The diocesan Renewal Team, along with Vyten, have designed a mobile app as a tool to the Families of Parishes as they plan the new style of cooperative ministry. The app includes pillar guides with text and video, parish guides with a map and priest contacts, and resources in the form of newsletters and training […]
The Buffalo Diocese of today bears a certain resemblance to the story of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. After exile, people returned to the temple to see it in ruins. The older folks were saddened by the state of things. The younger ones were excited that the temple still stood. “Kind of like […]
The Buffalo Catholic Diocese’s Road to Renewal program has seen a number of twists and turns since being initiated by Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger in 2020. As many readers know, the program’s goal is to group the 161 diocesan parishes throughout our eight Western New York counties into 36 families of parishes to provide an […]
How does the Renewal team determine decisions in the Diocese and what do these trends mean for the future? Using the data gathered from parish reports and from parishioners through the Catholic Leadership Institute survey that was completed last year, the Renewal team is able to create trends to understand where parishes and the diocese […]
The parishes of Lockport, Ransomville and Newfane now have a family name – the Central Niagara Catholic Family – and have made great strides in unifying its administration. The pilot family still has some ways to go, like finding a pastor. Currently, Father Steven Jekielek serves as temporary administrator for St. John the Baptist in […]
Priests appointed to be pastor of a Family of Parishes in the Diocesan Road to Renewal Program will have the option of being assigned a coach/mentor to assist them in their duties. The coach/mentor will serve the pastor in a number of advisory and supportive roles. The diocese enlisted the services of the Catholic Leadership […]
Bringing parishes together is nothing new to Father Dennis Mancuso, the new pastor of Family 25 in Cattaraugus County. “I have done a lot of this before in my former parishes,” he said, pointing out that all of his previous assignments had involved overseeing multiple parishes at one time. “So, I’m used to this.” His […]
The Diocese of Buffalo is changing the structure of one of its primary advisory bodies to Bishop Michael W. Fisher in order to streamline how the diocese supports its ministry in Western New York. As demonstrated by the diocese’s Road to Renewal effort that groups parishes into “Families of Parishes,” the diocese is changing its […]
The middle of Chautauqua County used to have six independent parishes spread out along the lake. Due to the shortage of priests the six worship sites still stand, but now as part of three parishes having only two pastors. Each site can only have one Sunday Mass. This is an example of the need for […]
On a brilliantly sunny fall day – with the strong wind reminding everyone of the weather to come – the Diocese of Buffalo celebrated its 175th Anniversary Mass for the Vicariate of Southeast Buffalo with Bishop Michael W. Fisher presiding. The vicariate that encompasses 14 parishes on the East Side of Buffalo, South Buffalo and […]
