Diocese of Buffalo plans to reduce number of parishes by a third

Fisher cited “multiple challenges” facing the diocese, including a “significant shortage of priests,” declining Mass attendance, aging congregations and continued financial pressures in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.

The bishop did not specify the exact number of parish mergers and church closures, but he said “reducing” the number of parishes would best allow remaining worshiping communities to use limited resources “to helping to revitalize a spiritual renewal in the diocese.”

The details of the proposed restructuring will be determined after clergy and parish leaders have had an opportunity to review the recommendations of the diocese’s Road to Renewal division, which analyzed parish demographics, participation in sacraments and financial support.

Fisher met with clergy at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Cheektowaga Tuesday afternoon before a news conference.

The diocese currently has 115 diocesan priests available to parishes. That number will decrease to 70 by 2030 and 38 by 2040, according to diocese projections.

At the same time, nearly three out of five parishes in the diocese reported a negative net operating balance.

And the future doesn’t look much brighter. Nearly half of parishes reported fewer registered households. Baptisms declined steadily in 59% of parishes, and marriages in Catholic churches fell by a quarter between 2020 and 2023.

Another risk for the diocese and its parishes is a potentially massive bankruptcy settlement with 900 plaintiffs who say they were sexually abused as children by priests and other diocese officials. The diocese said it was prepared to offer $100 million to settle the claims.

The plan revealed Tuesday follows a small wave of church closures announced earlier this year, when three parishes were deemed financially insolvent and lacking enough sacramental ministry to continue. An elementary school operated by one of the insolvent parishes, St. Andrew Church in the town of Tonawanda, is also closing. St. Andrew Parish will celebrate a closing mass on June 30. A final mass has also been set for Aug. 10 at St. Lawrence Church on East Delavan Avenue. All Saints in the Riverside section of Buffalo will also close.

The diocese also put its Main Street headquarters on the market for $9.8 million, as well as Christ the King Seminary in the city of Aurora and the Buffalo State Newman Center on Elmwood Avenue.

In a process known as the “Road to Renewal,” the diocese in 2022 began consolidating 160 parishes into 36 families to better distribute a limited number of clergy.

Last summer, parishioners saw many changes, particularly with revised Mass schedules, as new families sought the best way to provide liturgies and ministries at their various churches.

The diocese went through a contentious process known as the “Journey in Faith and Grace” more than 15 years ago that resulted in several dozen parish mergers and church closures. By 2011, the diocese had closed more than 70 houses of worship in eight counties and reduced the number of parishes from 265 to 169.

Bishop Michael W. Fisher said early on that the “road to renewal” would not necessarily require closing more churches, although he explained at the time that he hoped parish families would honestly evaluate the resources available to them as a family and would exercise good judgment. decisions about what they can afford in terms of buildings and ministries.

On Tuesday, however, diocese officials said it became clear that reductions were necessary to “appropriately resize and reshape for the future.”

Merger recommendations will not be based solely on finances and registration numbers, according to diocese officials, who will take into account geography and other factors.

“We’re getting to the point now where we have to make decisions about what we need and what we don’t need, what can we afford and continue, whether it’s a school, a parish or buildings, empty buildings,” Fisher said. said in an interview with The News in April. “In some cases we have churches that are not being used or do not have the support of their congregation. »

Fisher said several dozen dioceses across the country have undergone some sort of restructuring in recent years.

He described the “Road to Renewal” effort as a “more deliberate” way to develop consensus around difficult decisions such as merging parishes and closing buildings.

Since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020, the diocese has spent more than $15 million on attorney and other professional fees. But the bankruptcy was not the trigger for a restructuring, which should have happened even if the diocese had not filed, Fisher said.

A flood of church-related child sex abuse lawsuits and the Covid-19 pandemic have worsened the situation for parishes and schools that were already struggling financially.

The lawsuits not only caused the bankruptcy filing, but also further disenchantment with the Church among the faithful. The Covid-19 pandemic has separated parishioners from weekly Mass attendance, loosening the bond that kept the faithful regularly engaged and willing to give of their time and money.

Many parishes still have not seen donations return to pre-pandemic levels.