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High winds and dropping temperatures could not dampen the spirits of a small group of Catholics, who huddled in a church doorway Monday night to pray for Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

The congregants stood in the frame, not for warmth, but because this is as close to the altar as they've been able to get since the doors of Our Lady Queen of Angels closed in 2007, when several parishes were shuttered due to limited attendance. The group has been meeting on the sidewalk ever since.

"At this moment we are happy. We have a special joy in our hearts because we have a new archbishop and we have the hope that this archbishop is going to listen to us and this new archbishop is going to understand that this church is our home," said Carmen Villegas, a congregation member.

Villegas has been coming to the church since 1974. Although she and five other members of the congregation were arrested two years ago during a vigil to protest the church's closing, she says she always had faith it would return.

"I prayed in front of the blessed sacrament and I had a feeling of peace and I knew the church was going to be opened," said Villegas.

"We really feel that part of the reason the church has remained closed is because of the current archbishop and having a new one and hearing that he is amicable and workable and might be willing to have a conversation is a wonderful thing," said Patricia Rodriguez, a congregation member.

For roughly two years, the members of the congregation have braved the elements through the height of summer heat waves, during teaming downpours and in the freezing winds of February. They hope that the new archbishop will not only hear their words but be moved by their dedication.

"There's a lot of things that people start and don't finish but we're in it for the long haul," said Rodriguez. "We're here on the sidewalk and we've shown hope and faith and persistence and so we're hoping that the faith shines through and he's able to help us."

As the Easter season marks a time of new beginnings for the church, members see the new appointment as a rebirth in the making, offering up not only their prayers, but a message of hope, to the newly arrived archbishop.

"Jesus is my hero. John Paul II is my hero and at this moment we hope you will be our hero opening our church," said Villegas.