St. James Church on the South Side is scheduled to be torn down.
"It's imperative that our bishop Francis Cardinal George halt the demolition of the St. James building," parishioner Dave Samber said.
Activists call the church's Chicago's most endangered building and said the 132-year old neo-gothic church is an architectural landmark.
They are urging the archdiocese to give them time to come up with money to finance renovations.
The archdiocese said it has spent nearly $1 million looking into the church's renovation but the estimated cost to restore it is $12 million.
