(From Save Saint Adalbert’s Committee)
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
We hope that this letter finds you all joyful in this Easter season as we look toward spring’s arrival and thoughts of new life and blessings. Family and friends of St. Adalbert continue to pray together and gain strength from each other as we move forward with our appeal efforts.
Enclosed for those who may not have received one at Mass or our Broadway Market table is a summary of events over the last few months. As of this writing, the Save St. Adalbert committee continues to work at the local level to try and resolve things. Should this not be successful, our appeal efforts to the Vatican to save St. Adalbert will continue.
As you know, fund-raising efforts in support of the appeal are ongoing and necessary. We would like to share our Holy Week experiences at our church and the Broadway Market (site of our most recent fundraiser). Holy Thursday brought cars and buses filled with over one thousand visitors to our beautiful Basilica. Hundreds came from far and wide to have Easter baskets blessed on Holy Saturday. Fittingly, our church was a gathering place for multitudes during this Holy Season. Additionally, our table at the Broadway Market, staffed by volunteers who so generously gave of their time and talent, was a great success. Every last one of our 750 home-made “last supper chocolates” was sold, along with mugs, pens, and more. This brought in money for the cause and also gave us the opportunity to get the real story out to literally thousands about the status of our appeal: We are here, we are strong, our appeal continues! More than 3500 brothers and sisters in Christ signed a petition to keep St. Adalbert open. We also received a special gift and blessing from all who stopped by our table. The gift of their memories, hopes, and dreams. Stories of pain and joy…of churches they loved that had closed, or that they were fighting with every ounce of strength to keep open… stories of baptisms, weddings, and confirmations at St. Adalbert church and of education at the school. All gave words of encouragement and support to keep going. One thing was abundantly clear: We are in this together, we are not alone in our struggles. Together we are strong and we can all get our miracle…whatever it is that we may need in our personal lives and as church communities.
Many people inquired about the T-shirts we were wearing as we staffed the market booth. An angel with open arms was pictured on the front. The message read: “St. Adalbert’s… Expect a Miracle”. With so much interest in the shirts we decided to make them available for purchase. All profits will go to the appeal effort. An order form is enclosed.
Also keep in mind our next event on April 26th – Night at the Races. Tickets are available by calling Lori at 692-0585 (leave message on machine) or see Ted Knaizuk, Ron Suchocki, Stan Kowalski or Lori Dinero after church services any weekend. It runs from 6pm-10pm. Admission is $3.00. There will be door prizes, cash bar, $1.00 BBQ hamburgers, 50/50 drawing and raffles. It will take place at the Hank Nowak Am Vet Post #45, 3071 Abbott Road, Orchard Park, 14127.
Please continue to pray for us as we do for you. God Bless you.
I am delighted with this news. But I am confused as well. Didn’t Mr. Kevin Keenan, Communication Director for the Diocese of Buffalo, state that the basilica lost their final appeal? I think someone also sent me the article posted on the Bishop’s part of the Diocese website. Did something happen that turned around that situation?
I found the article. It was in the February 2008 edition of the WNYCatholic. Also, it appeared on the diocesan website:
“The Vatican Congregation for the Clergy has upheld the decision by Bishop Edward U. Kmiec to merge St. Adalbert Parish with St. John Kanty Parish in the city of Buffalo.
The merger was announced in the parishes and by the diocese the weekend of June 30-July 1, 2007.
Three members of the St. Adalbert Parish Council filed an appeal with the congregation, seeking to have the bishop’s decision overturned. After a thorough review, the congregation decreed, “The petition for recourse as presented has no canonical basis in law and in fact and is hereby rejected both de procedendo and de decernendo”
(meaning there were no mistakes in the procedure and in discerning the facts).
The congregation found that Vatican upholds decision
to merge 2 Buffalo parishesBishop Kmiec followed Canon Law by consulting with the Diocesan Council of Priests before making his decision.
“Now that the Vatican has issued this ruling,” Bishop Kmiec said, “I hope that there will be a smooth, successful
merger of these two parishes. The people can work to build a new, healthy, vibrant parish with many more possibilities, using their combined
talents and many gifts.”
Plans will now move ahead to merge St. Adalbert with St. John Kanty
at the St. John Kanty site. The St. Adalbert worship site will no longer be used. The Response to Love Center will continue to operate at its current location on the St. Adalbert property. The disposition of the remaining buildings and property will be left to the discretion of the merged parish.”
Stan,
Read this…
http://www.savesaintadalberts.org/content/Diocese_confuses_issues.pdf
This will give you more insight…
Chris
Deo Gratias!
Thanks, Chris, for the link. How awful that the diocese would intentionally “confuse”. Babcie used to tell me that was called “lying.”
I am shocked.