Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - St. John Kanty Church, at 101 Swinburne Street, a foundational part of Buffalo's Polish cultural history, was closed on May 18 of this year by decree of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.
Parishioners petitioned the Vatican to keep the historic church open, and they were recently notified that they won a reprieve. The Vatican's Roman Curia issued an order to keep the historic church open, for now.
"It's our understanding that they're reviewing our case. The church must be reopened for a window of time. We believe it's for 90 days," said parishioner Matthew Zawisky.
He expects to reach out to the pastor and others to have masses reinstated.
St. John Kanty, was one of dozens of churches that was ordered to close or merge as part of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo's Road to Renewal plan.
This decision follows two previous Vatican rulings allowing All Saints Church in Lockport and St Josaphat's in Cheektowaga to reopen.
Zawisky views this as a positive sign.
"We're all inspiring each other to stand up and try to keep our churches open," he said.
St. John Kanty is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a City of Buffalo landmark.