Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Citing a successful elementary school operation, Buffalo Catholic Diocese Bishop Michael Fisher has announced he has stopped a merger of St. Benedict's with St. Leo the Great.
The Diocese says the result of the revocation is that St. Benedict will remain an independent parish as part of Family of Parishes No. 16. The district adds a key consideration in Bishop Fisher’s decision is the fact that St. Benedict continues to operate a pre-K-to-8th grade elementary school (established in 1921) which operates at near-capacity.
“As we continue to work through the detailed process of mergers and closures of parishes on the road to creating a more responsive and sustainable Catholic family throughout Western New York, there is naturally an opportunity to consider additional information that may lead to a reconsideration of announced decisions,” said Fr. Bryan Zielenieski, Vicar for the Renewal. “A number of parishes have pursued recourse with the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy and a few have prevailed in having the bishop’s decree reversed. In this instance, Bishop Fisher determined that there was sufficient reason to reverse his own decree to ensure the stability of the elementary school, among other factors. We will continue to follow this process of dialogue and discernment as we work to define a new and more hopeful future for Catholic faith and ministry across our region.”
Nandor Forgach, a parishioner at St. Benedict, is pleased with the decision.
"This is what we've been we've been fighting for. I'm glad that the dioceses has come out and made this decision," said Forgach in an interview with WBEN.
Forgach had hoped the Vatican would veto the merger to send a message to the Diocese. The Diocese says it will send that communication to the Dicastery for the Clergy of the Holy See.
Forgach says St. Benedict school is an alternative to public and some private schools, adding it provides the Catholic education parents prefer. He says it also helps the diocese rebuild with the next generation.