It doesn't really matter what/who caused the church closings, does it?. The bottom line is that the city's population is almost 50% of what it was at its peak, when these churches thrived.

We have a situation on our hands with these empty churches. Post analysis doesn't help. The question is: what are we going to do going forward? That's where the discussion should go.

Well they had / have a choice. To worship in a dryvit box next to a subdivision and a walgreens or take a chance and MJ said and really put the word of sacrifice and helping those in need in a place where it is most needed. It is easy to call for donation in East Amherst away from the problems you are being told are borne by us all. But it is too easy to just go home and forget about it. The church should have stood up and said, we made this huge investment in capital, memories to create something worthy of god and worship. It has fallen on bad times, the neighborhood needs our help it is time to come home and become a closer knit religious community. But alas racism or classism, call it whatever you want, still plays its part. They build new churches in Lancaster and let these ones fall. They preach to feed the hungry, clothe the naked while driving BMW's home in suits in the burbs. This is where the church should have stood up. To actually do the job they are talking about, Instead they follow numbers, looking at the bottom line and take the capitalistic approach that the greater good doesn't matter if you are not making a profit. Chop off the bleeding parishes where the most need is and save those that don't want for anything.

Because in the end this is obviously what Jesus would have done. Run away from the poor and needy.

The houses are small in this neighborhood while the shared spaces like churches are big and beautiful. This is the opposite of what people expect today. Given this fact is there another way to save these churches? If Marano or some other builder bought all (or most) of the empty houses in the neighborhood, demolished them and built McMansions, would the neighborhood come back? I think it would. This would happen naturally if the city declared the area a low-tax zone or some such thing. Short of that, I don't know what to do.

4 generations of my family have been married, baptised, and/or had funeral services in this church. In fact Mr.Joya is a close family friend. It's sad to see St.Ann's close it's doors. However, the realities of the current state of the Catholic Church and of the impoverished nieghborhoods in this area are what they are and it's hard to argue the need to close and consolidate parishes. The only hope for this incredible building is re-use. Hard to imagine a trendy club/restaurant investing in this part of the city, but maybe someday. But for now I hope whatever needs to be done to preserve and maintain the building is accomplished.

I hope the Bishop lives well in his $2Million plus mansion on Oakland Place while this beautiful place of worship falls to rubble just like the Transfiguration Church. Bunch of grabage is you ask me.

I think the chruch lost its way somewhere around the death of Christ. Probably it is because it is ran by humans?

Every church in the newer burbs is pretty much a commuter church as most new neighborhoods are not allowed mixed uses due to zoning laws. People are driving to begin with so there is no reason they could not spend an extra 15 minutes supporting the existing (superior) church infrastructor and worship along side the portion of society that thier religion claims to hold in the highest regard. I'd bet that they would even gain more credibility and followers by doing this: precticing what they preach. Seems so easy and obvious no?

Its pathetic. Around 8th grade I came to grips with what the church is: people and money. A mix that is never holy.

I've walked this neighborhood many times with nothing more than "hello"s thrown my way. Its dangerous times have passed. Worried about your cars? How difficult is it for some parishions to volunteer every week to watch the street? For the most part it is all two-faced b.s. It's more import to worry about everyone saying "Merry Christmas" over "Happy Holidays" than to perseve the churches history and be one with every class of parishioner. God forbid I take the chance to sit next to someone with ratty clothes or a mental issue.

Though talking to those at St. Ann's (St Adalberts, Corpus Christi, etc) you can't help but to feel insprired. To see that no matter how small, there is still a number or believers deditcated to doing the hard work and sacrifice to see than a building like this that those before them put their time, effort, and lives into is perserved and conitnues to be there for those less forunate to find hope and inspiration in.

The church should be limiting church expansion. These were all built while the Buffalo region was growing. This is no longer the case. If a Church is too full in Lancaster, Clarence etc find another that isn't so full. Leave the pews for the elderly and families the are more local. The church is worried about there dwindling numbers? I'd rather see a smaller church full of real belivers and doers then a large church full of posers slinging "used car slaesman" pitches my way.

