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	Diocese Announces Mergers for 25 More Parishes Last Set of Closings to Claim 25 Parishes By Andrew Rafferty and Brian Hayden Buffalo News June 1, 2008 http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/359761.html Twenty-five Catholic parishes will feel the pinch of the final round of church mergers, the Diocese of Buffalo announced Saturday. As part of Bishop Edward U. Kmiec's "Journey in Faith and Grace," more parishes will either merge or link, and others will no longer be used for weekend services. Members of 64 parishes throughout Erie County found out their church's fate during Saturday Masses. While the Diocese said this is the last in a series of church mergings, the final plan leaves the door open for more closings if some parishes are not able to improve their finances. "My invitation to the people of our diocese moving forward is to come to our new faith communities and help us gather the stones that have been scattered," the bishop said in a statement. "We have planted our new seeds for our faith to grow." When Journey in Faith and Grace began in 2005, there were 275 weekend worship sites in the diocese. Now, there will be 198 sites. Kim Knoll, 48, was baptized at St. Bonaventure in West Seneca, a church targeted for merger. She expected to see this day come. "The parish has been preparing for it," Knoll said. "But some are still taking it hard." Following are the diocese actions: Southeast Erie County Nine parishes are affected: In South Buffalo, St. Agatha on Abbott Road and St. Ambrose, Ridgewood Road, will merge to form a new parish, but both church sites will still be used. The newly formed parish will then "link" with Holy Family Church on South Park Avenue — with the parishes remaining independent of each other but sharing a pastor. At the end of one year, all three parishes will merge into one parish. One or two sites may be used. St. Martin of Tours and St. Thomas Aquinas, both on Abbott Road, will link and both sites will remain open if financially possible. St. John the Evangelist on Seneca Street will merge with St. Teresa, also on Seneca Street, with St. Teresa's being the primary worship site. St. Casimir, Weimar and Casimir streets, and St. Bernard on Clinton Street will link, with St. Bernard remaining open if it can improve its financial situation within two years. Our Lady of Czestochowa, Clinton Street, will remain independent, but may link, or merge, with St. Casimir and St. Bernard. Northern Erie County Six parishes will merge to form three parishes. St. Augustine, Goodrich Road, Clarence Center, and Good Shepherd on Tonawanda Creek Road in Pendleton will merge but use both sites. Meanwhile, St. Timothy on East Park Drive and St. Andrew on Sheridan Drive, both in the Town of Tonawanda, will begin to prepare for the possibility of linking or merging. In Cheektowaga, Mother of Divine Grace Parish, Old Maryvale Drive, Cheektowaga, will close, merging into Infant of Prague, Cleveland Drive. Also, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Edison Avenue, Buffalo, will close and merge with St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Cleveland Drive, Cheektowaga. Both mergers will take place by the end of 2009. Eastern Erie County Ten parishes will merge to form five. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Colden will close and merge with St. George Parish in West Falls. SS. Peter and Paul Parish, Burlington Avenue, Depew, will close and merge with Our Lady of Pompeii, Laverack Avenue, Lancaster. Both churches will remain open until July 2009. St. Augustine, Penora Street, and St. James, Terrace Boulevard, both in Depew, will merge and use a single worship site. St. Bonaventure, on Harlem Road and Seneca Street in West Seneca, will close and merge with St. William on Arcade Street in West Seneca. St. Catherine of Siena on Seneca Street in West Seneca will merge into Queen of Heaven on Mill Road in West Seneca. There was an air of resignation at Saturday's 4 p.m. Mass in St. John the Evangelist in South Buffalo. The Rev. Robert Mock tied the news in with the week's Gospel. "If we really built our faith on a rock and not a church building, we will all have a successful transition," he said. In St. Bonaventure Church, worshippers had just learned during the 5:30 p.m. Mass that their parish will be merged with St. William. Few were surprised. "All we can do is be as welcoming and receiving in the process as possible," the Rev. James R. Bastian said. Contact: bhayden@buffnews.com and arafferty@buffnews.com.
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