TRANSFIGURATION CHURCH’S FALL

FROM GRACE

I was taken aback when I looked at the cover photo on your August 2-8 issue (“Fall From Grace,” Artvoice v6n31).

This is the church I was baptized in…where I served as an altar boy and learned how to speak in front of a crowd? At age 12, reading the scripture to those in attendance. Helping the priests with pronunciation of a language that wasn’t the first they had learned. Many fond memories of this place.

I have, unfortunately, become accustomed to the disappointments that our local government inflicts upon this community. However it is the Catholic diocese with whom I take issue. While there may be little that can be done for Transfiguration Church, other recent and soon to be closed buildings can be put to good use. The wealth of the Church could well fund a restoration and refitting of these beautiful buildings that could serve the neighborhoods where they stand. Community centers, dining halls (soup kitchen), food pantries, clothing centers, counseling offices, daycare centers. The possibilities are limitless and Rome has the money to accomplish this.

Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, warm those who are cold, comfort those who are hurting. Jeez, where have I heard this? Oh, yes, at Transfiguration Church!

Christopher Kopera

West Seneca

Your article “Fall From Grace” provided some much needed perspective on the situation regarding who is responsible for the condition of the property at the former Transfiguration Church in Buffalo and raised some valid questions regarding the future use of Catholic Church properties that may be sold or leased following parish mergers.

Bishop Edward U. Kmiec met in early June with Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown and City of Buffalo planning officials to discuss the diocesan restructuring process. The diocese and the city have pledged to work together in developing future use plans for Catholic Church properties in the City of Buffalo that will no longer be utilized by our parishes. The diocesan department of research and planning will be coordinating re-use efforts with the city planning officials, and our department of buildings and properties is working closely with the leaders of merged parishes to assist them in future planning for their properties.

Recent property sales in the City of Buffalo give a clear indication of how the diocese is working with developers and other organizations with a vested interest in our community. Ephesus Ministries is using the former St. Bartholomew church; it is also home to the Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Non-Violence. The Plaza Group is developing the former Immaculate Conception church and rectory into condominiums and apartments, and the Elizabeth Pierce Olmsted Center for the Visually Impaired has redeveloped the former Most Holy Redeemer School and convent into 24 housing units.

One part of the article about Transfiguration needs clarification. It stated, “The church’s deed dictates that it can only be used as a Montessori school.” That is not correct. The deed did anticipate that the purchaser would use the property as a Montessori school because that was the purchaser’s proposal in the purchase contract. The deed reflected that use:

“The Property shall be used by the Grantee (Purchaser) as a Montessori preschool and activities related thereto, including art exhibits, conferences, workshops and social gatherings as set forth in Grantee’s (Purchaser’s) ‘proposal for preservation and alternative use of Transfiguration Church, Buffalo, New York’ dated June 13, 1994. All activities conducted therein shall be on a nondiscriminatory basis as provided by law.”

However, the deed did not prevent other uses of the property so long as those uses respected the historical and former Church use of the building and did not violate the three deed restrictions. For example, the owners cannot use the Transfiguration name; a Catholic church cannot be reopened on the site, and the property cannot be used for any purposes that violate the ethical and religious directives of the Catholic Church.

Sadly, until it was prevented from doing so, the diocese, which had painstakingly provided for the adoptive reuse of the remainder of the buildings on the property, had planned to demolish the Church and provide for a green space to enhance the property and the neighborhood.

This is not an easy journey. There is a strong sense of loss and grief when a Catholic school or parish closes, and it is something that Bishop Kmiec is well aware of, and he is sensitive to what all Catholics are going through.

We continue to pray that the “Journey in Faith and Grace” will lead us to a Church that will be even more responsive to the signs of the times and the needs of our people, and that we are even more faithful to the mission that we articulated at the start of our journey: “We are called to see the Eucharist as the source and summit of our lives and to invite others to share this vision by our witnessing to the power of the Gospel. With special concern for those who are poor, and a strong sense of social justice, our Church has a significant and unique presence in our community through the service of all generations within a culturally and economically diverse population.”

The presence of the Catholic Church in the City of Buffalo and throughout the eight counties of Western New York is significant. We work diligently to meet the spiritual, educational, social service and health care needs of hundreds of thousands of people every year. As the entire Buffalo-Niagara region encounters and adapts to change, our commitment to serving all of God’s people remains unwavering.

Kevin A. Keenan

Director of Communications

Diocese of Buffalo

CORRECTIONS

With regard to Laura Master’s interesting article on the 48-Hour Film Project (Artvoice v6n32), she undoubtedly meant “kinetograph” not “kinetoscope.” The former is a form of camera, the latter, a form of viewing device.

Also, Thomas Edison did not come to Buffalo himself: He sent representatives that did the early filming referred to in the article.

Edward Summer

Director/Founder

Buffalo International Film Festival

The photo accompanying last week’s preview of Aida at Artpark was not, as the caption indicated, Nikki Renee Daniels. Rather it was Jinah Parker, a Nardin and UB graduate who made her professional debut in the show’s ensemble.