BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The announcement that many local Catholics had anticipated for months was made on Tuesday. The Buffalo Diocese declared nearly half of its parishes will be closing.
Despite the challenges, parishioners apart of the group 'Save Our Churches' are ready to fight to keep their churches open, utilizing Canon Law—the legal system of the Catholic Church—to make an appeal to the Vatican.
Parishioners say they are fighting for more than just a building.
"Our grandparents, our great grandparents built every single one of these churches in the city of Buffalo and the diocese has just taken them away from them," said Save our Buffalo Churches spokesperson, Tom Puchalski.
Puchalski is a parishioner at Blessed Sacrament Church in the Town of Tonawanda, which is one of the many parishes scheduled to close by June 2025.
"People are angry, are upset about it, and rightfully so," continued Puchalski.
Since the initial recommendation of Blessed Sacrament's closure, he and a group of local Catholics have spent the summer researching, gathering signatures, and spreading the word.
The group is named 'Save Our Buffalo Churches' and consists of lay people studying canon law and encouraging others to sign their mandate to support the appeal that claims the closures go against the law.
Paddy Gorman is a parishioner at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which is also slated for closure.
"The first Irish catholic church in Buffalo when all the immigrants came over, 127 years old, the only one in the neighborhood" said Gorman.
Gorman serves as the procurator for the group, essentially acting as the power of attorney for the appeal. He states that some of the parishes slated for closure are financially solvent and should be given the opportunity to sustain themselves.
"If you look at some of the churches like St. John's or St. Benedict's or ours that have tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars in cash reserves," continued Gorman. "Well, if we have that we don't need you to keep our lights on."
"Give us a chance. Say you have a year. Don't just say you have six weeks to give us a reason not to close and the reasons we gave you were wrong."
The Diocese stated on Tuesday that churches in the appeal process will remain open and operational. Additionally, the diocese said that its road to renewal plan follows Canon Law.
"I can assure you from all the other consultations we have from other dioceses, with our canon lawyers that we followed the procedures that were laid out for us," said Vicar for Renewal Father Bryan Zielenieski.
To receive updates about the group's efforts, click here.
Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.
