Catholic Diocese to sell Saint Jude Center

BUFFALO N.Y. (WIVB) -- The days may be numbered for the Saint Jude Center downtown after the Buffalo Diocese put the property up for sale.

"It's a bad decision, I can say that," said Father Richard Augustyn, who's the Saint Jude Center director. "It's one of the worst decisions that they have made."

After serving the community for more than four decades at the center, Father Augustyn said he never expected that the property on Ellicott St. would be up for sale.

"I was shocked and disappointed," he said. "I didn't think that would be part of the history of Saint Jude."

Saint Jude is not a parish, but a worship center that offers people a quiet and serene place to pray, reflect and seek hope for their loved one getting treatment at nearby hospitals.

"On a regular basis throughout the day you'll see people coming and going, either sitting out in the yard enjoying the gardens or going into the chapel and just finding some quiet from the craziness that they call hospitalization," Father Augustyn said.

He's hoping that whoever buys the property will allow the Saint Jude Center to rent out the facility. He said one possibility would be the Kevin Guest House, whose mission aligns with the Saint Jude Center.