Vacant Catholic Church Will Become Mosque on Buffalo's East Side

By LaMonica Peters
Friday, February 3, 2017 at 07:23 PM EST

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The former St. Gerard Roman Catholic Church, a vacant Catholic church on Buffalo's east side, is answering a second calling. The Diocese sold the building for for $120,000 and it will be converted into a mosque.

Former pastor Father Butch Mazur says even with the current political and social climate around the country, the community should embrace the new place of worship.

"People should not be uncomfortable with having a mosque in this community. The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has a long-standing, healthy, great relationship with the Muslim community for almost 40 years," Mazur said.

Some of the church's interior items have already been sold and church officials expect the sale to be completed sometime in the near future.

http://www.twcnews.com/nys/buffalo/news/2017/02/3/st--gerards--catholic--church--buffalo--east-delevan--father-mazur--muslim--mosque.html

1:36 video at link.