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Bishop assembling commission to guide process that may take from 18 to 30 months
Bishop Edward U. Kmiec launched his first major initiative as head of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo on Wednesday, asking priests for their support in a sweeping effort to reconfigure the region's parishes and schools.
In an interview, the bishop acknowledged the need for an "intensive process of restructuring" and said the planning, which is expected to take 18 to 30 months, would likely result in closing some of the diocese's 265 parishes and 81 parochial schools.
"The presumption is there will be a different number," said Kmiec, adding that he couldn't be specific about the number of closings because he doesn't know at this point.
The bishop is creating a commission of clergy, religious brothers and sisters, and parishioners to guide the planning, which is being called "Journey in Faith & Grace."
Ultimately, the commission and Kmiec will accept recommendations from various subcommittees determined by geography.
"I have confidence in our people that they realize adjustments have to be made, and I think they'd be willing to join in the effort," said Kmiec, who was installed as the 13th
Kmiec revealed the initiative during an annual meeting, known as a convocation, with priests at Christ the King Seminary in
The region's shrinking population and struggling economy, as well as a short supply of priests, are pushing the changes, Kmiec noted.
Priests and others weren't surprised by Kmiec's announcement.
"This has been on the burner for a long time," said Monsignor Thomas F. Maloney, pastor of St. Amelia parish in the Town of
The parish already is feeling the effects of the priest shortage. For 48 years, it was assigned three priests to serve 10,000 Catholics connected with the church. It now has two.
Area Catholics, Kmiec said, "understand that something has to be done. There's an expectation of that."
Nonetheless, he added, "We need ownership from everybody. This will not be an easy process . . . We expect there to be tough moments."
Fred Jablonski, church historian for Precious Blood parish at
"There's a concern, but you've got to face reality. People have been talking about this for two to three years," he said.
The commission of 24 people will meet for the first time in late August at the seminary.
By October 2006, it will begin reviewing recommendations from parishes and subcommittees throughout the diocese.
The commission will then make recommendations to Kmiec, who will have the final say about which parishes close and which stay open.
Parish closings could happen in late 2006 or early 2007. Some school closings could come sooner.
The area's estimated 700,000 Catholics should also prepare for fewer Masses, even in parishes that remain.
Fewer priests for Masses
"We've got to revisit that very, very much," said Kmiec. "Our Mass schedules are still very much patterned after when we had a lot of priests."
"Journey in Faith & Grace" comes 11 years after Bishop Edward D. Head unveiled a similar reorganization process called "Visions 2000."
The process was put on hold when Head retired and was replaced by Bishop Henry J. Mansell, who favored keeping parishes and schools open.
Kmiec said the restructuring can be postponed no longer.
The number of active diocesan priests has declined since 1995 by 30 percent to 237, and parish membership and average weekend Mass attendance are down 12 percent and 13 percent, respectively, over that same time. Baptisms are down by a third.
By 2010, the diocese projects it will have 179 active diocesan priests, and by 2015, 149 priests.
"If we still had 274 parishes and missions, I can't imagine," said Sister Regina Murphy, director of research and planning for the diocese. "We have to be very concerned about the health and well-being of priests. And, of course, we're talking about older men."
The planning office has put together a question-and-answer document to explain the need for restructuring.
The document pays particular attention to the shift of Catholics from
"People remember these places, but they're not necessarily in these places anymore," said Kmiec. "It can't be as it had been in the past."
The condition of parish buildings and their architectural significance will play a role in how the diocese addresses its city parishes, he added. Kmiec said a restructuring would allow parishes and schools to stay vibrant.
Schools strain finances
He noted, as an example, the financial strain faced by many parishes that run schools. Enrollment has declined 20 percent since 1995, when there were 30,563 students in 111 Catholic elementary and secondary schools. There are now 24,314 students in 97 elementary and secondary schools.
With tuition covering only half the per-pupil cost of education, some parishes spend the majority of their income on schools. That means "the other ministries suffer," said Kmiec.
Compared with other dioceses nationally,
Besides, the church isn't immune to the same changes that have occurred locally in business, government and medicine, she said, citing consolidations, closings and mergers in those sectors.
"The essence of the church doesn't change, but the structure - the way it meets the needs of its people - that needs to be adapted to the time and circumstances," she said.
Difficult choices ahead
Parishes that survive a downsizing will be those that offer quality worship services and music, activities beyond Masses for their parishioners, preparatory programs for sacraments such as First Communion, confirmation and marriage, and service and charity outreach.
"We expect there to be tough moments. It's been like that in other places, and we expect the same," said Kmiec.
The diocese will keep parishioners apprised of planning efforts through church bulletins, the diocesan Web site and other diocesan media.
"We'll have to be transparent, to make people feel as if we're not concocting something behind their back," the bishop said.
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