Diocese of Buffalo Announces Final Parish Restructuring, by Thea Tio, WGRZ, June 1, 2008

Diocese of Buffalo Announces Final Parish Restructuring

By Thea Tio
WGRZ
June 1, 2008

http://www.wgrz.com/sports/sports_article.aspx?storyid=58318&provider=gnews

The Diocese of Buffalo announced Saturday that a number of parishes in the Vicariate of Southeast Buffalo (South Buffalo and Kaisertown-Sloan Clusters), the Vicariate of Northern Erie, and the Vicariate of Eastern Erie will be restructured as part of the "Journey in Faith and Grace," a parish-based strategic planning and spiritual revitalization initiative launched in June 2005 by Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, bishop of Buffalo.

These changes represent the final in a series of decisions to reimagine parish life throughout the eight counties of Western New York in response to changing times and emerging needs.

Announcement of the mergers is being delivered to affected parishioners at this weekends Masses.

Bishop Kmiec said the announcement of the pastoral restructuring phase of the journey is now 100-percent complete as decisions have been made on all of the 275 weekend worship sites in the diocese when the process began in 2005.

Including todays announcement, 77 weekend sites will no longer be used, leaving 198 worship sites in the Diocese of Buffalo.

The latest round of changes involves 64 parishes and one mission. As a result of parish mergers and linking, 58 worship sites will continue to be used for weekend services.

Following is the final restructuring in the Vicariate of Southeast Erie:

South Buffalo Cluster
• St. Agatha and St. Ambrose parishes in South Buffalo will merge to form a new parish using both church sites. The merged parish will then link with Holy Family Parish in South Buffalo for approximately one year.
• St. Martin of Tours and St. Thomas Aquinas parishes in South Buffalo will link with one pastor and a parochial vicar.
• St. John the Evangelist Parish in South Buffalo will merge with St. Teresa Parish in South Buffalo. St. Teresas site will be the primary worship site, the residence for the pastor, and the site for parish offices and all parish activities.

Kaisertown-Sloan Cluster
• St. Andrew Parish in Sloan will remain an independent parish, but should engage in collaborative efforts with the other parishes of the cluster.
• St. Casimir and St. Bernard parishes in Buffalo will link and share a pastor.
• Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in Cheektowaga will remain an independent parish for the time being, but it should engage in collaborative efforts with St. Bernard and St. Casimir parishes in order to prepare for the possibility of linking or merging sometime in the future.

Northern Erie
• The following parishes will remain independent:

o St. Amelia Parish in Tonawanda
o St. Christopher Parish in Tonawanda (merged with St. Edmund, Sept. 1, 2007)
o St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Tonawanda
o St. Paul Parish in Kenmore
o St. Pius X Parish in Getzville
o St. Stephen Parish on Grand Island
o St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Swormville
o Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Harris Hill
• Our Lady of Peace Parish in Clarence and St. Teresa Parish in Akron will remain independent parishes for the time being.
• St. Augustine Parish in Clarence Center and Good Shepherd Parish in Pendleton will merge to form a single parish, possibly with a new name, but using both church sites. The primary site and pastors residence will be in Pendleton.
• St. Timothy Parish in Tonawanda will begin a collaborative ministerial relationship with St. Andrew Parish in Kenmore in order to prepare for the possibility of linking or merging sometime in the future.
• St. Andrew Kim Mission to Korean Catholics in Tonawanda will remain a mission of St. Andrew Parish in Kenmore.
• St. John the Baptist Parish in Kenmore and Blessed Sacrament Parish in Tonawanda will remain independent parishes for the time being, but they will begin to discuss collaborative ministry since it is possible that they may one day share a pastor.
• The parishes of Christ the King in Snyder, St. Benedict in Eggertsville, St. Gregory the Great in Williamsville, St. Leo the Great in Amherst, and SS. Peter & Paul in Williamsville will remain independent parishes, but they will form an active collaborative relationship.

• Mother of Divine Grace Parish in Cheektowaga will merge into Infant of Prague Parish in Cheektowaga. The Mother of Divine Grace site will be closed and the disposition of the buildings will be left to the discretion of the merged community at Infant of Prague Parish.
• Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cheektowaga will merge into St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parish in Cheektowaga. The Immaculate Heart of Mary site will be closed and the disposition of the buildings will be left to the discretion of the merged community at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parish.

Following is the complete restructuring in the Vicariate of Eastern Erie:
• The following parishes will remain independent :
o St. John the Baptist in Alden
o Sacred Heart of Jesus in Bowmansville
o St. Philip the Apostle in Cheektowaga
o Immaculate Conception in East Aurora
o Our Lady Help of Christians in Cheektowaga
o Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Elma
o St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows in Elma
o St. Mary of the Assumption in Lancaster
o Nativity of Our Lord in Orchard Park
o St. John Vianney in Orchard Park
o St. Vincent de Paul in Springbrook
o Fourteen Holy Helpers in West Seneca

• St. Barnabas and Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament parishes in Depew will remain independent parishes but they should collaborate with one another, looking toward the future when they might be linked or merged.
• St. Josaphat and Resurrection parishes in Cheektowaga will remain independent but should form a collaborative relationship, looking toward the future when they might be linked or merged.
• Queen of Martyrs and St. John Gualbert parishes in Cheektowaga will remain independent parishes but should form a collaborative relationship, looking toward the future when they might be linked or merged.
• St. George Parish in West Falls and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in Colden will merge to form a new parish, possibly with a new name, at the West Falls site.
• Our Lady of Pompeii Parish in Lancaster and SS. Peter & Paul Parish in Depew will merge to form a new parish, possibly with a new name, and eventually using the single worship site of Our Lady of Pompeii.
• St. Augustine and St. James parishes in Depew will merge to form a new parish, possibly with a new name, using a single worship site. The merger of the two communities will be effective soon after the celebration of the 100th anniversary of St. Augustine Parish in July 2009.
• St. William and St. Bonaventure parishes in West Seneca will merge to form a new parish, possibly with a new name, using St. Williams church as the worship site.
• St. Catherine of Sienna Parish in West Seneca will merge into Queen of Heaven Parish in West Seneca.