Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - With the changing times and the dwindling numbers of priests and pastors available throughout the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, a restructuring process is taking place as part of the "Road to Renewal" program.
Bishop Michael Fisher announced on Tuesday the assignment of 47 priests in the Diocese of Buffalo, signaling an increase in the momentum of the "Road to Renewal" by grouping diocesan parishes into a collaborative model of two to six parishes per-family.
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"The 'Road to Renewal' has been a process the diocese really began back in 2020, and we've been taking our time and helping to bring our parishes together, and move our diocese forward, as we're looking to create these families of parishes," said Fr. Bryan Zielenieski, vicar of Renewal and Development with the Buffalo Diocese. "We're trying to respond to the signs of the times with the changing numbers of priests that are available with changing amount of resources, number of people attending masses. We're adjusting to the future, so that's what this Renewal is all about. Tuesday was just a big step forward, as we were making those assignments. But there have been ones made before that too."
The appointments were conferred Wednesday, May 17, and priests had their weekend Masses to communicate their new assignments to their parishioners.
The one-time assignments of 47 priests may be the largest number of priest assignments conferred in the history of the Diocese of Buffalo.
"I think it's really a complete restructuring. It's a massive effort, as it was described by the diocese, as really a historical event, because so many priests have never been given so many new assignments, especially all at one time," said Fr. Paul Seil from Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Buffalo's "Old First Ward". "This restructuring, it seems to be not totally dissimilar from a corporate restructuring of regional managers, district managers and those on the ground and the individual parishes - to some of us, that's how I would describe it - and it's something that will hopefully strengthen the diocese."
As Bishop Fisher made the assignments, he called his brother priests to remember as in the founding of diocese some 176 years ago that is the continuing mission to bring the sacraments to the people.
During the diocese’s early days, five priests ministered to 30,000 Catholics.
“Brothers, I need you. I need you to support the mission of the Church with all of your gifts and expertise,” said Bishop Fisher in a statement on Tuesday. “Be supportive of one another, and work as a team to provide for our people’s spiritual needs.”
With the current appointments effective June 1, June 5, June 15, and July 1, pastors are assigned to 26 of the 36 Families of Parishes, along with two moderators in solidum families of parishes in the diocese.
As Fr. Zielenieski explains, the upcoming changes are going to be more of a collaboration between neighboring parishes.
"Parishes that used to, maybe in the olden days, compete with one another - who had the stronger holy name society, who had more kids in their school, there was a friendly competition - what we're looking at now is how do we bring the best from every parish to come together to support each other?," Fr. Zielenieski said. "Not every parish has to be great at everything, but we take the best of every parish and put it together, so that together they grow."
Fr. Zielenieski further explains that priests in the diocese were asked where they wanted to go, what they wanted to do, and they submitted choices on what they would like to see their future ministry be. He says they were included in this decision making process, along with the help of a committee that is helping with the priestly life of priests, making sure they will not be overworked.
For Fr. Seil, the differences for him will be quite stark, as he will soon be moving after being appointed to the UB North Newman Center in Getzville as part of the Campus Ministry Vicariate Family. He feels, overall, the differences with the incoming changes to the Catholic Diocese will only become evident over time.
"I think some of the concerns might be there might not be the quick accessibility to priests that they know, or priests that they're familiar with. That's a very key part of Christian communities," Fr. Seil said. "It was not too many years ago, maybe 10, 20, that the movement was more towards, what we called, 'small faith-based communities' - smaller groups of Catholics getting together to build community among the laity, especially. But now we're going to a very different structure that's not anything that, I don't think anyone in the diocese has experienced it before. But now, this is the reality with which we need to live, and so we will do our best."
With the dwindling numbers of priests and the desire to keep as many parishes open as possible, Fr. Zielenieski feels these changes as part of the "Road to Renewal" is the best way right now to adjust to the times.
"When we look across the country, this collaborative model is being embraced in large number of dioceses across the country. This is not unique to Buffalo," he said. "There's different ways in which you make these collaborative models, but we believe that the family of parishes is the one that works best for Buffalo. Each family will be unique, they can craft their future and plan together differently so that it's unique to the specific area and region in which those parishes are located. But it also lets them play off of their strengths, and recognizes we need to change. The number of Masses that we offer with the clergy that are available, how do we best use our resources? So there'll be some changes, but they're going to help really deal with the reality of what's before us."
As for the priests and other members of the clergy, there may be a number of individual answers to the solution being implemented. Some may be completely embracing the changes, while others are embracing it all as best we they can with some trepidation. Fr. Seil falls into the latter category, feeling it may be too early to tell how these changes will affect things with the diocese.
"There are, I think, some ways that, perhaps, we might need to re-adjust," he said. "For instance, at the very beginning, the whole vision of this was, somewhat, a little bit different than it is now, and the timetable has been changed very, very quickly. I think if we had just a little more time, a little more attrition, a little more bringing the perish together a little bit more slowly, I think it would be easiest to work that way. However, I am not privy, and I don't know all of the thoughts behind why it's happening this way. Many things have been communicated to us, but I'm sure there's a lot of considerations in this, when the diocese enters into this."
While the upcoming changes are intended to help serve more people of God with less resources, many do understand there will be people that are affected by the shuffling of priests and families parishes.
"You've always got both ends of the spectrum. You have people that understand and are very hope filled, and they're just happy we're doing something to respond to the reality of the times. So they are more than willing to transition, their Mass time might change, but they're willing to adjust because they want to go to their parish. Then you have other people that want their time of Mass, and so they'll go to a different parish to get that time. You also have people on the other end of the spectrum that are just very upset by some of these changes that are coming in the Renewal, but I would just say people have to be open," Fr. Zielenieski said. "We can't keep doing what we always did with the limited number of priests and resources that are available to us. If we don't respond, the future is very bleak."
Fr. Zielenieski believes the 'Road to Renewal' is meeting these challenges head-on, and this plan of action will provide some hope for the diocese in the future. He is asking everyone to pray and continue to do their best in the midst of all this change.
For Fr. Seil, he is looking forward to his new opportunity in ministry, but also feels the bittersweet feeling of moving on after a couple of years spent at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. While it will be difficult for him leave the place that he's grown to love in a short period of time, he knows it will be challenging for many churchgoers in the coming months.
"I think the biggest challenge for the laity, the members, the people in the pews, the people of God, will be trying to know a priest," Fr. Seil said. "It's always easier and better, and more connected when, say, someone you love dies, that the priest knew them or you know the priest and you have a shared sense of empathy and compassion. That's what we have to try to somehow continue to have, to be really available to our people."
As for the future of the diocese in Buffalo with regards to attracting more priests and pastors to the region, Fr. Zielenieski says the work of the vocations will be integral going forward in all of this.
"People in today's day and age, society tried to squelch the voice of God in our lives. There's a lot of noise that's going on, and that noise is not getting quieter as we move forward. So the work of vocations gets harder, because we need young men, women to answer God's call, so we need to work with our vocations department here at the diocese to get that message out there," he said. "God is still working in the midst of these times, and that there is a vehicle and a way for you to respond, and we're here to help that. Vocations needs to be a part of the Renewal, and at this point, we're not there yet. We are really working on the restructuring piece of the Renewal at the moment, but vocational awareness and raising of the vocational awareness is a natural next step, as the Renewal continues to move forward."