Father Anzelm Chalupka

Buffalo, New York – After serving six years as Pastor of historic Corpus Christi Church, Fr. Anzelm Chalupka has been re-assigned to St. Casimir’s Church in Yonkers, New York.

Fr. Matthew Wydmanski, who has been at the parish for the last year, has been named the new Pastor in what continues as the Pauline Order’s steadfast commitment to Corpus Christi. These changes reflect the standard policy of the Paulines and many other religious orders to rotate their priests’ assignments on a regular basis. The news comes just days after the parish announced the start of its Phase II Preservation Fund campaign to restore the church to its full beauty.

During Fr. Anzelm’s tenure, numerous new families joined the congregation. Many more attended special occasions such as the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass. Still, Fr. Anzelm’s final wish is to see Corpus Christi Church, which seats 1,600 worshippers, filled to capacity just once before he leaves Buffalo. In hopes of making that wish a reality, the parish extends a warm welcome to all Western New Yorkers to share in a final Mass on Sunday, January 31 at 11:30a.m.

In the spring of 2003, the Conventual Franciscan Fathers sadly announced that they could no longer continue their ministry at Corpus Christi. Devastated, the congregation prayed for a miracle to save this beloved parish from closing. After months of uncertainty and just weeks before the church’s scheduled shuttering, those prayers were answered in the form of an energetic, 34 year-old Pauline priest from Poland – Fr. Anzelm Chalupka. After several visits to Buffalo, Fr. Anzelm volunteered to take on the daunting challenge of renewing both the faith community and physical structure of this beloved parish, believing he could “make a difference” and “do something good” here. [Read more…]