Save St John's Church - Olean, NY
Save St John's Church - Olean
Joyous Announcment!
On Thursday June 4,2026, the leadership team of St John Parish (Fr David, Carol Stitt, Dan Butler and Dan Hinz) met with officials from The Diocese of Buffalo (Bishop Fisher, Fr Peter Karalus Vicar General, Fr Dennis Mancuso Vicar Forane, Melisa Potzler Chancellor and Fr Sean Paul, the meeting was held in the parish center at St John Church. Kim Palmer, Finance Director for our Family also attended. It was at this meeting that we were able to convince The Diocese that we are worthy of remaining open as an independent parish and Bishop Fisher has since rescinded the decree of merger. WE ARE REMAINING OPEN AS AN INDEPENDENT PARISH.
This was a process that started with conversations with the attorney representing The Diocese as well as numerous conversations with The Vicar General. We were able to convince them that data that had been presented to The Diocese was inaccurate. The data not only included financial information but mass attendance, loss of programs, mass schedule, and sacrament details as well. It also became clear that The Bishop has a desire for the school to be successful and how important the parish is to the school’s success. At this meeting, The Bishop listened intently as we provided a landscape of the issues we had. We were able to show that we have processes that are under control and consistent as a direct result of changes being implemented by Fr David.
Our parish owes a huge debt of gratitude to Fr David; without him we would not have gotten this done. We also want to point out the fact that The Vicar General was considerate with his time over the Memorial Day weekend. It cannot be understated the work of our Trustees along with appeals that allowed our message to be heard and the data to be corrected. The Bishop in his graciousness realized our position and granted the recission of his decree with no stipulations on either The Diocese or our Parish.
We are remaining open!!!! On to the Festival and many years of St. John’s Catholic Community. Thanks to all for your faith and prayers.
Donations
* Continue to put your envelope into the collection at Mass even if no money is included. This is to satisfy the attendance monitoring that is being done by the Diocese.
* Make checks payable to St. John the Evangelist Olean (STJEO) Fund. Mail them to CRCF, 301 North Union St. Olean, NY 14760. Donations may also be made online at cattfoundation.org. Recurring automatic donations can also be set up through the Foundation’s website: https://bit.ly/STJEO-Fund or use the buttons below.
Contact CRCF at 716-301-2723 if you need assistance.
Please continue to pray for St John's Church, the EM Catholic Community, our Pastor/Rector Fr David Tourville and Senior Parochial Vicar
Fr John Arogyasami, the Diocese of Buffalo, Bishop Fisher, and Pope Leo XIV.
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms."
1 Peter 4:10
Join Us for Mass
WEEKEND:
Saturday - 5:30 pm
Sunday - 9:30 am
WEEKDAY:
Wednesday - 8 am
Save St John's Church - Olean is a platform dedicated to serving the community and church members by providing essential information about the ongoing appeal process. Our goal is to Save St John's Church as a parish and feature of Christian Life in our community, a place where families have gathered to pray together for generations. We join together for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as a Community of Prayer, Faith, and Love.
Our Mission
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Connect with us to support our cause and make a difference and request more information. We welcome your inquiries and contributions to help preserve our historic church.
Church Location:
931 N Union St
Olean, NY 14760
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