ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — St. Bernadette Church in Orchard Park will remain open and won't be merged and converted to a secondary worship site after a ruling from the Vatican.
In September 2024, the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo announced its final decisions on which parishes and worship sites would be closed or merged as it looked to "rightsize and reshape."
As part of that decision, St. Bernadette Church in Orchard Park was to merge with SS. Peter & Paul in Hamburg and become a secondary worship site. Parishioners pushed back against that decision and appealed to the Vatican. In April, St. Bernadette was one of 14 parishes to receive a letter from the Vatican that said they received the appeal and would suspend the closings and mergers until a full review was conducted.
Now, the parishioners have won the Vatican appeal, and the church will remain open and will not be merged or converted to a secondary worship site.
The diocese released the following statement to 7 News on Tuesday:
“We are reviewing the decree by the Dicastery for the Clergy, which revokes the Bishop’s decree concerning the merger of St. Bernadette parish in Orchard Park with Saints Peter & Paul parish in Hamburg. The Diocese will, of course, abide by this ruling and looks forward to St. Bernadette parish community fully incorporating into the Family of Parishes which also includes SS. Peter and Paul Parish, Hamburg, Boston and East Eden and Nativity of Our Lord, Orchard Park.
As we have maintained all along, the Diocese fully supports the right of parishes to appeal its decisions pertaining to closures and mergers, eleven of which have been returned in agreement with the Diocese’s determination. We are continuing our collaboration with the pastors and parish leaders of the Diocese as we implement the Family of Parishes model and together work to define the future of Catholic faith and impact across Western New York.”
