Hundreds of people were in Saint Lawrence Church on Buffalo's East Side Sunday night for a memorial vigil for a much-loved priest who apparently committed suicide Saturday afternoon.
An autopsy will be held today for Father Joseph Moreno,"Father Joe" to large number of people, and a funeral later this week, likely in a church far larger than Saint Lawrence because of anticipated crowds.
The priest was found dead on Saturday by Co-Pastoral Administrator Paul Weisenburger with an apparent gunshot wound when Moreno failed to appear for a scheduled Mass.
During the vigil Sunday night, there was prayer and music and candles and balloons as people remembered the priest who had helped so many.
"He never said no," said one man, Rick, who attended the vigil with his wife and children.
"You asked him for anything, to make time for you, anything whatsoever. It was an immediate yes, and he would get it done as soon as possible."
Father Joe knew prominent people also, drawing support for many charitable activities from Yankees baseball star Derek Jeter and television star Jay Leno.
