Whenever there is a published report regarding the sale of Catholic Church properties, critics are quick to point to the condition of the former Transfiguration Church on Sycamore Street in Buffalo, making ridiculous claims that the Diocese of Buffalo is being negligent in the sale of its properties. They erroneously state that other properties that have been sold or those that will be sold will meet a similar fate.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

It is time to clear up the misconceptions surrounding Transfiguration. First and foremost, the diocese did not abandon the property, as has been repeatedly reported. That’s simply untrue.

In 1994, due to the advancing deterioration of the church, the diocese and the parish obtained a building permit to demolish the church. The plan was to beautify the site as green space as a positive use for the community and to better serve the former rectory, convent and school building, which were in the process of being sold, leased or offered for sale for other social service uses.

Based on the recommendation of the Buffalo Common Council, including then Fillmore District Council Member David Franczyk and others, Bishop Edward D. Head agreed to sell the church property to Pauline Nowak and her son, Francis Trezevant, of Paul Francis Associates, for the price of $7,000.

We were assured that Paul Francis Associates was up to the task at hand. It had the endorsement of local leaders and the group was even named “Citizens of the Year” by a local community newspaper.

There were grand plans for the property and a promise from Franczyk of $100,000 in community block grant funding to assist in the preservation of the building. The sale was made with that promise in hand. “The $100,000 will go a long way toward turning the building around,” Trezevant was quoted as saying.

However, only $25,000 was allocated. The remainder of the promised community block grant funding was diverted to other projects.

Sadly, we know the history of the church building. Due to the failure of the city to deliver the block grant funding and the neglect of its owners — not the diocese — the church has fallen into disrepair. Today the property is unkempt. Grass grows tall; there is graffiti on the exterior of the building and some of the basement windows are missing, making for easy entry. The owners spent more than a decade in Housing Court because of countless violations.

Critics say the diocese should do a better job of preserving buildings. The facts speak for themselves. Qualified buyers have been found for properties that are no longer used and the properties are being sold at market value, with no sale price nearly as low as the $7,000 paid for Transfiguration.

As far as active churches are concerned, the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and its parishes maintain more properties of historic and cultural significance than any other organization in the region.

Franczyk said, “I don’t think they care who they sell to.” That’s an insult to the Diocese of Buffalo and the organizations that have purchased parish properties, including the Committee for the Buffalo Religious Arts Center, the Chapel at Crosspoint, Canisius College and Catholic Charities. All of these organizations have invested in the City of Buffalo, preserving and reusing properties to benefit their neighborhoods, something that is playing out across Western New York in towns, villages and cities where properties have been resold.

Yet today Franczyk, now the Common Council president, and a minuscule number of loud critics again want to dictate to the diocese how to sell properties.

We listened to them 15 years ago and look what happened to Transfiguration.

Buffalo Bishop Edward U. Kmiec had a committee of developers, real estate experts, preservationists and others who advised him on the sale and reuse of parish properties.

The end result is that church properties have been sold to organizations and individuals who have a vested interest in their communities. They have given these buildings new life.

When you look at the facts, and disregard uninformed, emotional outbursts from a small number of people, it is clearly evident that, through proper planning and collaboration, the diocese has been making careful decisions when it comes to the sale of church property.

Kevin A. Keenan is director of communications for the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.