A night view of the steeple of the Ss. Peter and Paul’s Church, 512 Cherry St. Ss. Peter and Paul’s is one of more than 79 churches and an additional 39 secondary worship sites in the Southern Tier that the Diocese of Buffalo plans to shutter or combine with other sites. Submitted photo

The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has several self-imposed regulations regarding how it conducts the business of the church.

However, the diocese doesn’t exactly like to play by its own rules according to some.

The diocese leadership on Sept. 30 released a list of 79 churches and an additional 39 secondary worship sites in the Southern Tier that it plans to shutter. This plan has drawn the ire of several local parishioners and non-Catholic church members alike. Especially, the petition and appeals process seem to really irk church leadership.

Ss. Peter and Paul’s is one of the churches designated for closure.

However, according to Ss. Peter and Paul’s Church Member and Jamestown City Council President Tony Dolce, said the church located at 512 Cherry St. Church is still a vibrant and active community in the city.

“Besides being a vibrant Catholic church and parish, Ss. Peter and Paul’s is an integral part of the community fabric,” he said. “It’s an absolute travesty to close this historic and vibrant community building. We have an appeals process. However, we are not allowed to meet, use or facilitate any appeals process on church property. …This is our church, and we’re not allowed to use the church’s appeals process on the church property. This doesn’t make any sense.”

In early October, a group was formed to save Ss. Peter and Paul’s and was attended by more than 50 people. Last week the group met again, and had more than 85 people attend, who unanimously voted to appeal for the upcoming closure of the church and to seek ecclesiastic relief.

“We had between 80 to 90 people attend our last meeting,” said Dolce. “Our online group has a mixture of current church members, former members and concerned citizens -who are non-Catholic- but have an interest in seeing the church keep its doors open. We (Ss. Peter and Paul’s) got hit with the double-whammy, not only does the diocese want to close several churches but also dissolve the Holy Apostle’s Parish.”

Dolce said, “As city council president I am concerned for the state of this historically relevant church, and we may look at getting it listed as a historical landmark to protect the integrity, value and importance it has played in our city.”

Dolce said that in the near future the Diocese of Buffalo will officially publish the exact closure dates for each church regarding when they will cease operations.

In a Facebook group entitled Save Holy Apostles Parish! (Saints Peter & Paul, St. John’s), member John Campion wrote, “Our Holy Apostles Parish Group is following the appeal process guidelines provided by the Vatican, however, our Bishop is intentionally putting up roadblocks to all parishioners opposed to his unjust decision regarding our parish.”

Campion continued by commenting on a thread in the group with, “So sad that the secular media has more compassion and understanding than the hierarchy in the Diocese of Buffalo. Absolute authority belongs to Christ the King. Bishops, parents, etc. do not have absolute authority. Therefore, obedience is not absolute.”

However, while the fight to save Ss. Peter and Paul’s church is ongoing, the same fight appears to be happening all over the United States in Catholic churches and dioceses.

“We just got back from a trip to the Pocono Mountains, and the priest at the church we attended said the same thing is happening with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre and Philadelphia Diocese. It’s everywhere, and it’s heartbreaking. Father Dennis Mende would have fought hard against our parish closing. He loved our parish,” wrote Troy Moran on Facebook.

The Senior Communications Specialist for the Diocese of Buffalo, Michael Mroziak, said a message sent from the Vicar General of the Diocese, stated that no facility, funds or church property may be used as part of the appeals process. Additionally, each church had till Nov. 1 to submit a timeline for closing their individual parish, or the diocese may be forced to pick a date. He also stated that the selection process in closing the churches was highly interactive and the leadership of the diocese met with several families between Aug. 12-22 in an effort to minimize the impact upon church members in faith centers targeted for closure.

For more information visit Save Holy Apostles Parish! ( Saints Peter & Paul, St. John’s) Facebook page.