DUNKIRK, N.Y. (WKBW) — For Judy Bohn of Dunkirk, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church is her cornerstone.
Every Sunday, she walks to the church. It's less than a mile away but her knees aren't what they used to be. She lives alone and doesn't drive. So she walks.
But after learning that her church is among those in the Fredonia and Dunkirk area slated to be closed and merged with a sixth church, she's facing the possibility of not being able to attend church in person anymore.
"Very sad, very angry, very upset because there has been no openness, no transparency, no honesty. Everything is just happening without, you know, informing us about it," Bohn told 7 News Wednesday.
She remembered the days during the COVID-19 pandemic when she would watch the live stream from Our Lady of Victory Basilica on TV and how happy she was when she was able to go back to church in person.
"It made me feel better," she said. "I can pray here in my home. But there's something about being in the church that makes me feel more connected."
Under a proposal unveiled Tuesday night, St. Elizabeth would close and the parish would merge with Holy Trinity in Dunkirk. Also closing would be St. Anthony in Fredonia, St. Joseph in Fredonia and Blessed Mary Angela of Dunkirk and merge with Holy Trinity. Northern Chautauqua Regional School, which is next to St. Elizabeth, would remain open at its current location and ministry would be provided by Holy Trinity.
The Diocese of Buffalo has announced that it plans to close about a third of its churches.
Bohn had some advice for the Catholic Church on how to get people to come back.
"They need to be open, transparent and honest with people. That's the big thing and they're not," Bohn said.
