Buffalo Diocese to merge one-third of parishes in push to ‘rightsize and reshape’
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Buffalo Bishop Michael Fisher and other local Catholic leaders announced plans Tuesday to “rightsize and reshape” the diocese by merging or closing approximately one-third of Western New York’s 160 parishes.
The plans did not specify any particular parishes across Western New York’s eight counties that could be in line for downsizing. Rev. Bryan Zielenieski, Vicar for Renewal and Development, said the proposed reshaping would leave the region with approximately 106 parishes, a decline of 34%.
The list of parishes slated for closures and mergers is expected to be finalized by Sept. 1, with mergers beginning in October.
“The Diocese of Buffalo is facing multiple challenges including a significant priest shortage, declining Mass attendance, aging congregations and ongoing financial pressures brought about by our Chapter 11 filing,” Bishop Fisher said. “This plan resulted from the lessons learned as we brought parishes together in the parish family model and determined rather quickly that scaling back the number of parishes would best allow us to use our limited resources to help reenergize a spiritual renewal in the diocese.”
The diocese stressed that the actual number of parishes merged will not be determined until clergy and parish leadership have an opportunity to review recommendations that will be proposed.
“They may either agree with the recommendations, or present an option for an alternative parish (or parishes) within their family for merger. Those determinations will be made between August 15 and September 1, 2024,” the diocese said in a statement.
Buffalo’s Catholic churches have been organized in a parish family model since 2022 to help optimize diocesan resources, rotating masses and priests through nearby churches in groups or “families” of three to six. (A map of parish families can be seen here.) Some parishes have also announced plans to close recently, including St. Lawrence in Buffalo and St. Andrew’s in Tonawanda.
Zielenieski, who leads the diocese’s “Road to Renewal” effort, added that the 34% reduction in parishes would come alongside a 38% drop in worship sites, with the difference explained by the fact that some parishes include multiple buildings. Bishop Fisher said examining how local Catholic schools fit into this structure is still being reviewed by a task force.
“To make the recommendations that will be presented to pastors, we examined parish demographics, sacramental participation, and financial support,” Zielenieski said. “We also looked at the variations of our urban, suburban and rural parishes because factors like poverty rates, availability of transportation, proximity and limited resources impact overall parish long-term vitality.”
The reshaping comes amid a challenging period for the diocese, with declining numbers of priests and parishioners compounded by their October announcement that settling nearly 900 claims of childhood sexual abuse will cost at least $100 million. Roughly 600 of those cases involved clerics, including some with multiple allegations.
“At the end of the day, what it will cost will be painful,” Richard Suchan, chief operating officer for the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, told News 4 Investigates during a three-part series about the diocese’s financial future. “It’s not going to be a number that leaves the diocese or any of our parishes in a good financial situation.”
The diocese released its own FAQ sheet about the proposed restructuring, which can be seen below. The entire press can also be seen at the end of this article; we apologize for some technical difficulties resulting from the internet connection.
Explore News 4 Investigates’ three-part series on the Buffalo Diocese
Part 1: Cost to settle sex abuse claims will be ‘painful’ for Diocesan community
Part 2: Catholics are more careful with church donations after Diocese bankruptcy
Part 3: Buffalo Diocese: ‘We can say we’re sorry, but we need to ante up’
Diocese FAQ on restructuring
Full press conference
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Nick Veronica is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team as the Digital Executive Producer in 2021. He previously worked at NBC Sports and The Buffalo News. You can follow Nick on Facebook, Twitter and Threads. See more of his work here.
Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.
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