BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo revealed more parish merger recommendations on Friday night. This time the focus was on northern Erie County and Niagara County.
These recommendations were revealed at a meeting at St. Leo the Great in Amherst, with diocese officials and parish trustees in attendance.
Here are the recommendations:
Family No. 15
- Our Lady of Peace, Clarence: merge with Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Family No. 16
- St. Benedict, Eggertsville: merge with St. Leo the Great. School to remain open
- St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Cheektowaga: merge with Christ the King
- Infant of Prague, Cheektowaga: merge with SS. Peter & Paul
Family No. 17
- St. Andrew, Kenmore: merge with St. Timothy
- Blessed Sacrament, Tonawanda: merge with St. Paul
Family No. 18
- St. Francis of Assisi, Tonawanda: merge with Our Lady of Czestochowa
- St. Andrew Kim RC Mission, Tonawanda: merge with St. Leo (Family #16)
- St. Jude the Apostle, North Tonawanda: merge with Our Lady of Czestochowa
Family No. 19
- St. Pius X, Getzville: merge with St. Gregory the Great
- Good Shepherd, Pendleton: St. Augustine site to close
"What they're proposing makes sense to me. It's just going to be brutal because Tonawanda will not have a parish anymore," parishioner Al Baker told 2 On Your Side.
Baker attends Our Lady of Czestochowa. He said this isn't his first time merging, but he isn't fond of the idea.
The diocese on Thursday night released a list of 15 recommended mergers of City of Buffalo and Cheektowaga parishes. Those recommendations were:
Family No. 20
- Holy Spirit (Dakota Street): merge with St. Margaret (Hertel Avenue)
- St. Mark (Woodward Avenue): merge with St. Margaret. School to remain.
- St. Rose of Lima (Parker Avenue): merge with St. Margaret
- All Saints (Chadduck Avenue): merge with Assumption (Amherst Street)
Family No. 21
- St. Lawrence (East Delavan Avenue): merge with Blessed Trinity (Leroy Avenue)
- SS. Columba Brigid (Hickory Street): merge St. Stanislaus (Peckham Street)
Family No. 22
- St. Anthony of Padua (Court Street): merge with St. Louis (Edward Street)
- St. Michael (Washington Street): merge with St. Louis
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help (O’Connell Street): merge with St. Louis
Family No. 23
- Coronation of the BVM (Dewitt Street): merge with Assumption
Family No. 30
- St. John Kanty (Swinburne Street): merge with St. Stanislaus
- St. John Gualbert (Gualbert Avenue): merge with St. Stanislaus
Family No. 31
- St. Martin of Tours (Abbott Road): merge with Our Lady of Charity (South Park Avenue). School to remain.
- St. Thomas Aquinas (Abbott Road): merge with St. Teresa (Seneca Street)
Family No. 32
- St. Bernard (Clinton Street): merge with Our Lady of Czestochowa (Willowlawn Parkway)
The schools will remain open at St. Mark and St. Martin of Tours, and St. Anthony of Padua on court street will remain open as an oratory.
The following recommendations came after a meeting on Monday, June 10 in Olean:
Family No. 1
- SS. Brendan and Jude, - merge with Immaculate Conception, Almond site to close, Alfred site to remain open
- Blessed Sacrament, Andover – merge with Immaculate Conception.
- St. Mary, Bolivar – merge with Immaculate Conception
- Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph, Wellsville – merge with Immaculate Conception
- St. Mary, Canaseraga – merge with Immaculate Conception – remain as a secondary worship site
Family No. 24
- St. John, Olean – merge with St. Mary of the Angels
Family No. 33
- Family #33 St. Jude, Sardinia already merging with St. Aloysius
- St. Mary, Arcade – close
- St. John the Baptist, West Valley – merge with St. Aloysius
This recommendations come after the Diocese announced that it would merge 34 percent of its churches to address recent financial hardships.
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