BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — St. John Kanty Church on Buffalo’s East Side is one of the many churches the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo is set to close as part of its “Road to Renewal.”
But on Friday, the group fighting against the closure was notified by the Vatican that it is suspending the closure. Located on Swinburne Street in Buffalo, the church held its final Mass in May.
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Parishioner Ed Zielinski.
“I almost jumped off my chair. I was shocked,” said parishioner Ed Zielinski.
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Parishioner Matthew Zawisky.
“We are encouraged and hopeful with the response that we have received from the prefect for the Dicastery of the clergy, suspending the actions of the Buffalo Diocese, which would extinguish our parish and sell our church,” parishioner Matthew Zawisky said. “This is for a period, typically 90 days, as the Dicastery further considers our appeal.”
The parishioners involved with the appeal now say, “As a result of these suspensions, it is incumbent upon the diocese to return any and all artifacts, property, and materials which may have been removed from the church, and resume masses.”
“You just wait for it, pray for it, so our prayers have been answered,” said Zawisky.
WATCH: Vatican suspends closure of the historic St. John Kanty Church in Buffalo
Vatican suspends closure of the historic St. John Kanty Church in Buffalo
St. John Kanty is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and named a landmark by the City of Buffalo.
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St. John Kanty is on the Historic registry.
“We have reached out to Save Our Buffalo Churches, a local volunteer organization that has helped a number of Western New York churches in their endeavors to keep their parishes and their churches open,” Zawisky stated. “We are very grateful for the assistance and support.”
Parishioners, who appealed the church closing, showed two letters they received on Friday from the Vatican suspending the actions of the diocese that closed the church.
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Vatican letters to St. John Kanty parishioners.
“So that opens up a window that allows the Vatican to work with the bishop and try to figure out a way to keep the church open and we’re supposed to get the masses back,” Zawiski explained.
“We’re not going to let them relegate your church to pro fain use. We’re going to reestablish your parish,” said Zielinski.
Zielinski and Zawisky told me this is a big step forward to reopen their beloved church, a church that was established in 1892 in the heart of a former Polish neighborhood.
“This letter from the Vatican will create that momentum, that people want, that positivity,” said Zawisky. “People want to stay connected with their intergenerational roots.”
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St. John Kanty was established in 1892.
“We always knew this as a church of Polish heritage, and my family is three generations deep, and from Poland,” Zielinski said. “I always had a reverence and an affinity for St. John Kanty.”
In response to this latest suspension from the Vatican, the diocese sent me the following statement:
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Bishop Michael Fisher, Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.
Buffalo Bishop Michael Fisher is scheduled to travel to the Vatican next month to discuss the clergy abuse settlement case and the Road to Renewal. Meanwhile, the diocese must submit its $150-million bankruptcy proposal to the court by October 1.