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Dec 29th, 2019
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Joined: Nov 2002
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Hi all,
I'm sad to say that St. Gregory the Theologian Byzantine Catholic Church is closing after 106 years.
The last Divine Liturgy will be December 11th. I was baptized in this parish, and although I've been Orthodox for a while now, I'm very saddened to see it close. My family history in this parish goes back to the 1950's when my father joined after moving to Ohio from Pennsylvania.
My Father and Mother, who are still members, along with the rest of the parish, now need to join other parishes that are farther away. A much too common situation these days.
It's sad to see another parish close and be relegated to the history books of the eparchy.
My prayers are with the parishioners.
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Joined: Nov 2001
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When a parish closes, what happens to all of its furnishings, plate, etc.?
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Joined: Feb 2005
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Lakewood has a very dense population. It's too bad they weren't interested in St. Gregory's  .
Last edited by Wolfgang; 11/14/11 10:20 PM.
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You can see a nice exterior photo at the Directory entry for St Gregory's. Sadly, the interior photo that I have there didn't fare well in being enlarged. A much better rendition of it and a brief history of the parish can be seen at Steve Osifchin's Carpathian Connection site, which is linked in the 'Notes' section of the entry. Prayers for St Gregory's parishioners on this sad occasion and may the memory of St Gregory's be eternal. Many years, Neil
"One day all our ethnic traits ... will have disappeared. Time itself is seeing to this. And so we can not think of our communities as ethnic parishes, ... unless we wish to assure the death of our community."
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I'd still like to know what happens to things like the Holy Table, the Proskomide and Deacon's Tables, the Gospel and Epistle books, the Ripidia, the altar cloths, the Chalice and Diskos, the Lance and the spoon, and all the other stuff. Does it just get discarded? Does it go into someone's private collection?
With Epiphany getting ready to dedicate its new church, and trying to raise a fortune to buy a completely new set of furnishings and plate, it would seem economically prudent as well as compassionate, to adopt these things from St. Gregory's. If I were a parishoner there, I would be greatly relieved to know that these holy things were being used for the purpose intended, and not waiting to appear on e-Bay or gracing the dining room of some up-scale yuppies.
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Ideally the major things (Gospel, icon screen, Ripidia etc...) go to the eparchy...I have seen parishes where some of these things are used...however, its up to the eparch to decide when and where they are used...
Things like the Holy Table and Proskomide and Deacon's tables depend on the situation...I know at Holy Trinity they were marble and built in so I would have to assume they are still present with the new occupants...Although, I could be wrong...I understand they (the eparchy of Passaic) took the bell and it was going to St. John's in Trumbull...if that actually happened I have no way of knowing...(Name of the Bell was John :-) BTW )
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I agree. Although the interior photo that I have of St Gregory's is not of great quality, it looks to be a beautiful temple and I've seen remarks in particular on the beauty of its chandelier.
It would seem that the time might be ripe for the pastor at Epiphany to make a call to Bishop William, asking whether he, in turn, might be inclined to consult with Bishop John on the prospects for this sort of thing to happen.
Many years,
Neil
"One day all our ethnic traits ... will have disappeared. Time itself is seeing to this. And so we can not think of our communities as ethnic parishes, ... unless we wish to assure the death of our community."
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I wonder if they would give the vestments to a worthy cause?
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I agree. Although the interior photo that I have of St Gregory's is not of great quality, it looks to be a beautiful temple and I've seen remarks in particular on the beauty of its chandelier.
It would seem that the time might be ripe for the pastor at Epiphany to make a call to Bishop William, asking whether he, in turn, might be inclined to consult with Bishop John on the prospects for this sort of thing to happen.
Many years,
Neil The chandelier, Iconostas, and domes were added when a renovation was done in 1980. You wouldn't know it from a Latin parish before this. A steeple, no Iconostas, stations of the cross, communion rail, baldacchino, not an Icon in sight, on and on. I remember even the censer was a Latin type. The 1980 renovation finally made it a proper looking Eastern church, which it sorely lacked from when it was built in 1925.
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Joined: Apr 2005
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What will happen with the property and the physical plant?
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Joined: Nov 2002
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What will happen with the property and the physical plant? It will all probably go up for sale. The church, the hall, and the rectory.
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Got to get all those pensions vested before the Church goes belly-up.
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Got to get all those pensions vested before the Church goes belly-up. Going belly-up seems unlikely, what with all these properties to sell.
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Joined: Nov 2001
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Ah, but selling the properties is how they are vesting the pensions.
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What will happen with the property and the physical plant? It will all probably go up for sale. The church, the hall, and the rectory. Is it all owned by the diocese or does the parish hold title to some of it?
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