About St. Rose of Lima · Forestville, New York
St. Rose of Lima is a Roman Catholic church at 11 Center Street in the village of Forestville, Chautauqua County, New York. It is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in the county, organized in 1861 to serve the area's growing Irish Catholic community, and is now operated as a worship site of the Faith Community of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Silver Creek) within the Diocese of Buffalo's Family #3, "The Lord's Vineyard." In recent years the Forestville church has become locally and nationally known for parishioners' fight to keep its doors open after Bishop Michael W. Fisher ordered its closure as part of the diocesan "Road to Renewal," an appeal that the Vatican's Dicastery for Clergy accepted for examination, placing the closure on hold.
- Established
- 1861
- Patron
- St. Rose of Lima
- Rector
- Rev. Robert J. Owczarczak
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
St. Rose of Lima remains the spiritual home of a tightly-knit Forestville and northern Chautauqua County Catholic community rooted in 1861 Irish-Catholic heritage. As part of the Diocese of Buffalo's Family #3 ("The Lord's Vineyard"), it shares weekly Masses, confession, and Eucharistic Adoration with neighboring Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Silver Creek, giving parishioners an intimate village-scale worship site alongside the wider family of parishes. In 2024–2025 the community drew national attention when the Vatican accepted its appeal to keep the doors open — a vivid sign that belonging here means joining a parish with a living, visible story of faith and perseverance.
Mass times at St. Rose of Lima
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 10:45 AM – 11:00 AM (Forestville worship site, before the 11:15 AM Mass)
Adoration times
- Wednesday 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (Forestville worship site)
Our Story: From Pope Hill to Center Street
St. Rose of Lima parish was organized in 1861 as the faith home of Irish Catholic settlers in the Forestville area, who had previously gathered for Mass in a farmhouse on Pope Hill. The first church was built ca. 1872 on Park and Academy streets on land donated by Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Angell, beginning with just twelve families. In 1939 the original wooden church was physically relocated to its present address at 11 Center Street to support a larger parish, bring worship closer to village residents, and make room for a rectory for the parish's permanent diocesan priest. A parish hall, dedicated in 2000, replaced the previous hall that had collapsed under heavy snow. The church remains one of the oldest Catholic parishes in Chautauqua County and a contributing building to the village's Center and Pearl Streets Historic District.
- Organized 1861; first church ca. 1872 on land donated by Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Angell
- Building relocated to 11 Center Street in 1939
- Parish hall dedicated 2000 after snow-load roof collapse
- Contributing resource of the Center and Pearl Streets Historic District
Faith Community of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
St. Rose of Lima now operates as the Forestville worship site of the Faith Community of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, whose mailing address is in Silver Creek. The combined parish belongs to Family #3 ("The Lord's Vineyard") of the Diocese of Buffalo's Road to Renewal parish-family model. Together with Holy Trinity and Blessed Mary Angela in Dunkirk, St. Anthony and St. Joseph in Fredonia, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Dunkirk, the Forestville and Silver Creek churches share clergy, sacramental preparation, and coordinated liturgical schedules.
- Family #3 "The Lord's Vineyard" — six worship sites across northern Chautauqua County
- Hubs: Holy Trinity, Dunkirk
- Mailing address: 165 Central Ave., Silver Creek, NY 14136-1396
The Save St. Rose of Lima Effort
In June 2024 the Diocese of Buffalo's "Road to Renewal" recommended closing the Forestville worship site. Bishop Michael W. Fisher issued the closure order, but parishioners Theresa "Tammy" Green (procurator for the Forestville site, of Silver Creek) and Aimee Rodgers (of Forestville) organized an appeal directly to the Vatican. In April 2025 the Vatican's Dicastery for Clergy wrote back accepting the petition as "legitimately presented," placing the closure on suspension pending review. The community's patronal Mass on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, with a chicken and potluck luncheon afterward, became a public witness of the parish's determination to keep its doors open while the diocese "renews itself."
- Closure ordered under Road to Renewal, June 2024
- Parishioner petition to Rome organized by Tammy Green and Aimee Rodgers
- Vatican Dicastery for Clergy accepted appeal, April 2025
- St. Rose of Lima named among 14 WNY churches on Vatican hold
- Feast Day Mass and community luncheon held Aug. 23, 2025
Clergy and Parish Leadership
The priests of Family #3 "The Lord's Vineyard" are led by Pastor Rev. Robert J. Owczarczak, named to the family by Bishop Michael W. Fisher effective March 8, 2023. He is assisted by Senior Parochial Vicars Rev. Joseph A. Walter and Rev. Daniel F. Fiebelkorn II, and Parochial Vicar Rev. Stephen Soares (incardinated into the Diocese of Buffalo on Feb. 10, 2023). Active deacons for the family include Deacon Michael C. Lemieux and Deacon Dan Tyler. At the worship-site level, Theresa "Tammy" Green serves as the parish's procurator for the Forestville location.
- Pastor: Rev. Robert J. Owczarczak
- Senior Parochial Vicars: Rev. Joseph A. Walter; Rev. Daniel F. Fiebelkorn II
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Stephen Soares
- Deacons: Michael C. Lemieux; Dan Tyler
- Site Procurator: Theresa "Tammy" Green
Visitor Information
St. Rose of Lima is located at 11 Center Street in the village of Forestville, New York 14062. Visitors and parishioners are encouraged to call the parish office at (716) 934-2233 for current worship-site status, as the church's operations during the diocesan Road to Renewal review are evolving. The mailing address for the combined parish is 165 Central Avenue, Silver Creek, NY 14136-1396.
- Address: 11 Center St., Forestville, NY 14062
- Phone: (716) 934-2233
- Parish mail: 165 Central Ave., Silver Creek, NY 14136-1396