WILSON, N.Y. (WKBW) — Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in the Village of Wilson in Niagara County will remain open after the Vatican rejected the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo’s decree to close it.
The church appealed Bishop Michael Fisher's closing decree under the Road to Renewal. The Vatican recently notified the parish that it will remain open.
Carol Hartwig, a longtime parishioner, described the moment the congregation learned the news.
"Oh, we were so excited! It took us three years of hard work — but it paid off, and the Lord was with us," Hartwig said.
Parishioner Mary Moley-Palacios echoed that sentiment.
"It was an incredible relief. It was a gasp of relief," Moley-Palacios said.
According to Moley-Palacios, the parish's active role in the community helped make the case to Rome.
"It was logical to respond this way because the pre-K, the food pantry, and the masses were open 300-plus days a year. That door opens for something to feed our community, and it made sense to stay open," Moley-Palacios explained.
WATCH: Vatican rules Our Lady of the Rosary in Wilson can stay open
The Vatican also notified St. Josaphat Church in Cheektowaga that it rejected the bishop's decree, meaning the church will not be forced to merge with Resurrection in Cheektowaga.
A parish leader declined an interview but sent a statement asking for everyone's "continued support" to "demonstrate to Rome" they are a "viable parish."
A spokesperson for the diocese said the bishop will not challenge either ruling.
"The bishop respects the decision of the Dicastery and will not appeal both decisions, but the Diocese will closely monitor these parishes to ensure that they can remain viable and self-sustaining going forward," the spokesperson said.
With the battle now over, Moley-Palacios said the focus turns to rebuilding.
"We're grateful to the Vatican. We're grateful to the Diocese. They are not going to appeal, so we believe it's done, so our next step is reviving our parish. We lost a lot of people when they found out that we were going because not everybody sticks around for the battle. So we're hoping to get everybody back," Moley-Palacios noted.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
