Catholic Diocese of Buffalo to close or merge a third of parishes | News

The Diocese of Buffalo announced plans Tuesday to merge or close about a third of Western New York’s 160 Catholic parishes.

Buffalo Bishop Michael W. Fisher said which parishes would close or merge had not yet been decided. Diocese leaders said that would be determined by Sept. 1 following a consultation process involving parish families.

Diocese officials said the actual number of merged parishes will not be determined until clergy and parish leaders have an opportunity to review the recommendations that will be proposed. They can either agree with the recommendations or present an option for one or more alternative parishes within their family for merger. These determinations will be made between August 15 and September 1.

“The Diocese of Buffalo faces multiple challenges, including a significant shortage of priests, declining Mass attendance, aging congregations and continued financial pressures brought on by our Chapter 11 filing,” Fisher said. “This plan is the result of lessons learned when we brought parishes together in the parish family model and determined fairly quickly that reducing the number of parishes would best allow us to use our limited resources to help reinvigorate a spiritual renewal in the diocese.

The Rev Bryan Zielenieski, vicar for renewal and development, said the proposed restructuring would leave the diocese with 106 parishes, a reduction of 34 per cent.

The diocese has shared some information on how it will be determined which parishes will merge or close. Road to Renewal will provide priests with data including the number of registered households per parish, the number of those registered households actively contributing, as well as the number of sacraments and new Catholics initiated through faith formation, and offer recommendations for possible mergers.

The diocese said it is important to note that recommendations will not be made exclusively based on financial factors; geographic considerations and strategy will also be part of the recommendations.

Catholic schools will also be part of the process; Diocese officials said parishes with existing elementary schools will be evaluated just as parishes without schools will be evaluated. A Catholic schools strategic planning group helps guide schools and Catholic education into the future, and it works closely with the Road to Renewal, according to the diocese.

Since Road to Renewal began in 2019, diocese officials say they have measured and observed trends, including the number of registered households per parish, sacramental events, parish operating balances, number of priests available to lead the ministry and the level of parishioner participation. Nearly half of the diocese’s parishes are experiencing a decline in the number of registered households, while more than half of all parishes are averaging one baptism per month. Only 12% of parishes initiated new Catholics last Easter Vigil, the diocese reported.