BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — "This is our church."
That is the message echoing throughout the Catholic community, as the Diocese of Buffalo continues to make recommendations to "rightsize and reshape."
The reshaping recommendations have been heartbreaking to so many in the Catholic faith.
Members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help held a town hall meeting Wednesday night after the diocese recommended it merge with St. Louis Roman Catholic Church.
Members also gathered Tuesday as Preservation Buffalo Niagara is working to designate at-risk churches as local landmarks in an attempt to save them
On Wednesday, they shared their plan to try to save the sacred site that they call home.
"I hope we can save it. I just don't know if we can," longtime parishioner at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Diane Trigilio said.
Many were emotional sharing the history they have with the 127-year-old sacred site. Others were disappointed with the idea of letting a historic church potentially dissolve.
"I feel like I'm at home here. I love this church. I love the community and it breaks my heart. It really, really hurts to see it happening," Trigilio added.
Trigilio said, "I would be heartbroken to see it gone. Have you been in the church? Our windows are beautiful, our alters are beautiful. It's 127 years old. How can you tear something like that down?"
Her worry is not just for the parish and the church itself, but for the community outreach it does for people in need.
Trigilio said, "It would be sad to see nothing. Where do our senior citizens go that don't drive? Where are they going to go? What's going to happen to all the new people that are moving in. I see people that are moving in all the time. Where are they going to go? There's no church."
Thursday will be the Diocese of Buffalo's seventh and final vicariate meeting.
