People in the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo have been waiting for months to hear what would happen with many churches in Western New York.  Today, the plan was unveiled.

Three months ago, the Buffalo Diocese shared the devastating news that they would have to merge certain parishes with others and close churches in order to become more financially stable.  They cited low attendance, aging congregations, and a significant priest shortage as additional reasons for their recent plan.

For months now, parishioners have been on the edges of their seats wondering if the church they've been attending for decades would make it to the end of the year.  In all, the total number of worship sites dropped to 118 adjusted from the current 196 worship sites in their eight counties. See the Parish/Worship Sites Summary Sheet here.  Today, the list was unveiled.  Find more on the full story at WIVB.com.

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. 2

  • St. Patrick (Fillmore): will remain as secondary worship site
  • St. Mary (Canaseraga): will remain as secondary worship site

Family No. 3

  • St. Anthony (Fredonia): merge with Holy Trinity and close
  • St. Joseph (Fredonia): merge with Holy Trinity and close
  • Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Silver Creek): close St. Rose of Lima site, of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
  • St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (Dunkirk): Will remain as a secondary worship site
  • Blessed Mary Angela (Dunkirk): merge with Holy Trinity. Sale of St. Hedwig, Dunkirk, and St. Hyacinth, Dunkirk campuses

Family No. 4

  • Our Lady of Loretto (Falconer): merge with St. James
  • St. James (Jamestown): close Our Lady of Victory site
  • Sacred Heart (Lakewood): close Panama site
  • Holy Apostles (Jamestown): close St. John site

Family No. 5

  • Christ Our Hope (Clymer): close Sherman site
  • St. Dominic (Westfield): close Brocton site

Family No. 6

  • St. George (West Falls): merge with Immaculate Conception and close
  • St. Joseph (Holland): will move to Family No. 33
  • Post Chapter 11, Annunciation, St. Vincent and Immaculate Conception will merge to become one parish with three worship sites, a list obtained by News 4 said.

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
  • Queen of Martyrs (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
  • Our Lady of Pompeii (Lancaster): will remain as secondary worship site
  • Sacred Heart (Bowmansville): move to Family No. 15

Family No. 10

  • All Saints (Lockport): merge with St. John, close St. Joseph Campus
  • Immaculate Conception (Ransomville): move to Family No. 34

Family No. 11

  • St. Stephen (Middleport): merge with Holy Trinity (Medina)
  • St. Mark (Kendall): merge with St. Mary’s (Holley)
  • Our Lady of the Lake (Barker): move to Family No. 10

Family No. 12

  • St. Brigid (Bergen): merge with Our Lady of Mercy and close
  • Ascension (Batavia): merge with Resurrection (Batavia) and close
  • St. Padre Pio (Oakfield): merge with Resurrection. Close Our Lady of Fatima worship site

Family No. 13

  • St. Maximilian Kolbe (Corfu and East Pembroke): will join Family No. 12 and serve as secondary worship site
  • St. John Neumann (Strykersville): close and sell the Queen of Rosary site (Strykersville). Merge with Family #14.
  • Immaculate Heart of Mary (Darien and Bennington): merge with St. John Neumann and close both locations
  • All remaining churches in Family No. 13 will move to Family No. 14

Family No. 14

  • Mary Immaculate (East Bethany): merge with St. Isadore and close both locations of Mary Immaculate
  • St. Isidore (Perry): merge with St. Michael. Close and sell entire St. Mary site in Silver Springs.
  • New formation of the St. John Neumann Parish including Attica, Sheldon and Varysburg joins Family #14.

Family No. 15

  • Our Lady of Peace (Clarence): remain as secondary worship site

Family No. 16

  • St. Benedict (Eggertsville): remain as secondary worship site
  • St. Aloysius Gonzaga (Cheektowaga): merge with Christ the King
  • Infant of Prague (Cheektowaga): merge with SS. Peter & Paul

Family No. 17

  • Blessed Sacrament (Tonawanda): merge with St. John the Baptist
  • St. Paul (Delaware Avenue): placed on one-year watchlist
  • St. Timothy’s (Tonawanda): placed on one-year watchlist

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 No. 16)
  • St. Jude the Apostle (North Tonawanda): merge with St. Christopher’s (Tonawanda)

Family No. 19

  • St. Pius X (Getzville): merge with St. Gregory the Great
  • Good Shepard (Pendleton): St. Augustine site to close

Family No. 20

  • Holy Spirit (Dakota Street): merge with St. Mark (Woodward Avenue)
  • St. Rose of Lima (Parker Avenue): merge with St. Mark
  • St. Margaret (Hertel Avenue): merge with St. Mark. Will remain open as secondary worship site.
  • All Saints (Chadduck Avenue): merge with Assumption (Amherst Street)

Family No. 21

  • St. Lawrence (E. Delavan Avenue): merge with Blessed Trinity (Leroy Avenue)

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 Our Lady of Charity (South Park Avenue) in Family No. 31

Family No. 23

  • Coronation of the BVM (Dewitt Street): merge with Assumption
  • Holy Cross (Seventh Street): merge with SS. Columba Brigid and close

Family No. 24

  • St. John (Olean): will remain as secondary worship site

Family No. 25

  • St. Philomena (Franklinville): will remain as secondary worship site
  • Our Lady of Peace (Salamanca): will remain as secondary worship site

Family No. 26

  • Queen of Angels (Lackawanna): will remain as secondary worship site
  • 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. 27

  • St. Mary (Cattaraugus): merge with St. Joseph and close
  • Holy Spirit (North Collins): merge with Immaculate Conception and close

Family No. 28

  • St. Bernadette (Orchard Park): merge with SS. Peter and Paul (Hamburg) and close
  • St. John the Baptist (Boston): will remain as secondary worship site

Family No. 29

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

Family No. 30

  • St. John Kanty (Swinburne Street): merge with St. Stanislaus
  • St. John Gualbert (Gualbert Avenue): merge with St. Stanislaus. Will remain open as secondary site.
  • St. Katherine Drexel (N. Ogden Street): placed on one-year watchlist

Family No. 31

  • St. Martin of Tours (Abbott Road): will remain as secondary worship site
  • 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)

Family No. 33

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

Family No. 34

  • St. Raphael (Niagara Falls): merge with St. Peter (Lewiston)

Family No. 35

  • Divine Mercy (Niagara Falls): merge with St. Mary of the Cataract
  • St. John de LaSalle (Niagara Falls): merge with St. Vincent de Paul

Family No. 36

  • Buffalo State College will have campus ministry moved to Assumption

Mergers are expected to begin in October and will be completed by June 2025.

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