Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) – Saturday will be a sad day in South Buffalo, as St. Thomas Aquinas Church on Abbott Road will hold its final Mass. The church is merging with St. Theresa on Seneca Street, per a decree by the Buffalo Catholic Diocese.
“It’s a whole lot of mixed emotions,” said Fr. Bill Quinlivan in an interview with WBEN. “It’s a whole lot of thoughts that I never thought I’d have to deal with as a priest, but it’s the reality that we’re heading into.”
The final Mass will be held Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m. EST, followed by a procession to St. Theresa Church.
“We’ll do our best to celebrate, rather than put a sad face on it. We’re proud of who we are, and we just hope our somebody in the community will respect our building and take it to a new use that will respect the traditions of our of our parish community,” Quinlivan added.
Quinlivan says the church was starting a centennial celebration in 2020 when the COVID pandemic hit, and the church never recovered from it.
“As far as people coming and donations, the writing’s been on the wall. We just didn’t want to look at it. But the there’s wonderful people, there’s wonderful history of St. Thomas Aquinas, and it’s a beautiful church. But the people will carry St. Thomas Aquinas to wherever they go,” Quinlivan said.