Parishioners of The Church of the Nativity rallied Wednesday to try to keep it from closing.
The church in the East Village is one of hundreds to be closed or merged by the New York Archdiocese.
The parishioners appealed to the Vatican but were rejected because they didn't petition within 10 days of the announcement.
Church-goers say priests gave them bad advice and that they didn't know there was a deadline until after it had passed.
"I think the whole process from the beginning hasn't been fair, which is just not just," said parishioner Claudia Marte. "I don't know why they don't allow us to have a fair fight in this process."
"There is no reason for this church to be closed down, because we're a family, and that's all that matters at the end of the day," said parishioner Claritza Quezada.
The Church of the Nativity dates back to the 1800s. It's scheduled to merge with Most Holy Redeemer.