Latest news with #SaveOurBuffaloChurches
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Yahoo
Parishes in Buffalo to contribute millions of dollars to sexual abuse settlement
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Parishes in the Buffalo Diocese are starting to find out how much money they will have to hand over to help pay off millions of dollars in sexual abuse cases. For some churches, the amounts are crippling. WIVB News 4 has learned the amount a few parishes have to pay. Saint Joseph University Parish has to contribute $1.1 million while Saint Timothy Parish in Tonawanda is being asked to pay almost $5.2 million. Mary Pruski, with Save Our Buffalo Churches, says this is asking too much from the people in the pews, especially victims who are still active in the church. 'I had a couple of the victims give me a call the last couple of days and say they've been able to heal from this devastating experience in their life,' she said. 'Now they're being asked to pay toward their own settlement. They said, 'This is so wrong.'' Last week, the Diocese of Buffalo announced its request for parishes to contribute a total of $80 million toward the $150 million it agreed to pay in April to settle over 800 claims of sexual abuse. 'This is asking too much of the people in the pews, be it the victims, or the regular parishioners,' Pruski said. 'They're making us all victims and there's other ways to raise this money.' Contributions from parishes range from 10% to 80% based on a 'progressive percentage' of each parish's self-reported and unrestricted assets as of August 2024. 'They're just digging a hole for the parish to go in,' Pruski said. 'That's what they're doing, taking all their money and they're just gasping for air in order to stay solvent when you take that much money from them.' The Diocese of Buffalo said details of settlement allocation methodology were shared with parish leaders in meetings held over a week before percentage contributions were determined. 'What is important to understand is that the unrestricted cash position of parishes varies greatly, as well the fact that parishes identified for closure and merger with other parish families are naturally assessed at a higher level,' said Richard Suchan, diocesan chief operating officer. 'This has been discussed extensively with our priests and parish leaders as an essential approach for fulfilling our obligation to the Creditors' Committee, and to bring healing to survivors.' Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Yahoo
‘I was shocked': Parishioners left shaken as parishes pay millions toward sexual abuse settlement
BATAVIA, N.Y. (WIVB) — People's faith in the Diocese of Buffalo is shaken after finding out their parishes will have to pay millions of dollars toward $150 million total to settle over 800 claims of sexual abuse. Ascension Parish in Batavia is being asked to pay more than $1 million. Parishioners Bill and Nancy Brach said they're upset and that this isn't the solution. Diocese of Buffalo asks parishes to pay $80M toward $150M settlement 'These were every spaghetti dinner, and the chicken BBQ and special donations that we've had over the years and it was all donated to maintain this parish,' Bill said. The Brachs, along with members of Save Our Buffalo Churches, have been fighting to keep their church open after the Diocese announced it was slated to close. The couple is still holding out hope. Their faith in the Diocese's leadership is being tested. 'It's a mess, even if they were doing the bankruptcy and settlement and all that and then down the road we'll look at the road to renewal, but when they're closing churches and merging churches and chasing people away and then taking all the money. Wow,' Bill said. 'We're wondering if they're going to have anyone left to go to church,' Nancy said. Contributions from parishes range from 10% to 80%, based on each parish's self-reported and unrestricted assets as of August 2024. Sally Tanner, who attends Queen of Heaven Church in West Seneca, said her church is expected to pay $3.4 million in the settlement. 'I was shocked,' Tanner said. She has been donating to her church for years and is heartbroken that there is a chance those donations are going toward the settlement. 'I've already paid for it, so I can't say I'm not paying a dime, which I would like to do, but I've already paid,' she said. 'I've paid for sins I didn't commit.' Tanner said despite all this, she's not going to turn her back on her church or her faith. 'I can't not support my church,' she said. 'I'm not going to leave the Catholic faith. I'm not going to leave my church.' The Brachs worry other Catholics won't be as forgiving. Parishes in Buffalo to contribute millions of dollars to sexual abuse settlement 'There are those that stay home and watch it on TV,' Bill said. 'There are people who switched to other denominations in town and worst of all, there are people who just stopped going all together.' 'I think they feel betrayed,' Nancy said. 'It's sad, the money is one thing, but when you lose trust in the church leadership, that's the hard thing for a lot of people,' Bill said. Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
St. Michael's won't merge for now after Vatican suspension
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — St. Michael's in downtown Buffalo will not close for now following a suspension from the Vatican, it was announced on Wednesday. The church, located on Washington Street, was set to merge with St. Louis on Edward Street when the Buffalo Diocese announced its closures and mergers last summer. Full list: Buffalo Diocese closures, mergers A formal petition to Bishop Michael Fisher was denied, which led to the the church appealing the decision to the Vatican. Save Our Buffalo Churches, a volunteer group that is working to reverse decisions from the Diocese, was informed of the Vatican's decision on Monday. 'A response from the Dicastery has been eagerly anticipated for months, and we hope this will be the first of many appeals to be examined and decrees suspended,' Save Our Buffalo Churches said in a statement on Wednesday. This is now the second church in the area that will remain open at least temporarily after the Diocese said it would close. Last week, it was announced that Holy Cross, located on Buffalo's West Side, would remain open. Nearly 100 Western New York parishes and churches have been affected as the Diocese attempts to pay $100 million to settle hundreds of sexual abuse claims filed under the Adult Survivors Act. The Diocese confirmed that the net sale proceeds will go into funding the settlements. Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
