Buffalo Diocese May Not Deliberately Destroy Catholic Heritage After All

Edit: people are beginning to come to an awareness of how evil it is to destroy one's cultural memory and place. It's not only something which has resonance with the secular aspects of that, but the sacred as well, which was once an intrinsic part of the landscape. It was beautiful too, unlike the hideous monstrosities that have been offered as replacements.

Once again, the local ordinary is selling off the cultural and religious capital under his care for a few accolades. One wonders if the Society of St. Pius X can buy it?

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo is now willing to hold off on plans to demolish St. Ann's Church.

The Diocese is working with Preservation Buffalo Niagara in hopes of finding a developer who is interested in purchasing the church, rectory, and convent properties.

All activities at St. Ann's on Emslie Street in Buffalo were suspended last year because of dangerous structural problems. Parishioners have continued to fight to save the church that was built in the 19th century.

This week they filed a new legal action in Rome hoping that the Vatican will step in and help save St. Ann's Parish.

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Related and very nice story from the Niagra Falls Reporter:

St Ann's was built in the 1880’s by German immigrants from Bavaria, Austria and Bohemia, who prepaid for every quarried block before it was floated down the historic Erie Barge Canal from quarries in Lockport to the docks of the Village of Buffalo. Once there, these monstrous blocks were hauled, foot by foot, with horse drawn dredges, to the Sacred Site selected for their soon to be incomparable sanctuary.

All told, hundreds of thousands of unpaid man-hours of backbreaking work were performed over years as this magnificent edifice rose, block by block, to become one of the most important and beautiful structures in the Niagara region.

The decree to demolish this treasure was issued by Bishop Malone without accepting one of many invitations of Saint Ann’s parishioners to visit the church.

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