St. Benedict Roman Catholic Church, Facebook
CV NEWS FEED // Parishioners in the Diocese of Buffalo, New York, are presenting arguments for why their churches should not be shut down as the Diocese moves forward with its restructuring process.
Local outlet WKBW reported that the Diocese had said in May that it planned to close 34% of 160 parishes, citing declining Mass attendance, a lack of priests to staff the parishes, and the Diocese’s bankruptcy filing in the wake of numerous sexual abuse lawsuits.
However, several parish families affected by the closures have respectfully asked the Diocese to hear their arguments for why their home churches should remain open, a process that WKBW reported began on Aug. 12 and will continue for the next two weeks.
Nandor Forgach, a parishioner at a church that is scheduled to close under the Diocese’s downsizing plan, said that he believes families have remained hopeful that their parishes will stay open.
Joe Martone, the Diocese’s communications director, told WKBW that the families will have one hour to present their counter-proposals to the Diocese.
The diocesan Presbyteral Council will reportedly meet on Aug. 27, and a final decision on which churches will close will be disclosed during the first week of September.
In response to a question about the futility of arguing against the reconstruction process due to the Diocese’s financial situation, Martone reminded WKBW that the decision to downsize wasn’t made solely because of the bankruptcy filing.
Part of the decision-making process involved considering the small number of priests in the diocese, he explained.
“We have to make sure that our manpower fits that family, and we can’t have, unfortunately, [an] excess of parishes that priests can man,” Martone said.
