"[We] will not receive an extension or any second chances."
That's the urgent message Catholics in western New York are telling the local faithful in their bid to preserve a Civil War-era parish in the small town of Auburn.
The Diocese of Rochester is moving to permanently close and potentially sell Holy Family Church due to structural issues that officials say make it unsafe to use as a parish.
The diocese shut down the church in June 2024, but parishioners of the parish in Auburn — located about 40 minutes outside of Syracuse — are petitioning the Vatican to keep the church an active holy site rather than allow it to be sold off to potential developers.
On its website, Holy Family Organization to Preserve and Endure says the Vatican has requested that the group "demonstrate funding for the purchase, repair, and maintenance of the church."
The organizers say they are working to raise pledges to support the parish but there is a "narrow time window" and numbers "must be provided to the Vatican by mid-late summer 2026."
"If H.O.P.E. fails to demonstrate sufficient evidence to the Vatican by mid-late summer, then Holy Family Church could be sold to a secular buyer and could be destroyed," the group said.
Parish's roots stretch back to early 1800s
The Auburn-based Roblee Historic Preservation said in a "statement of significance" report that Auburn was the site of the first Catholic Mass in the Western New York region in the early 1800s.
The Roblee report was drafted in order to assist the city's historic review board in potentially awarding a landmark designation to the parish. The New York Historic Preservation Office had previously said the property was eligible for listing on both the state and national historic registers.
The Church of the Holy Family was initially dedicated in 1830 in a chapel previously used by local Methodists. The current building was built in 1861 by local Dutch-born master builder John Vanderbosch.
The report described the parish as the "mother church" of Auburn and "an iconic part of its downtown skyline."
On its website, the Catholic preservation group says it hopes to retain the parish for "Catholic religious activity," including rosary groups and private prayer groups, "occasional worship," sacred music concerts, sacred art displays, and architecture tours.
Karen Odrzywolski, the president of the parish preservation group, said the church is also meant to preserve the memory and legacy of Bishop Patrick Byrne, an apostolic delegate to Korea who was martyred in 1950 during a four-month-long forced march while in the captivity of communist forces in North Korea.
Born in Washington, D.C., Byrne spent his formative years in Auburn, living just a few blocks from the parish. His family attended Mass there and he attended the parochial school; he was confirmed at the parish in 1900.
Odrzywolski told EWTN News the preservation group formed in July 2024, a month after the parish was officially shuttered by the diocese.
"We initially put together a preservation plan, which we shared with our pastor and with the Diocese of Rochester," she said. "We've also shared it with the Vatican."
"We've also worked on educating the community as to the significance of the church," she said. "We've had events in honor of Bishop Byrne and of his family, and on the 75th anniversary of his martyrdom we had a prayer vigil."
In addition to the link with Byrne, Odrzywolski said the parish was also once host to another famous Catholic bishop, now-Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen. The prelate, at the time the bishop of the Diocese of Rochester, officiated the funeral Mass of Father William Davie at the parish in 1968.
The Vatican has requested that the group demonstration its ability to fund the church's upkeep, she said. "We're very appreciative of this opportunity. We're hopeful if we can demonstrate the funding they'll allow us to proceed with preserving the church."
Thus far, Odrzywolski said, the group isn't accepting cash donations; instead, it is collecting pledges "so we can demonstrate our ability to fund the maintenance, repair, and preservation of the church."
"We've received over 300 pledges," she continued. "We're extremely grateful to every single person who has pledged. Many people have pledged as much as they possibly can. Many who pledge in general may be of limited or fixed income."
Odrzywolski said the needed repairs are limited to the exterior facade. The interior, she said, has been well maintained over more than a century and a half.
The Vatican, meanwhile, is expecting the group's proof of viability by August. "We're trying our best to aim for an Aug. 1 deadline in order to allow enough time to prepare the documents in a timely manner," she said.
"The truth is, we need the entire community to come together," she said. "The closure of the church impacts the entire community, and we need individuals, families, and businesses to come together."
"It's about the future of Auburn," she continued. "but it's also about honoring Bishop Byrne, and ultimately honoring God."
