BUFFALO (NY)
WGRZ-TV [Buffalo NY]
October 29, 2024
By Rob Hackford
The building has officially been auctioned by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Christ the King Seminary has officially been auctioned off for $4.2 million through U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
The 117-acre site on Knox Road in the Town of Aurora was sold to a different religious group called the World Mission Society Church of God.
The seminary formerly used to educate Catholic priests before its closure in 2020, and was placed on the market almost exactly one year ago in November 2023. The initial list price was $5.3 million.
World Mission Society Church of God is set to close on the property in a matter of weeks, according to the Diocese of Buffalo. This is not the aggressive timeline cited in court of 2-12 days they said.
The religious group founded in South Korea in 1964 was first floated as a potential buyer back in July 2024, raising questions about its history.
World Mission Society Church of God is named in a 2014 lawsuit filed by Michelle Ramirez, a former member who accused the group of using cult-like tactics and “intimidation” to “hide their true nature and bad behavior.”
The church has denied Ramirez’s claims alleging that they threatened her family and forced her to work long hours without compensation.
The suit appears headed toward settlement based on recent court filings which show that most of Ramirez’s claims have been dismissed except for two: fraud and negligence.
The group has a presence in Western New York with a location in Blasdell and touts having 3 million members across 175 countries on its website. Members believe the bible is the word of god, in Jesus Christ and a second messiah who founded the church, Christ Ahnsahnghong.
As one of the Buffalo Catholic Diocese’s most valuable properties, Christ the King was placed up for sale amid the diocese’s bankruptcy and child sex abuse scandal. The sale is set to go directly towards a settlement fund for those abuse claims.
The diocese’s next most valuable piece of real estate is the Catholic Center on Main Street in Buffalo, which was listed for sale in March 2024.
According to the diocese, Christ the King Seminary originally began at St. Bonaventure University in 1857 when it was founded by the Franciscan Fathers of the Order of Friars Minor. In 1974, the seminary moved to Aurora, where it replaced St. John Vianney Seminary.
The diocese and seminary board ultimately chose to close the site to cut costs, the diocese added in a press release to 2 On Your Side, steering students toward St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore and St. Bernard’s School of Theology in Rochester.