AURORA, N.Y. (WKBW) — A federal bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of the former Christ the King Seminary to the World Mission Society of God, a South Korea-based church.
The church’s winning bid for the more than 100-acre property in the Town of Aurora was $4.2 million.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Carl Bucki approved the deal Tuesday morning.
The Diocese of Buffalo, having declared bankruptcy and facing hundreds of Child Victims Act lawsuits, closed the seminary in 2020 and put the property up for sale in 2023.
It’s not clear what the World Mission Society of God has planned for the property.
Aurora Town Supervisor Charles Snyder said he’s happy to see it occupied, But he made clear the town had no say on who bought it.
“The town doesn't dictate who the property is purchased by,” Snyder told me. “We have no say in it whatsoever frankly. Once they buy it, we have some things that we require such as a site plan review. Which regardless of who purchased it…that would be the process.”
Lynne Juratovic, an East Aurora resident, was happy to hear the news.
“It shouldn’t be empty," said Juratovic. "It's a beautiful piece of property. It's a beautiful building. It was Christ the King and I'm sure Christ wouldn't mind handing it over to another group of people that honor their God.”
It’s not clear what the sale means to the survivors of priest sex abuse who are suing the Diocese of Buffalo.
Last year, the Diocese offered to settle all of the lawsuits for $100 million.
“They have said in the past that presumably sales of real estate would go toward any settlement for survivors," said attorney Steve Boyd who is representing nearly 400 of the victims who are suing.
The Diocese told me that they vetted the World Mission Society of God financially and in terms of what it stands for.
The Diocese said the Christ the King Seminary was founded in 1857 at St. Bonaventure University before moving to Aurora in 1974.
I reached out to the World Mission Society of God to ask about their plans, I'm waiting to hear back.
