On February 4, the Diocese of Buffalo, NY, released a press statement announcing that 163-year old Christ the King Seminary will be closing at the end of this academic year. The cost of running the seminary amidst abuse scandal investigation and low enrollment prevents it from sustainably keeping the doors open.
“Unfortunately, diocesan financial constraints, uncertainties surrounding future vocations, and the current environment in which we operate have brought us to this point,” Fr. Kevin Creagh, the seminary’s president-rector, wrote in the diocesan press release.
For the past 10 years, the seminary has experienced an average annual operating deficit of $500,000. Donors have helped outset the cost, but cannot be relied on looking forward.
The seminary experienced a 10% increase in the cost of attendance between the in the past 3 years––with the 2019 tuition resting at $24,135 and room & board at $11,250.
The Diocese of Buffalo had a severe experience of the current clerical sexual abuse epidemic–– notably with Bishop Richard Malone resigning in December of 2019 in response to an ongoing investigation of his knowledge of abuse.
Several priests in the diocese, including those in contact with seminarians, have been accused of sexual abuse. This is noted to have tainted the environment in which seminarians at Christ the King were trained.
It is worth noting that in attempting to find the updated list–– or any list–– of the accused clergy of the Diocese of Buffalo website, the hyperlinked text that indicates these lists always redirects to the home page, buffalodiocese.org.
At least 90 Catholic seminaries have closed in the US in the last 50 years. Low enrollment and financial struggles from a myriad of issues like clerical abuse and secularization contribute. In diocesan pre-theology/theology programs alone, enrollment has dropped by almost 50% since around 1970.
Data Source: Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown University
In the press release announcing the closure of Christ the King, Bishop Scharfenberger announced that a new “Steering Committee” will be put in place to “re-imagine” and create a specific plan for how “priestly formation will continue for seminarians of the Diocese of Buffalo, while also providing ongoing education in pastoral ministry and theological training for lay women and men, as well as for those seeking ordination to the permanent diaconate.”
The Steering Committee consists of 11 individuals, three of whom are women and the others are a mix of laymen, deacons, and priests.
“The Diocese of Buffalo has been blessed to have benefited from the superior academic education offered to the laity along with the priestly and diaconate formation programs that Christ the King Seminary has provided these many years,” stated Bishop Scharfenberger.
“We now have an opportunity to re-imagine how best to continue this legacy of educational and formation excellence in a manner that is not only economically sustainable but which continues to reflect the requirements of those who wish to pursue a life of ministry in the 21st Century.”
Previously the Campus News Editor and Catholicism 101 Editor, Olivia dabbles in The Torch’s writing and photography. She is a senior studying theology and applied psychology and human development with a minor in journalism. She is unashamedly passionate about youth ministry, Haiti, all things charismatic, the Oxford comma, and CatholicTV––where she can often be found as an on-camera news reporter or host of the To the Heights podcast.
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