St. Peter's Church on Coventry Ave. in Utica to Close and Be Sold

St. Peter's Catholic Church at 422 Coventry Ave. in Utica will close for worship and eventually be sold, under a decree Syracuse Bishop Douglas Lucia issued Friday, Oct. 16, the Daily Sentinel reports. No closing date or final Mass has been announced.

St. Peter has been part of Holy Cross Parish since it merged with St. Mark in July 2025. St. Mark, at 440 Keyes Road, is the parish's main church and will carry on.

The request came from the parish itself. Pastor Rev. Thomas Servaitus and the parish councils had an architect study the building, shared the results at a town hall, then petitioned the bishop. The decree points to fewer people in the pews, a shrinking parish population, costly repairs, and thinner staff and finances.

No sale can start until sacred objects and furnishings are moved to other churches or into storage. No timeline for that was given.