Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon Celebrates Easter with Mass; No Hint about Closed Churches

By Michael O'Malley
Plain Dealer
April 9, 2012

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/04/cleveland_bishop_richard_lenno.html

Bishop Richard Lennon celebrates mass at St. John Cathedral on Easter morning.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On one of Christianity's holiest days, Catholics from throughout Greater Cleveland packed the pews Sunday at the 1,200-seat Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Cleveland for Easter Mass.

Adorned in white vestments, Bishop Richard Lennon of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland presided over the holy ritual as the faithful joined him in song and prayer.

In his sermon, Lennon talked about three adult converts to Catholicism -- a woman and two men -- whom he had baptized during Holy Saturday services the previous day.

The bishop said he was deeply moved by their unquestionable newly found faith and sincere piety.

"They had found a home, a place where they belong," he said. "They radiated God's presence."

Some Catholics in the diocese had hoped that Lennon was going to use his Easter pulpit to announce the reopening of 13 churches in the diocese, but the bishop did not mention the matter.

Parishioners of the 13 -- among 50 churches he closed between 2009 and 2010 as part of a financially driven downsizing of the diocese -- had appealed their closings to Rome, arguing that they were self-sustaining parishes that should not have been closed.

Last month, a Vatican tribunal ruled in favor of the parishioners, saying Lennon had violated procedures and church law when he padlocked the 13 sanctuaries and dissolved or merged their parishes.

The bishop now has three options: He can appeal the 'ruling, reopen the churches or start the closing process again. Lennon has 60 days from March 14 to appeal.