December 2, 2007

Diocese of Buffalo Announces

Recommendations to Restructure Parishes

Parishes in the Northwest Buffalo, Northern and

Southern Chautauqua vicariates will be realigned

as part of the “Journey in Faith and Grace”

strategic planning and spiritual revitalization initiative

The Diocese of Buffalo said today that a number of parishes in the Northwest Buffalo and the Northern and Southern Chautauqua vicariates will be restructured as part of the “Journey in Faith and Grace,” a parish-based strategic planning and spiritual revitalization initiative launched in June 2005 by Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, bishop of Buffalo. These changes represent the latest in a series of recommendations to reimagine parish life throughout the eight counties of Western New York in response to changing times and emerging needs.

Announcement of the mergers were delivered to affected parishioners at weekend Masses yesterday and today.

Bishop Kmiec noted that today’s restructuring announcement takes place during the beginning of Advent, a season during which the Church readies to celebrate the birth of Jesus. “Advent is a time of preparation, marked by a spirit of anticipation, longing, and great promise said Bishop Kmiec. “So, too, is our Journey in Faith and Grace.

“We have been wise enough to know that this is a difficult and trying process. Increasingly, many see gateways and bridges on our journey where before some saw walls and dead-end streets. All this could be most daunting, but with courage and in the paraphrased words of St. Paul: ‘In Christ...and with you...we can do all things.’”

The latest round of changes includes 40 parishes and one mission. As a result of parish mergers and linking, 36 weekend worship sites will continue to be used. The changes were approved by the diocesan Strategic Planning Commission and the diocesan Council of Priests prior to being forwarded to Bishop Kmiec for his final review and approval.

In the Northwest Buffalo Vicariate three parishes will merge to form a single parish using one worship site. Nine parishes will remain independent and four parishes will work together to share ministries and form a collaborative cluster council. Following is the complete restructuring in the Northwest Buffalo Vicariate:

The North Buffalo Cluster:

· St. Joseph University Parish will remain an independent parish serving as both a territorial parish and as a campus ministry center for the State University of New York at Buffalo – South Campus.

· Holy Spirit, St. Margaret, St. Mark, and St. Rose of Lima parishes will work together to share ministries and strengthen the Catholic community through meetings of an ongoing collaborative cluster council. This council should be formed as soon as possible. The inter-parish collaboration is essential in light of restructuring that will come in the future. Restructuring will be considered for Holy Spirit, St. Margaret, St. Rose of Lima, and St. Mark parishes in the event of a serious financial difficulty or upon the retirement or reassignment of a pastor. The following restructuring is recommended:

• Holy Spirit and St. Margaret parishes will either be linked and share a pastor and pastoral associate, or a pastoral administrator will be assigned to one of the parishes and sacramental ministry will be provided by the pastor of the neighboring parish. If there were to be a pastoral administrator, the diocese would negotiate with the parishes to determine which parish would receive the pastoral administrator.

• St. Rose of Lima and St. Mark parishes will either be linked and share a pastor and pastoral associate, or a pastoral administrator will be assigned to one of the parishes and sacramental ministry will be provided by the pastor of the neighboring parish. If there were to be a pastoral administrator, the diocese would negotiate with the parishes to determine which parish would receive the pastoral administrator.

• If a parish were to become financially insolvent or in any way non-viable, a merger with a neighboring parish and the closing of a church site would need to be considered.

Downtown Cluster:

· St. Joseph Cathedral will remain an independent parish.

· St. Anthony Parish will remain an independent parish as long as the Scalabrinian Fathers are able to staff it. When that is no longer possible, St. Anthony Parish will merge into St. Joseph Cathedral.

· St. Michael Parish will remain an independent parish as long as the Jesuit Fathers are able to staff it. If, at some time in the future, this is no longer possible, St. Michael Parish will merge into St. Louis Parish.

· St. Louis Parish and Blessed Sacrament Parish will remain independent parishes but there will be a move forward to either link the two parishes with the same pastor and a pastoral associate, or to assign a pastoral administrator to one parish and to share a sacramental minister. Even before that time, there will be a sharing of space and programs, particularly religious education, between the two parishes. Since the stated aim of this cluster is to free the pastor to do priestly ministry and not worry about finances and administration, the parishes will consider hiring a parish business manager.

The commission supports the aim of the Downtown Cluster to work together to share talents, gifts, resources, and ministries to strengthen the Catholic community and outreach by way of collaborative planning.

West Side Cluster:

· Holy Cross Parish, having merged with Immaculate Conception Parish in 2005, will remain a single parish.

· Holy Angels Parish will remain an independent parish owned and administered by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

· Coronation Parish will remain an independent parish for the Vietnamese Catholic community.

· Annunciation, Nativity, and Our Lady of Loretto parishes will merge to form a single parish, possibly with a new name, and using Annunciation as the primary site. Disposition of the other buildings and property will be left to the discretion of the merged parish. The Oblates of Mary Immaculate will be asked to continue their ministry at Annunciation by providing a pastor for the merged parish. The parish will serve a multicultural community and the particular character of each of the merging parishes will be retained and nurtured in the new parish. Coronation Parish will be invited to participate in any activities or ministries that might build ties of collaboration between the parishes.

