Churches begin reviewing closures recommended by Diocese of Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Diocese of Buffalo on Wednesday evening recommended the closure or consolidation of St. George, St. John Neumann, as well as several other places of worship in their Vicariate of Wyoming Genesee following the restructuring of the Diocese of Buffalo.

Parishioners in the diocese told News 4 this process has made the last two weeks unbearable, saying a new list released one by one instead of all at once is like reopening a wound over and over again.

As of Wednesday evening, the number of churches recommended to close is approaching fifty. Parishioners have until July 15 to make their counter-proposal.

“No one wants anyone’s church to close,” said Christine Fruchtel, administrator of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

“That’s why this is the recommendation phase, there are elements that we don’t always know about that are happening in parish communities,” said Father Bryan Zielenieski, Vicar for Renewal. “That’s why they’re pulling the recommendations and looking at them, and is there anything we missed that maybe we need to be aware of?”

On Wednesday, across the diocese, church families like those in Tonawanda gathered with their local priest to voice their concerns about schooling and ministry. They presented an attempt to revise the recommendations.

“You know, people care, so to see so many people come out and ask questions, express their concerns, it shows that they trust me as a pastor with transparency, but it also validates people’s conversations that love their church, they love their faith, not just the buildings, but the faith itself,” said Father Michael LaMarca of Family #18.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, in the former First Parish, held a similar meeting Wednesday to develop a proposal to counter the diocese, saying the diocese does not have the right numbers when it comes to its sacraments and donations .

Until last year, all their records were on paper, not on the Parish Ministry Data Software (PDS) that every church now uses.

“Most pages use this PDS system, we also use it now, but not all of our previous information was entered there,” Fruchtel said.

“The numbers they had were incorrect from 2016 to 2022,” said parishioner Patrick Gorman. “They are closing or trying to close us under false pretenses. All numbers are incorrect.

The diocese has since received the corrected figures.

The diocese told News 4 the number of recommended closures must remain the same in any review by parish families.

“Who is honestly going to say, ‘No, don’t close this church, close our church?’” Fruchtel said.

“You go against them to make up for the mistakes we made,” Gorman said. “It’s not our fault they’re in this position, it’s their fault and they’re punishing the people they want to keep in the faith.”

There are two other lists of church recommendations that have not yet been announced. Tomorrow’s meeting with clergy and administrators will focus on the Vicariate of South Erie County.

For the full list of recommended closures, click here. To see News 4’s complete coverage of the restructuring of the Diocese of Buffalo, click here.