www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Cleveland Catholic Diocese reveals full list parish closings

Cleveland's First Black Catholic Congregation to Close [cleveland.com]

Prayers for the parishioners of St Adalbert's and the other parishes involved.

Many years,

Neil

Lord have mercy!

Hungarian Parishes to Close [blog.cleveland.com]

St. Procop church closes [blog.cleveland.com]

Bishop Lennon's tactics remind me of the American retail stores: closing down shop in the cities to chase the suburban $$$$. In fact, the modern Catholic churches are not unlike a suburban mall: cheap to construct and cheap to tear down when the $$$$ move even farther out into suburbia. When is all this madness (urban sprawl) going to end? It would be comforting if a huge religious institution like the American Catholic church could set an example, instead of following the crowd. The Catholic church talks about a "preferential option" for the poor, while at the same time closing the inner-city churches. What a bunch of ____!

When Bishop Lennon was in Boston, following Cardinal Law's departure, he was likewise noted for heavy handed closures of parishes.

Many years,

Neil

Maybe that's his real job. They have an impolite name for such people in the business world.

Please reread posting #325326. There is another side and an
explanation for these church closings. Also, noone who
opposes them has been able to explain where future priestly
staffing and financial resources will come from in order to
keep these churches open.

I don't deny it. I have, in fact, pointed out that the demographic decline of the rust belt states makes such closings inevitable. However, there are good and bad ways to consolidate parishes, just as there are good and bad ways to consolidate companies.

In the business world, there is a guy called the "Designated Bastard". His job is to come into a struggling company and "restructure" it in a way that ensures its future survival. That usually entails firing a lot of people and closing a lot of factories and branch offices. This makes the guy very, very unpopular. As a result, he seldom stays in one place very long. Instead, the CEO or the Board of Directors bring him in, he does his job, and he rides off into the sunset--until called upon again, by another company. There are people who make a career out of this.

Meanwhile, the CEO and the Board can say, "It wasn't our fault--he did it!", and they can then take credit for the renewed profitability of their company without taking the blame for all the pain caused to do it.

The Church isn't that different. No bishop wants to be known as the guy who gutted the diocese. But sometimes gutting is necessary, and there are some people who don't seem to mind grabbing the brown end of the stick. Lennon appears to be such a man. I doubt he will stay in Cleveland very long.

Having grown up in the Big City, I have to say I prefer (sub)urban sprawl, thanks very much.

There is a saying circulating Cleveland now that goes like this:

"Who closed more churches, Lennon or Lenin?"

Note: I realize that Bishop Lennon should be recognized for his title, I am just quoting the saying above.

I've pretty much lived my life in suburbia, having grown up in San Jose, which has no urb attached to the suburbs (OK, they're trying to grow one), and settling in Las Vegas, with a similar setting (also trying to grow an artificial urb).

A couple of years ago, I ended up at a conference listening to the paper of a sociologist, who, if memory serves, got all of her information on suburban life from movies, explaining the despair or some such of we suburbanites expressed through our barbecues.

She was baffled when I explained to her that this was *good*, and that she could have my Weber when she pried it from my cold dead fingers . . . the idea that we lived with yards and the ability to cook outdoors on purpose had never penetrated her skull!

mmm.

flame and burgers tomorrow night . . .

hawk, suburban overeducated redneck

Romeo Celleghin's 63-year-old fresco at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Lorain could be another casualty of Catholic diocese's downsizing

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/09/romeo_celleghins_63yearold_fre.html

The building is more than fifty years old. It ought to be covered under the Historic Preservation Act, which means that it is very difficult, almost impossible, to alter its significant architectural features, which would include the frescos.