February 27, 2008
Vatican
decree clears way for merger of two
For the second time in less than two
months, a Vatican office has upheld the decision of Bishop Edward U. Kmiec to merge St. John Kanty and
St. Adalbert parishes in the city of Buffalo.
In a decree written on Feb. 13, 2008, and delivered to the Diocese of Buffalo
on Feb. 25, the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura,
the Vatican’s highest canonical court, upheld an earlier Vatican ruling, stating
“The recourse presented has been rejected.”
Last year, parishioners from St. Adalbert appealed to
the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy, seeking to have the bishop’s July 1,
2007 decision to merge the parishes overturned. That appeal was rejected
late last December.
Now that the decision to merge the two parishes has been
upheld, Bishop Kmiec said he hopes that St. Adalbert parishioners will move forward with the
merger. “I know that this is a painful time for St. Adalbert
parishioners, as well as for Catholics in parishes throughout the diocese,” the
bishop said. “These painful decisions are necessary for the future of the
Church. We are faced with the dual challenge of dwindling Mass attendance
and a dramatically smaller number of priests.
“I hope parishioners will open their hearts and help to make their merged
parish one that Catholics of tomorrow will remember with the same fondness that
they will remember St. Adalbert’s.”
Bishop Kmiec also noted that there are at least two
other groups of parishioners considering appealing recent merger decisions to
the
Parishioners from Transfiguration in
Olean and St. Mary in Lockport have notified the diocese they are in the
process of appealing merger decisions to the Vatican. Transfiguration
Parish is scheduled to become an oratory as part of a merger with St. John
Parish in Olean and St. Helen Parish in Hinsdale. St. Mary Parish has yet
to merge into the new All Saints Parish in Lockport with St. Joseph, St.
Anthony and St. Patrick parishes.
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