Vatican suspends closure of Buffalo's St. John Kanty Church

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Vatican suspended the closure of Buffalo’s St. John Kanty Church after parishioners petitioned to keep it open, parishioner Matthew Zawisky announced Monday.

The church on Swinburne Street was originally set to merge with St. Stanislaus when the Diocese of Buffalo announced its list of closures and mergers in June 2024 in an effort to pay $150 million to settle over 800 claims of sexual abuse. A declining number of priests and parishioners were also listed as reasons for the restructuring.

St. John Kanty Church, which was established by Polish immigrants in 1890, was officially designated as a landmark by the City of Buffalo, along with four other churches.

“We were encouraged by a number of Western New York Parishes and Churches who have been granted further consideration by the Vatican,” Zawisky said. “With guidance from Save Our Buffalo Churches and the Saint Joseph Foundation of Hopedale, OH, We petitioned the Vatican in Rome, with the hopes that our Parish and our Church can continue as a sacred space of worship for our wide community.”

In the announcement of the suspension, Zawisky asked the Diocese to return all artifacts, property and materials which “may have been removed” from the church and to resume masses.

In a statement, the Diocese said Bishop Michael Fisher will speak with the Dicastery during his upcoming visit to Rome to discuss the decision to merge St. John Kanty Church and St. Stanislaus.

“The decision of the Dicastery for the Clergy to grant an additional review of the Diocese’s plans to merge St. John Kanty Church with St. Stanislaus follows the very consultative and deliberative process that the Diocese has followed in implementing the Road to Renewal, which is aimed at bringing together those parishes that alone are unsustainable with parishes that have greater vitality and resources,” the Diocese said.

Save Our Buffalo Churches said in a statement that the suspension decision “took a great deal of organization, time and prayer.”

“We are also grateful that in these times in our city and country, Catholics need and rely on their places for worship for spiritual strength and ministering to others,” the organization said. “The St. John Kanty Recourse Core Group is already at work reclaiming any patronage that was removed from the church and begin scheduling Masses.”

The Vatican will continue to consider the parishioners’ appeal — a process that typically lasts 90 days — according to Zawisky.

WIVB News 4 reached out to the Diocese of Buffalo and Save Our Buffalo Churches for comment and are waiting to hear back.