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	Ex-Parishioners to Keep up Fight to Reopen Church By David Yonke Toledo Blade May 2, 2008 http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080502/NEWS17/805020333/-1/NEWS KANSAS, Ohio - When members of the closed St. James Catholic Parish were granted access to their former church, they were so glad to find everything in tiptop shape that they decided to continue their legal battle for ownership of the building. "It was like time stood still like that two years and 50 days had never happened," Ginny Hull said. She reclaimed her two guitars that had been locked inside the church since March 6, 2006, the day the Toledo Catholic Diocese sent a maintenance worker to this rural Seneca County village to halt a round-the-clock prayer vigil and padlock the building. Former members of the church, which was built in 1889 and ordered closed in 2005 by Bishop Leonard Blair as part of a diocesewide restructuring, sued in Seneca County Common Pleas Court, claiming that the building and grounds belonged to parishioners and not the diocese. They also sought the return of personal items locked inside the church, including Mrs. Hull's guitars, a television-DVD combo player, a CD player, compact discs, books, and a clock. Seneca County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Kelbley ruled March 31 in favor of the diocese and had scheduled a hearing this week to discuss the return of personal items. Tom Pletz, an attorney with the law firm Shumaker Loop & Kendrick who represents the diocese, said recently that he and plaintiffs' attorneys had been negotiating a way to amicably divide personal property from diocesan property. Last week, Mr. Pletz unlocked a side door to St. James and about 20 former parishioners entered to collect their possessions, including wooden pews they had bought from the diocese. They left after about an hour and said a prayer together, Mrs. Hull said. Steve Johnson said the pristine condition of the church, along with the support of people around the country, inspired former parishioners to continue their legal battle and appeal Judge Kelbley's ruling. There is no timetable for filing an appeal, he added. About 50 to 75 parishioners of St. James, which had about 200 members when it closed, have spent more than $70,000 on legal bills, Mrs. Hull said. Members of the rural parish, about 40 miles southeast of Toledo, estimated it would cost an additional $50,000 to take their case to the Ohio 3rd District Court of Appeals and then, whichever way that ruling goes, to the Ohio Supreme Court. A nationwide fund drive launched two weeks ago in conjunction with the start of a national group called Coalition for Parishes generated more than $13,000 in donations for St. James, Mr. Johnson said. "We received so much encouragement and support from people all over the country, in 15 different states, who strongly encouraged us to continue," he said. "And then just seeing the condition of the church after we got in there, it was perfectly preserved as if for a reason. It was in immaculate condition, like we never left." Mrs. Hull said St. James' ex-members had feared the worst, including water damage, rodent infestations, and mold or weather damage. "We thought it would really be a downer, but it was just outstanding," she said. She said ex-parishioners believe that if they win their case, it will set a precedent for other closed parishes and deter U.S. bishops from closing more churches. "It's not about the money. If we were selfish, we would have just given up and built another place," Mrs. Hull said. "But that wouldn't be helping anybody else. We believe people should own their own parish." Contact David Yonke at: dyonke@theblade.com or 419-724-6154.
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