What is the issue?

The Roman Catholic Diocese has recently announced that as a part of the “Road to Renewal” 65-70 Catholic churches in the area will be closed by the end of the summer. This would be a loss of about 1/3 of our existing Catholic churches and countless employees who dedicate their lives to the mission of the Church. 

This decision, masqueraded as a step towards renewal, is in reality a desperate bid to pay off the bankruptcy caused by the sexual abuse crisis in the church. However, the future generations of Catholics should not suffer for the financial irresponsibility of our bishops. 

This petition is for young people and those concerned with the future of the diocese alike. There is no age limit to who can sign their name to this petition and make their support for our churches known. The name only serves to reference the dire circumstances for the next generation.

 

Who will be affected?

 

As of June 2024, only three closures have been announced. With a deadline of August to reveal the other victims, any church and any church-goer is at risk of sacrificing their church for monetary value. It is impossible to say which churches are most at risk; simply speaking they’re all at risk. Any church with land that can be sold off is at risk. 

In addition to the countless displaced Catholics, removed from parishes their families have belonged to for generations, this decision affects everyone. While you may not attend church now or have any desire to, at some point you may wish to get married where your grandparents did, or baptize your children where your parents were, or even bring you child to see where you once prayed. This is a lasting and irreversible decision, the effect of which cannot be comprehended at this point. 

As the future of the diocese of Buffalo, we the young people are most at risk and have the most to lose. The options our parents had may not now be available to us, and we may find ourselves cut off from our history and detached from our heritage.

What’s at Stake?

 

For a move characterized as being “for renewal” the most pressing thing at stake is our diocesan renewal. How can we have any renewal without churches? How can we expect a new generation of Catholics to feel energized about religion, when our leaders are not even brave enough to be warriors for the faith. It’s no secret that the diocese is not financially stable, but it should not come at the expense of our faith.

 

For many Catholics, the church feels like a second home, like a second family. For many Catholics, the church literally is the first and only home. The diocese risks swinging a wrecking ball through the connections, shattering history, faith, and community along the way. 

Let us learn from the school closures, where the diocese was over-zealous in closing in batches and sacrificed quality schools on prime land for the price they could catch. In the process the bishop created distrust in the system, fear over stability, and ended up alienating a huge proportion of prospective students and expediting the enrollment crisis. Let it not be unknown that had the schools closed gradually as necessary rather than in groups of 10 to 15, we might still have more open and catering to the next generation of Catholics. 

 

This is that issue multiplied by ten, in the sense that the churches themselves are more crucial than the schools, and are being closed in a much more irresponsible manner at a much higher rate.  


What is the Goal?

 

While this decision, made potentially years ago with little to no input from those it affects, may prove to be catastrophic to the future of Catholic communities in our area, we acknowledge that it may be impossible to entirely repeal. There may need to be some closures and a great deal of discomfort. 

Rather than attempting to prevent any closures, we are attempting to demonstrate continued interest and save as many churches as possible. When a church must close, we urge the diocese to remember God’s call to the works of mercy and convert parishes into centers for community outreach and service. We demand that rather than selling off churches and complexes, the diocese considers soup kitchens, homeless shelters, adoration chapels, or orphan homes as desirable adjustments. 

Any art of religious or historical significance should be preserved and shifted to a remaining house of worship for the sake of continued appreciation and devotion.

Most of all we aim to embolden young people to take action in the church and seize the future before it’s ripped away. We wish to provide our posterity with an avenue for open dialogue in the church and a seat at the table in important discussions like this one.

Why is it Important to Act Now?

 

It is imperative that we make our voices heard now because this decision will become irreversible in two months. Once the buildings are sold, staff fired, and congregations dismissed there will be no going back. Our church is at a turning point and we need to take a stand before our leaders go too far and destroy our future.