Diocese of Buffalo must share actual data on closures

Although the consolidation of parishes is a step that everyone saw coming, many of the chosen parishes raise questions that the diocese’s assurances cannot answer. We heard repeatedly that the process was data-driven. Well, let’s see that. The diocese’s current methods only serve to breed even more distrust among its faithful, thus worsening the problem that has led to the decline in all the numbers they present.

The diocese dashboard reveals a brief compilation of six general charts. These show what everyone already knows: the decline of priests, the stagnation of parish finances in the face of inflation, declining enrollment in Catholic schools and declining attendance. A general graph is not data.

I can only speak on behalf of my parish. But, coming from St. Rose to St. Mark when that school was closed, I know what it feels like to see your name on the list. I know that the parishioners of each church will try to understand the logic of the diocese regarding their closure. But we also know that the diocese is in difficulty. If it’s my branch that has to go to save the tree, so be it. But show us the church-by-church numbers, not a generalized slideshow.

I know our school is overflowing with students. The diocese admits this in its reasoning, saying that the school needs the space occupied by the church. A 30% drop in births and baptisms across the country? That may be true, but St. Mark’s parishioners say they make double what the rest of North Buffalo’s churches combined.

Mass donations are down, we all know that. But the feeling among parishioners is that a donation to Mass is a donation to the bankrupt, while a donation to a parish group is intended for something useful. Some are even eager for the debates to end so as not to be embarrassed about donating again at mass.

If parishioners’ impressions are not accurate, how can they know? It’s not 2007. Don’t feign confusion at our disbelief. Don’t blame an incomplete media narrative. Show us real numbers, with real sources. The diocese must face the fact that it has lost trust between itself and its flock. If the Church is truly the people, then let them see.