Some more pics of St. Anns that I took: http://www.flickr.com/photos/underneatheverything/sets/72157601010888746/

If Church of the Transfiguration is any indication of the fate of St. Ann's, I'm going to be shedding some tears come next August. Thank you for sharing this with us.

Realters eat their young!

Biniszkiewicz - I've noticed anyone who says what you did in those final few sentences gets really yelled at. But you're right and I'm one of the people who say it too. I think a lot more people think it, but very few will say it on blogs or in real life. Anything less than saying all churches should be kept standing forever is very unpopular.

sbof - About "Because in the end this is obviously what Jesus would have done. Run away from the poor and needy." Then again, maybe Jesus also never would've agreed with having such expensive ornate buildings in the first place. Money to build and maintain them is also money not spent on the poor and needy, just as money spent for the bishop's mansion isn't. He might've said to just preach on street corners and vacant lots. Very hard to guess. A BR 'Theology' tab might help sort all that out.

A lot of churches were built that way. It's part of what makes it a true shame to just throw them away.

These were not rich people who built these. They were hard working east side families that put their heart and souls into them. They deditcated their times and talents. To see a group of people just turn and throw away their collective hisotry is quite sad and not at all inspiring.

Blessed are those who separate themselves from their history and shelter themselves from the poor, for they shall inherit___________ (?)

MJ hits on an important idea. This building is not being closed by the Diocese. Their decision to shutter this building is based on the actions of perishoners who voted to close the building with their feet. Catholics might like to blame the Bishop for this and other closures but it is their own actions which are trashing a valuable piece of our culture and history while leaving behind all the problems of our present day inner city.

The pews at St. Anns are actually heated. There are hot water pipes underneath all of them. Toasty rumps for all worshipers!

People may complain about the size/oppulance of these old churches, but placed among the modest worker homes that surrounded them, they were true testaments to the faith of thier followers. The dedication to their construction, the donations etc are inspiring. As a child they had me truely wanting to believe.

The "church is not a building" gets thown around to much as an excuse to abandon a troubled area and segregate classes with in the church. If a church is not a building, why not build a more efficient on right next to these? Where everyone can celebrate and spread to the word of god's love to those who pry feel the most forsaken? Who most religions base themselves on. Its just excuses to absolve responsibility and inconvienences. It were not a building, one could just as easily dirve to these churches to worship.

The cities population may be 50% but the whole county is pretty stable. Where is the justification for closing churches in poor areas that should be the epicenter of the demonstation of faith while building new ones farther out, especially in our car based sociaty? These were all built during population growth

I can understand not choosing to live amongst the poor, but the not choosing to worship along side them for a couple hours a week is the ultimate true "testament" of faith.

Wow, nice apse... Kidding kidding!

Great piece Steel and what a shame. Perhaps it could be converted into a museum of some kind? It is certainly beutiful enough! Good advice from you Dad to go visit it and report on it. Thank you.

Utter shame... but i guess in a throw away world of Americana things that are meant to last are not valued as high as they should be. It is also a shame that the Catholic church makes its decisions like a business and not like a church.

Had the opportunity to help ring the bells last July. Posted about it - The Bells of St. Ann's and linked to an amazing slide show with views from the clock tower.

What amazes me as I look at these pictures is the fact that today most American Christians attend their weekly services in buildings that look more like warehouses on the outside and convention centers or sports stadiums on the inside. I was recently in Houston, TX, a city surrounded by rapidly expanding suburban sprawl, and I saw mile after mile of corrugated metal warehouse churches. I don't wish to pass a value judgement on this (besides the obvious aesthetic one), but rather want to suggest that the sacral architecture seen above is one of the losses of rapid Western, Southern, and all generally-suburban expansionism. That isn't to say that so called mega-churches don't exist in WNY. I seem to remember one being built on Rt 20 in West Seneca/Orchard Park 5 years ago or so. As Ani says, "America the beautiful is just one big subdivision."

