Some Catholic churches in Buffalo closed and mergers completed

BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — The night before the Diocese of Buffalo announces its final decision on which churches and parishes will close or merge, 7 News has obtained a partial list that shows some changes from the original recommendations.

St. Mark Parish in Buffalo's Parkside neighborhood will remain open, but St. Margaret in North Buffalo will become what the diocese calls a “secondary place of worship.” What that means specifically isn't clear, but it appears those places of worship will be open for events such as weddings, baptisms and occasional Masses.

7 News has also learned that St. John Kanty in the Broadway-Bailey neighborhood will close as previously announced and its parish will merge with St. Stanislaus in the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood.

Diocesan leaders announced the plans Monday evening at meetings across the region via Zoom before the full final recommendations are announced at a press conference scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday.

The diocese announced in May that it would close 34 percent of its parishes and 38 percent of its places of worship. Following that announcement, the diocese met with its seven regional vicariates in western New York State to make recommendations about which parishes should be merged.