The church received notification on Tuesday that the Vatican will review the proposed merger of Ss. Peter and Paul with St. James Roman Catholic Church. Photo courtesy Save Holy Apostles Parish

A group of current and former parishioners of Holy Apostles Parish at SS. Peter and Paul Church has been working since 2024 to prevent the church from being closed or forced to merge. Scalise expressed her surprise and gratitude for the support they’ve received from Protestant churches. She noted that this unexpected support has been a source of encouragement during this challenging time.

Spokesperson Tony Dolce highlighted the vibrant and lively nature of the church, emphasizing its financial stability and the numerous community events it hosts for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Other non-practicing Catholics have also jumped to the defense of Holy Apostles Parish.

“This church has been a mainstay in our community for years,” said Michael Olsen of Jamestown, a self-described practicing Lutheran. “I love going to that old, gothic-style sanctuary to catch a concert or two.”

However, according to Joe Martone, the communications director for the Diocese of Buffalo, the merger and closure is not solely a dollars-and-cents issue but involve several mitigating circumstances that are the onus for the declared merger.

Martone said the average age of priests is 76 years old, and it’s estimated that 63% of priests in the dioceses will be between the ages 65 and 70 by 2030. The diocese also reported it had 173 priests in 2012, down to 115 today, with only 70 expected in the diocese by 2030.

“It’s never easy to close or merge a church,” Martone said. “We’ve had many meetings, and parish spokespeople were allowed to meet and present their arguments and cases. There have been many opportunities, meetings, and two-way discussions before the bishop issued his decree,” said Martone in a March 8 Post-Journal story.

Supporting and echoing Martone’s statement, the Rev. Bryan Zielenieski from the Diocese of Buffalo said, “Our parishes are reporting declines in attendance. We have an aging body of worshipers, and this isn’t just the Catholic church; Protestant churches, as well, are dealing with some of the same issues as we are.”

Zielenieski said that even if the parishioners win their case according to Cannon law–which is their right to petition the Vatican–it does not solve the Holy Church’s bigger problems and may even compound some of them.

“We could end up in a situation where there’s even less priests to minister to them,” he said.

Zielenieski also noted the diocese’s provisional agreement to a $150 million settlement with more than 800 victims of sexual abuse.

“And we still have the $150 million settlement which we must settle,” he said. “The shortage of priests primarily affects the NorthEast part of the United States, but it flows up and down.”