Christ the King Seminary will cease operations at the end of the current academic year after operating on a $500,000 deficit for each of the past 10 years, the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo announced Tuesday.

Three priests were placed on leave last year after diocese officials said the men were involved in inappropriate and insensitive conversations during a social gathering at Christ the King with seminarians and priests. 

Matthew Bojanowski and Stephen Parisi stepped down as academic chair of the Executive Counsel and dean of Seminarians respectively at Christ the King last summer. Bojanowski said he was persistently sexually harassed by Father Jeffrey Nowak, while Parisi alleged Diocesan leadership threatened seminarians who spoke out or challenged the church.

Bojanowski and Parisi were later charged with harassment after an alleged incident outside the Diocese offices last fall.

Bishop Edward Scharfenberger, apostolic administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, also announced the creation of a Steering Committee to oversee training of priests currently enrolled in the seminary and among lay people.

James Bach, the town supervisor of Aurora, said he's disappointed by this news but he's not surprised. He said if the diocese decides to sell the Christ the King site, it has potential for redevelopment.

"We’re in desperate need of senior housing. I think this campus would be great for that, it’s got the dormitories, if it’s well maintained and everything I think it would be a good start but there are things to talk about," he said.