By Dick Russ
WKYC
March 14, 2009
http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=109271&catid=45
Map of church closings/mergers
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Click HERE for a spreadsheet compiling what WKYC has learned so far on the churches being impacted. (Note: The spreadsheet involves only those parish clusters where closures or mergers were expected to take place.)
Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon on Saturday announced a sweeping reconfiguration of the Diocese, which will result in a net reduction of 52 parishes by June 30, 2010.
Twenty-nine of the Diocese's 224 parishes will close outright, while another 41 have been instructed to merge with one or more neighboring parishes. The reconfiguration will result in the creation of 18 new, combined parishes, which will likely be re-named.
One of the first clusters of churches to be notified includes the parishes of St. Cecilia, Epiphany, and Our Lady of Peace, all on Cleveland's East Side. Parishioners were informed by letter today that St. Cecilia and Epiphany would be closing, and that Our Lady of Peace would remain open.
In the special delivery letter , Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon said "I recognize how difficult it may be for the parishioners of St. Cecilia and Epiphany to leave their parishes, and I respect how much the presence and ministry of these parishes has meant to parishioners and people in the community whom they have served."
"As a diocese we are committedto assist parishioners from parishes that close or merge in being welcomed by the members of other parishes."
"It is my earnest hope that these parishioners will find and contribute to new life and vitality in their new parishes."
The Bishop said the Diocese would try to find a way to support and keep open the Thea Bowman Center, which is on the site of Epiphany and serves people of the Mount Pleasant neighborhood.
Holy Cross parish in Elyria has also confirmed receiving a letter that they will be closing by June 30, 2010. Holy Cross was in a cluster of five churches, where Sacred Heart Church of Elyria was also expected to close.
WKYC's Dick Russ has learned that St. Philomena in East Cleveland and St. Ann in Cleveland Heights will remain open. The two churches will merge into one parish with locations at both St. Philomena and St. Ann's. It's unknown whether the new combined parish will undergo a name change.
Two other remaining churches in that cluster, Christ the King in East Cleveland and St. Louis in Cleveland Heights will close.
St. Wendelin's on Cleveland's near west side will close, but historic St. Patrick's Church on Bridge Avenue will remain open. St. Pat's was established in 1853 and the current historic church building was erected in 1881.
Marie Wellinger, a parishioner at St. Patrick's was all smiles as the news was read to parishioners at Saturday afternoon Mass.
"I was concerned but I didn't know until that actually came out," Weillinger told Channel 3 News. "But I'm so happy. I get to stay home, and we welcome everyone. That's the way we are. We're all family and we welcome everyone."
Another old, historic church was spared. St. Stephen's on West 54th in Cleveland will remain open. The cluster committee in that area had recommended that the church be closed.
The Community of St. Malachi and St. Malachi parish, located at the west end of the Detroit-Superior Bridge, will merge with related issues as to their future operation to be discussed.
In Euclid, three church buildings will close, and will merge into the remaining three Catholic churches in Euclid. The buidlings which will close are St. Paul, which is to be merged with St. Felicitas; St. Christine will close and merge with Holy Cross; and St. Robert will close and merge into St. William.
A number of Cleveland's oldest nationality parishes are closing. St. George's Lithuanian on Superior Avenue will close and be merged into another Lithuanian parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Help on Neff Road.
The expected closing or merging of St. Jerome on Lakeshore Boulevard did not take place. News of its continue operation was welcomed on Saturday evening.
St. Casimir's, a Polish parish in Cleveland's St. Clair-Superior neighborhood, dating to the turn of the last century will close, as will St. Colman's, an institution on West 65th for many decades. St. Francis, established in 1886 on Myron Avenue near East 71st and Superior will also close, but its school will remain open for now.
In Bedford Heights, Holy Trinity parish will close and merge into St. Pius X Parish.
Three West Park area Cleveland churches will merge. Annunciation on West 130th and Ascension Parish on Puritas will merge with St. Patrick's on Rocky River Drive. The location of the combined church has yet to be determined.
Pastors are reading the contents of the Bishop's letter at Saturday vigil and Sunday morning masses.
To view a spreadsheet listing what WKYC has learned so far in terms of impacted churches click HERE (Note: The spreadsheet only includes those parish clusters where closings or mergers were expected to take place.)
Click here to see a map of churches closing, merging or staying open.
The Diocese of Cleveland http://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=118&Itemid=620 has nearly 230 parishes and as many as 50 were to be closed by June of 2010 as part of a major reconfiguration program. Most of those to close were expected to be in the City of Cleveland, where declining population and attendance, and the financial struggles of keeping open so many parishes were contributing factors to the need for consolidation.
Each of the new parishes will eventually choose a new name.
Check back to wkyc.com and Channel 3 as more details on the consolidation plan are revealed.
The Diocese of Cleveland has called a news conference for 10 a.m. Sunday to release details of the reorganization. We will carry the news conference in its entirety LIVE on wkyc.com.
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