Churches may become museum

after the Buffalo Massacre:

"Preservationists, including some who helped rescue Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff estate in Derby from demolition, have set their sights on saving two Catholic churches.

The group plans to buy St. Ann Church, a soaring Gothic Revival structure built in 1886 at Broadway and Emslie Street, and St. Francis Xavier Church, a basilica-style building constructed in 1913 on East Street near Amherst Street in Black Rock, and turn the properties into a museum for religious art and artifacts.

Religious objects such as altars, stained-glass windows and statues will be collected from many of the other churches that have closed or are scheduled to close under the downsizing plan for the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and displayed at St. Ann and St. Francis Xavier, according to members of the group, known as the Buffalo Religious Arts Center."

So much effort, would be simpler to find a priest for the Church and make the building live the Catholic Faith, instead of being a memorial.

Comments

The Diocese is not allowing St. Ann's to continue as a parish, or with a priest. With a clergy shortage, the Jesuits suddenly gone after 150 years, and the authorities' refusal - what would your solution be?

Would you rather have the beautiful buildings boarded up and left to vandals or the elements?! At least the museum preserves them.

Which you haven't been in and probably won't be for some time, considering that you live in Brussels...

"So much effort, would be simpler to find a priest for the Church and make the building live the Catholic Faith, instead of being a memorial."
See this coming afternoon's post about the alleged shortage of priests.

I would be more than happy to find a priest for the parish- and further come with him so that I could see this wonderful church.
Que ne comprenez-vous pas ?

The Diocese is intent on closing.
And the Diocese is wrong
Well I agree, but you can't fight them! Two churches already tried and they were turned down by the Signatura.

At least this solution preserves the buildings and doesn't turn them into stores or night clubs or anything else!