St. James the Great Church in Wellesley, occupied by parishioners holding vigil since its closing in 2004, moved one step closer to demolition Wednesday night when Town Meeting voted 183 to 12 to purchase it from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston for $3.8 million. The town hopes to turn the 8-acre property on Route 9 into a recreational facility. The church itself must be torn down within a year of the closing of the sale. The parishioners holding vigil in the church have an appeal pending in the Vatican to reverse the church’s deconsecration, which turned the church into a secular building last year.