Mixed reaction to potential church mergers under Diocese of Buffalo plan

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — St. Mark’s is on the list of more than a dozen Buffalo Vicariate churches that could potentially merge with other parishes, leaving parishioners with mixed feelings.

“It’s a difficult time,” said Father Joseph Tokasz, parish administrator for the Buffalo North Catholic Community. “It’s a difficult reality, and I just hope to make the most of what we have going forward.”

However, the situation of Saint-Marc is different from that of other parishes. It is affiliated with St. Mark School, a private Catholic school ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade.

If the recommendations are approved, St. Mark would merge with St. Margaret, but St. Mark School would remain open.

“There’s still a lot of good that can happen here with this school community,” Tokasz said. “With this recommendation to close the parish, it affects the school because you had a parish and a school once upon a time, and that has changed.”

Many described St. Mark School to 7 News as a “vibrant” and “thriving” community. Meghann Roehl, a mother of three children currently attending the North Buffalo school, said that while she has confidence in the school’s strength, she worries about the possible separation between church and education.

“This church is not just a church; it is part of a church community,” Roehl said. “It’s the head and St. Mark’s is the heart. If you cut off the head, what happens?”

Roehl emphasized that the church was a vital piece of the fabric of St. Mark.

“Many families have had their parents and grandparents attend the school and have been parishioners of the church their entire lives,” she said. “Many of these young families are returning to the North Buffalo area and are deliberately looking for a home close to the St. Mark community so they can join this parish.”

According to the school, “per diocesan recommendation, the parish property will still house St. Mark’s School and the adaptive reuse of the church and rectory for school purposes can now take place.”

Father Tokasz said this provides a much-needed academic expansion opportunity for his nearly 400 students.

“We won’t have your normal Sunday Masses per se, but we can use them for school Masses,” he said. “The school… is already bursting at the seams, and so we have the potential to use the rectory for more spaces – offices, classrooms. We’re looking at potentially using it as library space.”

However, Roehl said she thinks this idea is counterintuitive.

“I question the thought process, because if you’re going to invest in public services to maintain the church and keep it as a chapel for the school, then why close it,” Roehl asked.

The parish has until July 15 to accept these recommendations or submit a counter-proposal.