The West Side parishes will benefit by forming a West Side Council to address collaborative

efforts that might be undertaken both to build up the Catholic community through active

evangelization and to address the social needs of the multicultural immigrants who are

moving into the West Side.

In the Northern Chautauqua Vicariate nine parishes and one mission will merge, forming four parishes, using eight worship sites following the restructuring. Two parishes will remain independent and one will form a collaborative relationship with the Newman Center of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia. Following is the complete restructuring in the Northern Chautauqua Vicariate:

Western Region:

· An administrator will be assigned to St. James Major in Westfield and its mission of St. Thomas More in Ripley. Upon Father Beiter’s retirement as pastor of St. Patrick in Brocton, St. James Major and St. Patrick parishes will be merged to form a new parish, possibly with a new name, and using both sites. The mission of St. Thomas More will be merged into the new parish and the Ripley site will no longer be used. The disposition of the Ripley property will be left to the discretion of the merged parish.

Eastern Region:

· The three parishes of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Silver Creek, St. Rose of Lima in Forestville and St. John Bosco in Sheridan will merge into a single parish, possibly with a new name, and using both the Silver Creek and Forestville sites. The St. John Bosco site will no longer be used and the disposition of the buildings and property will be left to the discretion of the merged parish.

Central Region:

· Immaculate Conception Parish in Cassadaga will merge into St. Anthony Parish in Fredonia using both church sites. There will be one weekend liturgy in Cassadaga. Improvements should be made to the handicap accessibility of St. Anthony’s buildings.

· St. Joseph Parish in Fredonia will remain a single parish, but it should work collaboratively with St. Anthony Parish. The Mass schedules of the Fredonia parishes should be coordinated.

· St. Hedwig Parish and St. Hyacinth parishes in Dunkirk will merge to form a single parish, possibly with a new name, and using both worship sites. Disposition of any unneeded buildings will be left to the discretion of the merged parish.

· St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Dunkirk, which was the first Dunkirk parish to have been formed through a merger process, will remain an independent parish continuing to serve both the English-speaking and Hispanic communities.

· Holy Trinity Parish in Dunkirk will form a collaborative relationship with the Newman Center of SUNY-Fredonia. The pastor of Holy Trinity will provide sacramental ministry to those who worship at the Newman Center and he will work with the lay Campus Minister to provide priestly ministry in whatever ways might be needed.

In the Southern Chautauqua Vicariate 10 parishes will merge and two will link, forming seven parishes using all 12 worship sites, one of which will become an oratory. Following is the complete restructuring in the Southern Chautauqua Vicariate:

Greater Jamestown Area:

· SS. Peter & Paul Parish will merge with St. John Parish to form a new parish with a new name. Both sites will be used.

· Our Lady of Victory Parish in Frewsburg will merge into St. James Parish in Jamestown. The Frewsburg site will become an oratory, and no weekend services will be held in Frewsburg.

· Our Lady of the Snows in Panama will merge into Sacred Heart Parish in Lakewood. Both sites will be used.

Mass schedules in Jamestown and Lakewood/Panama will be reduced and coordinated in order to make it possible for those pastors to assist with the celebration of Mass in Bemus Point and at the Red House Area of Allegany State Park during the summer.

Eastern Vicariate Area:

· Our Lady of Loreto in Falconer will link with St. Patrick Parish in Randolph.

One Mass each weekend during summer months will be celebrated at Red House. This will be possible if the pastor of St. James in Jamestown is able to celebrate one Mass in Falconer in order to free the pastor of Falconer/Randolph to celebrate the Mass at Red House.

Southwestern Vicariate Area:

· St. Isaac Jogues Parish in Sherman and St. Matthias Parish in French Creek will merge to form a new parish, possibly with a new name. Both sites will be used. The pastor will reside in French Creek and the building renovation work in French Creek will include residential accommodations for the pastor.

Northwestern Vicariate Area:

· St. Mary Parish in Mayville will merge with Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Bemus Point to form a new parish, possibly with a new name, using both sites.

Where mergers are recommended, it will be the responsibility of the newly erected parish to decide on the use of sites, buildings and properties. Where linking is recommended, it is understood that the linked parishes will combine ministries and activities in order to work collaboratively, eliminating the duplication of services where possible. There may be further realignment in future years depending on demographic changes, economic factors, and the availability of priests.

The vicariate also suggested a centralized faith formation program as integral to its plans for the future. The commission encourages the vicariate to explore and possibly implement such a program.

Merger decisions will be announced in the coming months for the following vicariates: the two remaining clusters of Southeast Buffalo (South Buffalo and Kaisertown), Northern Erie, Eastern Erie, Western Erie and Wyoming.

All parish recommendations are carefully evaluated in terms of demographic information, Catholic population analysis, sacramental and fiscal data, and pastoral planning. In some cases, reconfiguration decisions include research and planning that predates the Journey.

The “Journey in Faith and Grace” is designed to identify the religious, spiritual, and education needs of the Catholic faithful throughout the diocese, and determine how those needs can best be met. It is an effort to create parish communities that are much more than a place where Sunday liturgy is celebrated. Its goals are to establish faith communities that provide formation programs for the sacraments, religious formation for both children and adults, and outreach to those in need; to provide for greater lay involvement, good pastoral leadership, and financial stability; and ensure that parishes will have the membership, leadership, and resources necessary to be vibrant centers of parish life.

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