Catholic Diocese to Sell St. Jude Center

BUFFALO NY (WIVB) — The days may be numbered for the downtown Saint Jude Center after the Diocese of Buffalo put the property up for sale.

“It’s a bad decision, I can say that,” said Father Richard Augustyn, director of the Saint Jude Center. “It’s one of the worst decisions they’ve made.”

After serving the community for more than four decades at the center, Father Augustyn said he never expected the Ellicott Street property to be for sale.

“I was shocked and disappointed,” he said. “I didn’t think this would be part of the St. Jude story.”

Saint Jude is not a parish, but a center of worship that offers people a quiet, serene place to pray, reflect and seek hope for their loved ones receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.

“Regularly throughout the day you will see people coming and going, either sitting in the courtyard enjoying the gardens or coming into the chapel and just finding some calm in the madness they call hospitalization,” Father Augustyn said.

He hopes whoever buys the property will allow the Saint Jude Center to lease the facility. He said one possibility would be the Kevin Guest House, whose mission aligns with that of the Saint Jude Center.