BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — "This is a turning point in the history and life of this diocese," stated Bishop Michael Fisher, Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.
The leader of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo appeared at a news conference Tuesday at the Catholic Center in downtown Buffalo to announce final plans to close and merge churches across the entire eight counties of Western New York.
The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo announced its final decisions Tuesday morning on which parishes and worship sites would be closed or merged. You can watch the full announcement here.
A total of 79 parishes will remain open along with 39 secondary worship sites.
The diocese said the decision was "driven by a comprehensive and collaborative planning process involving clergy and laity."
"I had to make that final decision based on all the conversations between the family of parishes that came in, then ultimately with the pastors," explained Bishop Fisher. "I can tell you we had a very robust conversation with all of our pastors. Those were even more agonizing, I think than with some of the families."
The diocese says it faces a shortage of priests, a drop in church attendance, and bankruptcy.
"We're going to be doing this whether there was Chapter 11 or there was not. What Chapter 11 has done — the only influence this has — It's kind of sped things up a little,” commented Father Byran Zielenieski, vicar, Renewal & Development.
However, the diocese received push-back on its initial closing list received 52 counter-proposals, and made 26 changes to the initial plan.
Some churches will now stay open, like St. Mark in north Buffalo. Other nearby churches, such as St. Rose of Lima, Holy Spirit, and St. Margaret will merge into St. Mark and St. Margaret's would be named a 'secondary worship site', meaning that the church would no longer be a parish.
I asked the leader of the road to renewal what changed to keep St. Mark open.
"St. Mark's came forward with some information on the strength of the school and how things were going forward and for that parish community how it was integral in making sure the school was successful going forward," replied Father Zielenieski.
St. Benedict in Eggertsville will no longer be idled. That church will also stay open as a secondary worship site, also connected to its school.
Some parishioners were relieved and even overjoyed when they learned their churches, once on the list to close, would stay open after all.
But other parishioners who submitted counter-proposals weren't as successful.
"And there's absolutely no reason why they should close our parish," stated Tom Puchalski, parishioner, Blessed Sacrament.
Puchalski stood outside the Catholic Center in protest of the decision to close his church, Blessed Sacrament in the Town of Tonawanda.
"It's just heartbreaking and it rips the hearts of all the parishioners in the City of Buffalo," Puchalski remarked.
He says the diocese is breaking Cannon Law and they will appeal to the Vatican.
"Unless you have a grave situation., with a parish that is not financially sound, deteriorating buildings — that's the only reason under Canon Law that you should close a parish. And in our case, we are in the black. other parishes in our family were not," Puchalski noted.
The Buffalo Diocese denies violating Cannon Law.
13 churches will remain on a watch list. The diocese said the closings and merges will begin next month and continue through next June.
