BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — As Catholic churches across Western New York face potential closure or consolidation, some parishioners are taking their concerns to the Vatican.
More than a dozen churches have written letters appealing for intervention.
Local advocates gathered Friday afternoon for a prayer vigil at Saint Stanislaus Church, in Buffalo.
The event was organized by the group Save Our Churches, focused on praying for the Diocese of Buffalo and urging leaders to reconsider how they are handling the changes known as the "Road to Renewal."
"We feel that the church has been in too corporate a vain for too many decades, and they're going out of a corporate playbook here with the Road to Renewal. Because we are a church, it has to follow Canon Law, so we want there to be a closer adherence to Canon Law," said Liz Zilbauer, president of Save Our Buffalo Churches.
Zilbauer emphasized that even if one's parish has already closed through the "Road to Renewal" process, and wants to get involved in their mission, those interested can do so by going to SaveOurBuffaloChurches.com.