I am not a religious person, but I can say with full certainty that beautiful architecture like this is harder and harder to find today, and is being left behind the quarterly march for numbers and the next biggest thing. It represents a belief in an enchantment with the world, (an enchantment that can be either secular or religious) one that is largely dead today. It also stands as a symbol of what past generations valued - the people who built these churches were not wealthy and often did the work on them themselves - versus our general nation contemporary values - rapid expansion and big development contracts.

The post by fredrico is a real eye opener and is such a sad truth. The Catholic Church as a beurocracy is finally suffering its much deserved fall from grace. The orgranization has largely lost touch with its purpose. The church should provide a connection between God and man...The Catholic Church as a whole has used their churches to obtain money and power. It is disgraceful. It is a shame that so many congregations have to lose their places of worship because of the greed of those who should have been serving them. It is sad to see such beautiful buildings be lost but God doesn't need castles to reach people...only people willing to be reached where ever they are.

I wrote about this on my blog a few months ago: http://estrip.org/elmwood/journals/index.php?u=drew&id=40025

Those pictures blew me away.

Realters eat their young!

Well, maybe we can make it into a Casino and keep it there, heck, they already have a bingo liscence (probably). Right predatory area... Why not make a buck for Spitz

First of all, if the Vatican were to liquidate all of the art that is in the basement(of which they have no clue to what is there, remember the taps about 6 years ago?) they would be able to sustain such places as well as pay off the poor people who were victemized by preditor priests.

I am not trying to bring up an off topic but it seems to be evolving into that (my bad).

The Church has the money, more money than God (pardon the pun). Monuments like this should be preserved!!! Certainly in poor neighborhoods which need the spirit; some blighted.

Hypocracy if they close such a monument!

Not-obvious-enough satire claims another victim.... uh I mean thanks Drew!

Drew, glad you liked my comment even if my sincerity was lacking.

The 'Theology' tab also might be convenient for articles that promote BR's popular secular religions: Orthodox Urbanism, Fundamentalist Localism, Elmwicca, Tielmantology, etc.

Beside's "The Church" and the Montante Center (formerly St. Vincent De Paul), the King Urban Life Center (formerly St. Mary of Sorrows) at 938 Genesee is another great example of adaptive reuse for churches. You can read about it here:

http://www.kingurbanlifecenter.org/default.htm

Im not cathloc, but that is a shame, not many cities in the U.S. have churches like this, but what do we do, shut them down and watch them fall apart.... does anyone else see a problem with this???

Fredrico, I feel for them too. That's why I offered my help to the Friends of St. Ann's.

Fredrico, I empathize with your feelings, however, life is filled with losses we have to learn to deal with, just as Buffalo has to deal with its loss of population. That doesn't mean that we can't preserve some of our history through adaptive reuse.

http://gothamist.com/2006/12/19/from_church_to.php

Spitting image of St.Peter's Cathedral in London, Ontario and built around the same year. I wonder if there is any connection.

Biniskiewz--we should talk.

My church can relate to what you are talking about. We just tightened our belt again, and still are going into the hole due (mostly) to building costs.

At the same time, we would never sell and rebuild out in the suburbs. We believe that God put us in the Elmwood Village for a reason.

Is re-use really as hard as you say? Conversion is expensive, but my guess is that it is worth it in the long run.

Where I come from (Pittsburgh) Three church buildings have been re-used in glorious ways. See: The Priory http://www.thepriory.com/

The Church Brew Works: http://www.churchbrew.com/

An amazing private home: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_122069.html

and

Altar bar: http://www.altarbar.com/altar_about.html

Of course, there are other options. My hope is that our community and building can evolve to meet the spiritual needs of its neighborhood. We are committed to loving God and to loving our neighbors (especially in the Elmwood Village/West Side) and believe that others will want to join us in that mission! I believe we can use our building as an asset for the neighborhood, and that as we do, the neighborhood will value and support the building.

(Shameless plug: Check out the building and the community within it at http://elmwoodjesus.org)