Hundreds gather for one final mass at St Andrew

TONAWANDA, N.Y. — The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo announced in February that it would close St. Andrews Roman Catholic Church and School on June 30.

Hundreds of people turned out for a final mass at St. Andrews on Sunday morning, including Bishop Michael Fisher.

“Many priests have said that this church plays a very important role and an important part of our lives,” Bishop Fisher said. “We thank you in a very special way.”

The Diocese of Buffalo has not confirmed whether or not the property will be put on the market, but several diocesan properties are for sale.

It comes as the diocese announced recommendations for 80 mergers and closures of parishes, schools and Catholic centers in western New York.

RELATED: Here’s the full list of parish merger recommendations in the Diocese of Buffalo

“It’s very sad, and I’m very sad,” Suzanne Vorberger said. “But we’ll keep the faith, like my father says.”

Vorburger has been a member of St. Andrew Parish since 1944.

“We were married here,” Vorburger said. “All of our children were baptized and confirmed here, and went to school here, every year.”

Vorburger says she was accepted into St. Timothy Parish, but the news of St. Andrew and 80 other parishes closing was difficult.

“To be honest, it was like a punch in the gut,” Vorburger said. ” I could not believe it. »

The diocese cited financial reasons for closing St. Andrew’s in February.

But the July 15 deadline for parishes to accept or propose their own merger plans is approaching. As the diocese continues to grapple with bankruptcy, it appears it will need to raise at least $100 million to settle numerous sex abuse cases.

Much of the rumors among parishes on the merger and closure list focus on why their parish was listed. Father Bryan Zielenieski denied the assertion that the diocese only selects parishes that will have a high resale value.