www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall St. Joseph's Byzantine Catholic Church in Cleveland

I ran across some photos of this church here [rejectedmemories.com]. Anyone know when/why it was abandoned?

Where was the church located?I presume it was either Ukrainian or Ruthenian given the Slavonic inscritions.

I only know in Cleveland.

St Joseph was on Orleans Ave in Cleveland. It was the 2nd church on the site (the first constructed in 1912-1913); construction of this one began in 1933. It's listed at 9321 Orleans in the 1975 Directory of Eastern Rite Catholic Churches in the United States of America, compiled by Father Andrew Baunchalk, although 9411 appears as a street number on the doors at one photo. Father Andrew does not give any indication there as to jurisdiction to which it belongs, making me think that it may have already been closed by then.

More, very sad, photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28809958@N06/sets/72157613904161489/with/3286067816/

And some commentary

http://morethanabuilding.blogspot.com/2009/03/picture-is-worth-thousand-words_22.html

It is the predecessor of St Joseph's Byzantine in Brecksville. The history at the Brecksville parish's website [stjoebyz.com] suggests they were out of there in the early '70s, but the temple in Brecksville was not opened until 1984. Not sure where they worshipped in the interim.

Many years,

Neil

Neil, thanks for for detective work. Very sad to see a building in that state.

Found another picture of the building here [images.ulib.csuohio.edu].

This is very depressing, but thankfully, the Lord has plans to renew our Byzantine Catholic Church. May the new generations evangelize for the East with love and fervor.

Robert

Is this master plan available on line, somewhere? Or is it just a pious hope?

God has the Plan! Don't you know we were all given it by Him in our baptism and chrismation:) If we listen really hard to our hearts all the answers are there. You'll hear: "Go make disciples of all nations!" There you go, it's that simple. All we have to do is make disciples and we do that by love--"you'll know they are my disciples by the love they have for one another." The best evangelization is authentic love of neighbor. If they find out we actually love without backbiting and are real Christians, they come because they'll want what we have. You don't need a five part evangelism plan to bring people in. Love is it!

Doesn't mean the Ruthenians will be the ones doing it. Where, after all, is the Great Church of Carthage, the one that gave us Tertullian, Cyprian and Augustine? God does not compel, and we are endowed with free will for good or ill. God works mainly through human agency, and his human agents have a perverse way of either ignoring or misconstruing his will.

In 1900, there were perhaps 350,000 Ruthenian Catholics in this country. By 1930, half of those were gone. By 1990, the number was down to about 80,000. How many are really active members today? I would say no more than 40,000, and perhaps as few as 25,000. Most of the losses have been self-inflicted, and at times our bishops have acted as though they were determined to commit ecclesiacide.

So, if there is a divine plan, you would think there would be some visible manifestations of it--charismatic new leadership, vibrant and growing parishes, a renewal of spiritual life, including new monastic houses.

I'm looking--and looking. And looking.

What I see is same old same old.

To cite another old joke, "How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?" "Just one, but the light bulb really has to want to change". The Ruthenian Church is the lightbulb that doesn't want to change.

Slava Isusu Christu!

I respect your experience of our Church. You are right that many parishes are dying out and people are moving elsewhere. I apologize if I seemed overly simplistic in my answer. I think I was drawing from the communion hymn that we sing from time to time.

There are 23 sui iuris ritual Churches and many other Apostolic Churches that are reaching the world for Christ along with other Christians. If the Ruthenian Churches all vanished tomorrow the world might not notice, but God would. He needs us here and I have always struggled to "grow where I am planted." Many of you know how I have wavered between our Church and Eastern Orthodoxy, and other churches and religions as well. When I think of the martyrs of our Church and how they died for our Greek Catholic faith--I am a traitor and unworthy to be named Byzantine Catholic. But, God forgives and the very martyrs who died greet me with love after I go to the Mystery of Repentance and come home. It is hard because I think as a Ruthenian Catholic one gets an inferiority complex; I know I did and still have remnants of that.

But, I have a joy that wells up within me when I hear our priests and people chant in our unique tone-form; and our liturgical customs and sense of church are one of a kind. When I go into one of our parishes my heart leaps and says: "I belong here! This is my home!" My soul keeps coming back to memories of Liturgies and services past, along with the wonderful priests, monastics, and people, and remembers the joy from them.

I think we all have to rest in the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity and the Grace of God. In my heart I know the Carpatho-Rusyn tradition will continue and grow as God waters and provides the nutrients and the Light. I am an idealist in this respect, but there are several pastors in our Church who are trying and laity that are striving to live their Byzantine Catholic faith. God help me to stay in the boat and work with the others to keep it tugging alongside the big barque of the Latin Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. God will send us priests to fire up the people our small Ruthenian Church again, I know He will. Amin!