Area preservationists and community groups will gather to develop ideas for saving from decay and possible demolition the 70 or more Catholic church complexes slated to be shut down. And perhaps fittingly, the “Save Our Churches, Save Our Neighborhoods” meeting will be held inside Babeville, the former Asbury Methodist Church at Delaware Avenue and Tupper Street, which was rescued from the wrecking ball several years ago.
“Obviously the preservation community, among others, is very concerned about these churches going on the market,” said Richard Lippes, a board member of the nonprofit Campaign for Greater Buffalo organization and former president of the Preservation Coalition of Erie County.
“The Campaign for Buffalo wants to ensure that all voices are heard on the issues.”
The meeting is open to everyone.
The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo is in the midst of a historic restructuring in which scores of parishes are being merged and church buildings vacated.
Many community members have expressed concern that the empty buildings will end up in disrepair and stripped of their valuable architectural accents. They also worry about the future of neighborhoods that depend upon church buildings as an anchor in the community.
“It’s not really just Buffalo’s problem. It’s a national problem for all older cities that have outward migration to the suburbs,” Lippes said.
The gathering, from 9 a.m. to noon, will be the first of many, said Tim Tielman, executive director of the Campaign for Greater Buffalo.
It will begin with an illustrated review of many of the churches slated for closing, as well as a discussion of the fate of previously closed houses of worship.
Ideas for keeping active congregations in the buildings will be included in the discussion, said Tielman.
“It is much easier to save, in a preservation sense, a parish that’s a going concern than one that’s closed,” he said. “There may be ways to help the existing parishes stay open. We’d like to explore them.”
Some preservationists met privately with officials from the diocese earlier this year to express their concerns.
Some previously closed Catholic churches have suffered from neglect, years after the diocese sold them off to other congregations or nonprofit groups without the wherewithal to care for the giant churches.
Community members want to make certain it doesn’t happen again.
The diocese shares those concerns, said Sister Regina Murphy, diocesan director of research and planning.
“You do everything you can do with all due diligence to prevent that,” she said.
“The presumption is often we don’t care about our buildings and we let them go to wrack and ruin. Of course, nothing’s farther from the truth.”
Lippes, who was part of the meeting with Murphy and others, said it was a productive session.
“They assured us that they are very concerned about the future reuse of the buildings,” he said.
“They have plans to make sure the buildings are secure.”
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