BishopAccountability.org
	Mazzaglia: History Will Show the Greatness of Bishop Lennon By Frank Mazzaglia MetroWest Daily News [Boston MA] April 9, 2006 http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/columnists/view.bg?articleid=126893 Nobody could have done it better than Bishop Richard G. Lennon! Those who know him best will tell you that Cleveland's new Bishop Lennon has a spine of steel but a gentle heart and an overwhelming love for the Church he serves. It was in the middle of the full-fledged sexual-abuse crisis that the Pope John Paul II accepted the resignation of Bernard Cardinal Law and simultaneously appointed Bishop Lennon as the apostolic administrator of the Boston Archdiocese. Under the glare of flashing cameras, for four grueling months it was Bishop Lennon at the helm. Fielding questions from a hostile press, and working through complicated legal matters while awaiting the selection of a permanent archbishop from the Vatican, he stood alone but firmly in charge. This is what happened next. On July 30, 2003, Rome announced that Bishop Sean Patrick O'Malley was the pope's choice to serve as Boston's next archbishop. As a sign of his wisdom, the new archbishop quickly recognized Bishop Lennon's value and appointed him as moderator of the Curia and Vicar General. In that role, Bishop Lennon served essentially as the chief of staff but not as the chief executive. The chief executive was the archbishop. Once in place, Archbishop O'Malley identified three serious problems requiring immediate attention. These included a continuing downward trend in the number of clergy, a seriously threatening financial position, and a decline in the regular attendance at Sunday Mass. Recognizing that the archdiocese needed radical restructuring if it was to survive, let alone meet the challenges of the future, the archbishop announced his intentions of closing more than 60 parishes throughout the archdiocese. Sixty churches! People were aghast. Surely, not their place of worship would be affected. That was unthinkable. The problem, of course, was that everybody felt the same way. To determine which churches should be closed, groups representing parish clusters were formed. These were made up mostly of lay people and included priests from each parish. One typical cluster included 75 lay people and a few priests. To guide their decisions, sacramental data was used. For three consecutive Sundays in October, a very accurate attendance count was taken in each parish. In addition, the number of baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals were also used to determine future needs. While the ultimate decision would be wrenching, that sad reality was understood at the outset. Furthermore, it was made clear that if any cluster could not come to a decision, the archdiocese would make the painful decision for it. As it turned out, the difficulty was not in understanding the process but rather in accepting the final decision. Clearly the facts showed that without reconfiguration, there would be an insufficient number of priests to staff the churches. Still, a closed church is a painful experience for affected parishioners. Despite the best efforts to avoid trauma, the anger was anticipated. In his role, Bishop Lennon took the heat for simply doing the job which had been assigned for him to do. Executives everywhere can understand the position he was in. Archbishop O'Malley could be generous in reconsideration. Bishop Lennon had to stand by the decisions of the cluster groups. Cleveland has become the beneficiary of a Boston bishop with uncommon courage. Bishop Lennon is a scholar as well as an administrator. However, those who know him well attest to a private pastoral side that cares deeply about the nourishment of spirituality. History is filled with pages of great men. Detractors pale over time. In the history of the archdiocese, Bishop Richard Lennon will rank as one of the great men who stepped into a most difficult situation, who persevered, and who preserved the future by standing firm for the church when some of the most bruising decisions needed to be made. The Catholic Church of Cleveland is fortunate, but here in the archdiocese of Boston, Bishop Richard Lennon will be a hard act to follow. Frank Mazzaglia can be reached at fmazzaglia@aol.com.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.