BishopAccountability.org
	Voice of Opposition to Catholic Diocese Church-shuttering Plan Grows Louder By David Briggs Plain Dealer Religion Reporter September 20, 2008 http://www.cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living-0/1221294686284330.xml&coll=2 Catholic parishioners say plans would undo neighborhoods To see an interactive map of the diocese's parishes, go to www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2008/08/catholic_diocese_of_cleveland.html Parishioners at St. Casimir Catholic Church on Cleveland's East Side are contacting inactive members and developing a Sunday evening youth Mass to try to save their church. At St. Barbara Catholic Church on Cleveland's West Side some 400 people have appealed to the Cleveland Catholic Diocese to allow their parish to remain open, say some activist members. And at Immaculate Heart of Mary, where church members learned Sunday that a regional committee is proposing that the Slavic Village neighborhood church be closed, members are encouraging written responses to the bishop and drafting a report to urge reversal of the initial recommendation. As the diocese moves toward the final stages of a downsizing plan that could close more than 45 churches in the region, Catholics in some landmark Cleveland parishes are refusing to go along with recommendations that their parishes be shuttered. They are taking their protests public, arguing that closing their churches will doom neighborhoods in parts of the city already struggling with the foreclosure crisis. "We're trying to rebuild Brooklyn Centre," said Dane Reich, a parishioner at St. Barbara, 1505 Denison Ave., and president of the Southwest Citizens Area Council. "If they close us down, my neighborhood is screwed." No easy way to do what's difficult After more than a year of examining facilities, finances and ministries, more than 20 regional groups of parishes are preparing recommendations for closing or merging parishes in response to population shifts to the outer suburbs and a worsening clergy shortage. The clusters have deadlines to submit recommendations ranging from Monday to mid-December. Bishop Richard Lennon is expected to decide by March. Cleveland parishes will take the greatest hit, with about 25 in danger of being closed. Regional groups of city parishes have until Saturday, Nov. 15, to make their final proposals to the bishop. Rick Krivanka, co-chairman of the diocesan committee overseeing the process, said some parishes believe a merger with another church will give them "a more vibrant parish life." Others are less accepting. "It gets very hard when people are facing the possibility of closing, and all the feelings that one would humanly expect," he said. "There's no easy way to do what is very difficult." Hope that the diocese will take another look An increasing number of parishes have decided to fight to stay open. St. Peter Church downtown was one of the first to announce its intention to oppose an initial cluster plan that would have it merge with St. John Cathedral. Other parishes are making similar efforts, as more regional committees share their initial recommendations. "It's not like it was 40 or 50 years ago. We don't really have as many pay, pray and obey Catholics," said Sister Christine Schenk, executive director of FutureChurch, an independent Lakewood-based organization that advocates a larger voice for people in the pews. "There is a hope the diocese will take another look at the destabilization of neighborhoods in the Cleveland community." At St. Casimir, 8223 Sowinski Ave., church leaders are urging members to bring in old friends and neighbors to boost attendance at Sunday Mass. Raymond Michalski, parish council chairman, said a Sunday evening youth Mass for students is being developed. The church's strongest argument is the need to keep a Catholic presence in the East Side neighborhood, Michalski said. He noted that St. Philip Neri on St. Clair Avenue has already closed, and that St. George and St. Francis, two churches in a nearby cluster, are in danger of closing. Parishioners at St. Barbara say the church is the focal point of a struggling neighborhood. Yvonne Gillock, a parishioner for 44 years, said shutting the parish would cause people to leave Cleveland. "It's like a historical landmark around here," she said. "This would be like a ghost town if they took St. Barbara's away." Among the people encouraging the diocese to keep Immaculate Heart of Mary, 6700 Lansing Ave., open is Ward 12 Councilman Anthony Brancatelli. "Most all of the parishes in our community are architectural gems. . . . They're sacred landmarks," he said. "A big concern is, now what?" Taking away the anchor institutions that serve social needs and are integral to the quality of life in a community, particularly in the midst of the foreclosure crisis, makes it that much harder "to turn our neighborhoods around," he said. Krivanka said he understands some parishes may consider their particular assets, such as size, financial health and location, enough to protect them from being closed or merged with another church. But from the diocese's perspective, Krivanka said, "It's not about any one place. It's what's best for the pastoral care of that area." He said there are still several levels of review before the bishop makes his decision. "Only God knows how this will unfold," he said. Kenneth Knapik said he has been praying over the future of Immaculate Heart of Mary. He said his great-grandfather worked at a nearby brickyard during the day, and in the evening came home and laid bricks to help build the church in 1894. Knapik still attends Mass daily at the parish. He wants to keep the church open, but he also understands diocesan concerns about how to best allocate limited resources. "The way the neighborhood is going, it's only a matter of time before more parishes are going to close anyway," he said. His hope now is for a peaceful resolution. "People's feelings are raw, and the tendency is to lead to negativism and confrontation," he said. "You can't do that. With something like this, you pray for God's will."
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.