By Carol Bronnenkant
The Preservationist Priest is being called to duty elsewhere, after leaving his mark on an historic East Side church.
Fr. Anzelm Chalupka has served six years as Pastor of historic Corpus Christi Church. At his first Mass, he promised parishoners, “We will do our best to help you find God in this place.” He cared for the parish in body as well as spirit, when under his leadership, Corpus Christi was designated a New York State Landmark and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Since then, significant restoration projects have been completed – most notably the Rose Window and the complete replacement of the slate tile roof. Last fall, the parish hosted a large-scale, historic exhibit at the Karpeles Library Manuscript Museum, Corpus Christi Then & Now: A Beacon of Hope for Buffalo, the exhibit was presented in collaboration with the Burchfield Penney Art Center, the Father Justin Rosary Hour, the Am-Pol Eagle newspaper and the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Museum.
Understand that in the spring of 2003, the Conventual Franciscan Fathers announced that they could no longer continue their ministry at Corpus Christi. But after months of uncertainty, and just weeks before the church’s scheduled shuttering, the congregation’s prayers were answered in the form of an energetic, 34 year-old Pauline priest from Poland – Fr. Anzelm Chalupka.
After several visits to Buffalo, Fr. Anzelm volunteered to take on the daunting challenge of renewing both the faith community and physical structure of this beloved parish, believing he could “make a difference” and “do something good” here.
Re-assigned to St. Casimir’s Church in Yonkers, New York, Fr. Anzelm’s final wish is to see Corpus Christi Church, which seats 1,600 worshippers, filled to capacity just once before he leaves Buffalo. In hopes of making that wish a reality, the parish extends a warm welcome to all Western New Yorkers to share in a final Mass on Sunday, January 31st at 11:30AM.
Fr. Matthew Wydmanski, who has been at the parish for the last year, has been named the new Pastor in what continues as the Pauline Order’s steadfast commitment to Corpus Christi. These changes reflect the standard policy of the Paulines and many other religious orders to rotate their priests’ assignments on a regular basis. The news comes just days after the parish announced the start of its Phase II Preservation Fund campaign to restore the church to its full beauty.
In reflecting on his time in Buffalo, Fr. Anzelm says, “It is difficult to understand Buffalo. It is a city of great beauty and gritty poverty; a community of such generous spirit, and yet there are so many neighborhoods that have been abandoned. Even though I have experienced these differences, I have come to love this place. The recent Extreme Makeover on the West Side has shown all of us how much can be accomplished when people band together for a common good. For the last six years, we have worked to bring renewal and hope to the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood, but we cannot do it alone. Now is the time for an Extreme Makeover for Buffalo’s East Side. We cannot wait for someone from far away to fix this neighborhood; the good people of Buffalo must make this happen.”
Images: Christopher Byrd