By Michael O'Malley
Plain Dealer
August 16 2010
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/08/parishioners_from_closed_catho.html
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| Members of the Community of St. Peter in Cleveland receive Communion in their new home on Euclid Avenue, Sunday, August 15, 2010. They were members of the now-closed St. Peter Catholic Church. |
Defying the authority of their bishop, parishioners and their priest from the closed St. Peter Catholic Church in downtown Cleveland celebrated Mass Sunday in leased commercial space they transformed into a church independent of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese.
The move by the new Community of St. Peter puts members in danger of excommunication because they had been warned by Bishop Richard Lennon, who shuttered St. Peter's in April, not to hold worship services in places without his approval.
Still, about 350 people, joined by their spiritual leader, the Rev. Robert Marrone, gathered for their first Mass and communion in their new home -- a newly renovated, century-old building on Euclid Avenue and East 71st Street.
"This feels real good," said parishioner Bob Kloos of Cleveland Heights. "This is the handiwork of hundreds of people over many, many months."
Group leaders emphasize that they see themselves as traditional Catholics and are challenging the closing of St. Peter's, not the tenets of their faith.
"Here, enlightened by Christ . . . we can renew our dedication to the traditions of our faith which we hold as precious," Marrone said in his sermon. "Today is a day for action, not reaction; imagination, not fear."
He added, "I know it has not been an easy journey for you as it has not been an easy journey for me. But standing here today, I am filled with gratitude, peace and confidence."
At the opening hymn, the standing-room only crowd, joined by a choir and classical musicians, sang "Christ be our light. Shine in your church gathered today. . ."
Following the closing hymn, the crowd burst into an extended applause as the faithful hugged each other and cried tears of joy.
"I feel wonderful at this moment," said parishioner Suzanne Joseph of Shaker Heights. "It's a little scary. We're kind of going into a new way of being within the Catholic church, but I'm very happy we're on this journey."
Joining the journey were a few Catholics from other closed churches. "This is a historical moment," said John Juhasz of the closed St. Emeric. "These people are setting an example for many others to follow. This is truly amazing."
Patricia Schulte-Singleton of the closed St. Patrick in West Park said, "This is a big step. This takes guts. I commend this community and Father Marrone for their courage."
Officials from the diocese could not be reached Sunday.
The St. Peter rebellion is unique because unlike in Boston, where five congregations, in defiance of the archdiocese, have been illegally occupying closed churches for up to five years, the Cleveland group has created its own worship space complete with a new altar, baptismal fount and sacred icons.
The new space, unlike the classic cathedral structure of the closed St. Peter's, is a huge, brick-walled room painted white and lighted with rows of overhead spot lights and glass sky lights above exposed steel rafters.
The group's annual budget for rent, staff and a reserve fund is about $200,000. So far, about 325 people out of 700 parishioners at the old church have made the switch to the Community of St. Peter.
The congregation, made up mostly of suburbanites, had been quietly considering the breakaway ever since Lennon announced in March 2009 that he was closing their 151-year-old church building on the corner of Superior Avenue and East 17th Street.
The bishop's order was part of a downsizing that saw the closings of 50 churches over the last year because of dwindling collections, fewer parishioners and a shortage of priests.
After learning St. Peter's would be one of the casualties, parish leaders organized a non-profit corporation and raised money to lease the commercial space, originally the showroom and mechanics' garage for Baker electric cars.
When the bishop caught wind of a possible schism forming, he questioned Marrone and St. Peter's congregation leaders.
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| Margaret Sheldon passes out Communion bread to members of the Community of St. Peter in Cleveland during their first Mass in their new home on Euclid Avenue, Sunday, August 15, 2010. They had been members of the closed St. Peter Catholic Church. |
They told Lennon that the non-profit corporation was set up as a means to raise money to continue their social service and education programs after their church closed. The leased commercial space, they said, was for social gatherings to keep the congregation together. They did not tell the bishop they were setting up a church because at the time the community was still exploring the idea and had not made a decision.
Still, the bishop sent letters at the end of March of this year to each member of St. Peter's, suggesting their salvation was in jeopardy if they conducted worship services outside of a sanctioned church.
"Please know that I will not approve of a priest celebrating the sacraments in any space other than an approved site within the diocese," the bishop wrote, adding that he was concerned "for you and your salvation."
"It is my hope and my prayer," he continued, "that there is no attempt on the part of some to set up an alternative parish outside the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Cleveland.
"When there is a breaking of unity and communion with the church, there are consequences which affect one's relationship with the Lord. . . ."
Despite the bishop's admonishment, many in the congregation pushed on after their church closed in April, meeting every Sunday at Cleveland State University to pray and collect money for their new space.
But much of the flock was vexed with two gnawing questions:
Will Marrone come with us?
Are we willing to be excommunicated from the Catholic church for breaking off from the diocese in disobedience to the bishop?
Some left the group. Some stood by undecided. Some moved ahead.
But for months, Marrone, who has been on an extended leave of absence from the diocese since St. Peter's closed, stayed silent, talking only to those closest to him.
At age 63, he had spent his whole life immersed in the Catholic culture. He entered a seminary at age 13, was ordained at age 26 and lived his whole adult life under a vow of obedience to Catholic hierarchy.
Now Marrone had to decide whether to be faithful to the congregation he had inspired and nurtured for more than 20 years, or to the bishop who closed his church.
He began attending the CSU gatherings and eventually came to a decision: He would risk his institutional position as a conforming priest to continue shepherding his rebel flock.
"I see this as an act of disobedience, not a schism," Marrone said in an interview before the new space was opened. "But I suspect we'll get accused of schism."
Asked last week how he felt about his bold move and possible punishment from church superiors, Marrone, known for his oratory skills, simply said: "I don't talk about my feelings."
"The most important thing to me," he said in a separate interview "is that the ministry of St. Peter's continues. The closing of St. Peter's was not legitimate. Our rights were violated. We made it clear to the bishop we don't think this is right. You just can't do this to people."
The reconstituted congregation stresses that it is not a revolutionary group seeking to shake the foundation of the institutional church.
"The Community of St. Peter holds to the fundamental teachings and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church," said parishioner Bob Zack of Independence. "We consider ourselves neither a focal point of dissent nor a schismatic organization.
"We do stand, however, in opposition to the closing of our church as well as so many others in our diocese," Zack said. "The bishop says the church is his real estate. Fine, take it. We have no control over that. But we have decided we want to keep our community together."
"We believe, as the bishop has repeatedly stated, that we as Catholics, not any particular church building, are the church" he said.
Asked whether the congregation fears excommunication, Zack said, "That's something each individual has to consider. I have a hard time understanding why we need the bishop's permission for us to worship together."
Parishioner Norbert Koehn of South Euclid, a sculptor who designed and built the new altar and baptismal font, said he didn't expect the bishop to retaliate or push for excommunications.
"This is a new beginning, a new start," he said. "It has nothing to do with the bishop any more.
"Yes, there could be excommunication, but I don't think that once you've been baptized it can be taken away from you by anybody."
Marrone, in the earlier interview, described the Catholic church as being "in deep conflict with itself" and St. Peter's split as "a tragic comedy."
"None of us wanted to be in this position," he said. "We did not seek this out. There just comes a point when you stand up and say, 'We can't do this.'"
"This is a sociological story," he added, "not just a religious one."
"It's an ongoing story. It's an evolving story. In my last sermon at St. Peter's I said, 'The exodus begins. Come, let us go.'"
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