A fact sheet available on the diocesan website says that nearly half — 49% — of parishes in the diocese have seen a decline in registered households, while 60% of parishioners are over the age of 60. Sacraments are also down in the diocese with a 24% decrease in Catholic marriages in the diocese and 52% of parishes performing only one baptism a month.
Additionally, only 12% of the parishes in the diocese initiated new Catholics into the Church this Easter.
“The Catholic Church in western New York is not the same as it was 50 years ago, not 20 years, not even 10 years ago,” Fisher said.
Though calling the planned mergers “difficult changes,” Fisher said the changes will “allow limited resources to be directed to the greatest needs in our community.”
The changes are part of the diocese’s “Road to Renewal” initiative that began in 2019 and has involved extensive discussions between diocesan officials and parishioners, and the establishment of “parish families,” or groupings of several parishes.
The Diocese of Buffalo has been experiencing financial issues for several years. In 2020, the diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to help pay compensation for victims of clergy sex abuse. In March, it announced the sale of its headquarters in downtown Buffalo after nearly 40 years at that location.
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