The Vatican has suspended the closure of St. John Kanty Church in Buffalo after parishioners petitioned the Roman Curia to keep it open.
The Diocese of Buffalo had made the decision to merge St. John Kanty with St. Stanislaus, but now that decision is suspended for about 90 days.
Parishioners say they are encouraged by the response from the Vatican, which allows the church to stay open for now, and call on the diocese to return anything that may have been removed from it.
“We were encouraged by a number of Western New York Parish and Churches who have been granted further consideration by the Vatican,” parishioner Matthew Zawisky said in a statement. “With guidance from Save Our Buffalo Churches and the Saint Joseph Foundation of Hopedale, OH, We petitioned the Vatican in Rome, with the hopes that our Parish and our Church can continue as a sacred space of worship for our wide community.”
The diocese responded in a statement, saying Bishop Michael Fisher will be talking with the Dicastery of the Clergy on his upcoming trip to Rome:
“The decision of the Dicastery for the Clergy to grant an additional review of the Diocese’s plans to merge St. John Kanty Church with St. Stanislaus, follows the very consultative and deliberative process that the Diocese has followed in implementing the Road to Renewal, which is aimed at bringing together those parishes that alone are unsustainable with parishes that have greater vitality and resources. Bishop Fisher will be engaging with the Dicastery to further detail the decision to merge St. John Kanty with St. Stanislaus during his upcoming visit to Rome.”