The above video was shot during the 4 pm children’s mass at St. Adalbert’s on Christmas Eve. I had originally planned to go to Corpus Christi for Midnight Mass, but I have relatives in town and they wanted to go to a church in B-F and they have young children.
I didn’t know when I made my decision to go to St. Adalbert’s and found out afterwards that parishioners who are appealing to the Vatican to prevent the church’s closure lost their initial appeal.
From the Buffalo News…
The Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy has upheld a decision by the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo to close St. Adalbert Catholic Church.
After reading that on Christmas morning, I realized that this may be St. Adalbert’s last Christmas. I was glad I went.
The closure isn’t 100% definite as of yet.
More from the Buffalo News…
The group of parishioners challenging the closing now plans to appeal to the Vatican’s Apostolic Signatura, the highest level of appeal and the last hope for keeping open the 121-year-old East Side church.
“By taking our appeal to the Apostolic Signatura, we will be able to fully make the case for keeping St. Adalbert’s open as an active worship site,” Stanley A. Kowalski Jr., a longtime parishioner and cochairman of the Save Saint Adalbert committee, said in a statement.
Now…it is just a waiting game to see what happens.
This is something St. Adalbert’s has been doing for years. During the mass on Christmas Eve, parishioners and family of parishioners who lost loved ones during the course of the year and are part St. Adalbert’s congregation were asked to come up on the altar and put an ornament on a tree so loved ones would always be remembered and prayed for around the holidays. One by one families were called up to place their ornament. It was a moving tribute.
When I was piecing the video together yesterday, I couldn’t help but think of these people.
A relative of mine commented to me after mass about how they wish their parish felt like a family like it does at St. Adalbert’s. Those words keep coming back to me as I key this post into my computer. If St. Adalbert’s does close, not only will we lose a building…we will lose a family.
————————-
|click for Buffalo News article – click here for lo fi version of video|
Touching video. I pray this beautiful church will be kept open. Who is singing? Is that music that was heard at the Mass?
Stan no…Lulajże Jezuniu…I don’t have the artist…a cousin of mine burned a CD of Koledy…didn’t include the artist’s names…
Keep praying Stan…
I was an alter boy there in the 50’s. Graduated St. A’s in 1958.Spent 25 years working overseas and seen a lot of beautiful churches in the world. I was back in Buffalo last year and attended Mass with my brotehr and sister. It was beautiful and brought back many memories. The choir sings with a fighting heart and they fill the church with a richness that you can’t find anywhere else.
May the Basilica live forever!
Mike (Houston, Texas)