Buffalo Diocese makes recommendations for closures, mergers in Southtowns, Southern Tier

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Buffalo Diocese has announced their recommendations for southern Erie County and the eastern part of the Southern Tier at a meeting at St. John Paul II in Lake View on Thursday night.

The Southern Tier recommendations were initially made at a meeting in Olean on June 3.

The recommendations come after the diocese’s decision to ‘rightsize and reshape’ their parishes due to financial troubles from payouts to settle child sexual abuse cases, declining Mass attendance, and a priest shortage.

At least 13 parishes in the Southtowns have been affected, along with several in the eastern part of the Southern Tier.

The list of affected parishes is now at over 60 as of Thursday night. Parishes affected on Thursday night can be seen below.

Southern Erie County

Family No. 7

• St. John XXIII (West Seneca): merge with Queen of Heaven (West Seneca) and close.
• St. John Vianney (Orchard Park): merge with Queen of Heaven and close. School will remain open.

Family No. 8

• St. Josaphat (Cheektowaga): merge with Queen of Martyrs (Cheektowaga) and close.
• Resurrection (Cheektowaga): merge with Our Lady Help of Christians (Cheektowaga) and close.

Family No. 9

• Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (Depew): merge with St. Mary of the Assumption (Lancaster) and close.
• St. Martha (Depew): merge with St. Philip the Apostle (Cheekowaga) and close. School to remain open.

Family No. 26

• Queen of Angels (Lackawanna): merge with Our Lady of Victory (Lackawanna) and close.
• Our Mother of Good Counsel (Blasdell): merge with Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (Orchard Park) and close.
• St. Anthony (Lackawanna): merge with Our Lady of Victory and close.
• Our Lady of Bistrica (Lackawanna): merge with Our Lady of Sacred Heart and close.

Family No. 28

• St. Bernadette (Orchard Park): merge with SS. Peter and Paul (Hamburg) and close.

Family No. 29

• St. Anthony (Farnham): merge with Most Precious Blood (Angola) and close.
• St. Mary of the Lake (Hamburg): merge with St. Francis of Assisi (Athol Springs) and close.

Southern Tier

Family No. 1

• SS. Brendan and Jude: merge with Immaculate Conception (Wellsville), Almond site to close, Alfred site to remain open.
• Blessed Sacrament (Andover): merge with Immaculate Conception and close.
• St. Mary (Bolivar): merge with Immaculate Conception and close.
• Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph (Wellsville): merge with Immaculate Conception, will remain as secondary worship site.
• St. Mary (Canaseraga): merge with Immaculate Conception, will remain as secondary worship site.

Family No. 24

• St. John (Olean): merge with St. Mary of the Angels (Olean). School to remain open.

Family No. 33

• St. Jude (Sardinia): merge with St. Aloysius (Springville) and close.
• St. Mary (Arcade): East Arcade worship site to close.
• St. John the Baptist (West Valley): merge with St. Aloysius and close.

The diocese said that the actual number of parishes merged will not be determined until their leadership has an opportunity to review the proposed recommendations. Parishes have until July 15 to make a counter proposal.

The full list of mergers and closures is set to be finalized by Sept. 1, with changes beginning in October.

To view News 4’s full coverage of the Buffalo Diocese restructuring, click here. To see a full list of affected facilities across Western New York, click here.

Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here .