St. Casimir Blog
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February 2, 2012
Read the last paragraph of the article that follows and tell me hypocrisy cannot get any greater than this:
Catholic Bishop Richard Lennon condemns new federal policy
on providing birth control
Published: Wednesday, February 01, 2012, 6:00 AM
Updated: Wednesday, February 01, 2012, 6:57 AM
Michael O'Malley, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Bishop Richard Lennon has joined a chorus of Catholic bishops
across the country in condemning a new federal requirement that employers,
including Catholic institutions, offer insurance plans providing free
contraceptives to their employees.
Starting next year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will
require plans such as those at Catholic hospitals, colleges and charities to
cover birth control without employee co-payments.
The health department sees the new rule in terms of health and medical issues.
But the Catholic Church sees it as a violation of its religious rights under the
Constitution.
"Unless this rule is overturned, Catholics will be compelled either to
violate our consciences or to drop health care coverage for our employees. . .
," Lennon wrote in a letter read by priests throughout the Catholic Diocese
of Cleveland during last weekend's Masses.
The bishop wrote that the Obama administration is "denying to Catholics our
nation's first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty."
Related stories
"We cannot -- we will not -- comply with this unjust law," the bishop
wrote.
Lennon's letter echoed statements by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in
Washington, D.C.
But Sister Christine Schenk, a local nun and certified nurse midwife, says the
bishops are being disingenuous because the new rule does not force anyone to use
contraception. Schenk heads FutureChurch, a Lakewood-based national organization
working to liberalize the church.
"No Catholic is being coerced into using birth control," she said.
"On the books, church teachings say that birth control is not
allowed," said Schenk. "But the vast majority of Catholics have not
accepted the church's teaching on contraception.
"So, you have to ask yourself," she added, "'Who are the bishops
speaking for?' It sounds like they're speaking for themselves rather than the
Catholic people."
Schenk questioned why bishops, who don't raise children or give birth, should be
issuing statements on birth control without input from other Catholic voices.
"There's a big disconnect on where most people are with this issue and
where the bishops are," she said.
"We're really suffering from this little oligarchy, a small number of men.
They're not raising three or four children, trying to get by in life, trying to
make sure their kids go to good colleges."
Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the bishops' conference, said the issue
is not about the bishops.
"This is about religious freedom, about the government intruding into the
sanctuary," she said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "You're telling
Catholic colleges to do something that's opposite to the teachings on
contraceptives. It violates the First Amendment."
In his letter, Lennon called on Catholics in the Cleveland diocese to pray and
fast for "religious liberty" and to contact Congress to adopt
legislation that would reverse the new rule.
"Our parents and
grandparents did not come to these shores of America to help build America's
cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and
culture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God-given rights,"
Lennon wrote.
February 1, 2012
http://rustbeltvoice.blogspot.com/2012/02/who-first-wrote-this-to-whom.html
the picture is important
February 1, 2012
This is a letter to the editor written by Dan Flowers, who lost his parish to Bishop Lennon's program of scorching the ethnic parishes from memory, of course not until after taking their usually large bank accounts and 100 year old sacred artifacts, and as the diocese would put it, "rescued the artifacts from these closed churches". However, it is possible for the parishioners of a closed parish to BUY the artifacts for some quick cash to the diocese. This has been documented in Cleveland. The people of these closed parishes get an opportunity to pay twice for the same sacred artifacts that they, or their parents, or grandparents originally purchased. A real good deal, but then Bishop Lennon did say in Akron at a forced church closing, he owns everything (What about the concept of his holding it in trust for our benefit? What do the deeds indicate?).
January 31, 2012
Report: Diocese cuts saved moneyWhile diocese has seen big infusions of cash in the last two years, it won’t last.MARK GUYDISH mguydish@timesleader.com
SCRANTON – When Joseph
Martino became Diocese of Scranton
bishop in 2003, his mantra quickly evolved: Finances were dire and
drastic steps were needed.
|
He followed through with sweeping cuts in the number of schools and churches, sparking fierce criticism from many of the faithful. But he held firm, insisting it was necessary for fiscal solvency.
January 27, 2012
The Irish Times - Tuesday, January 17, 2012JASON BERRY
RITE AND REASON: IN 2005 parishioners of St James in the farm belt town of Kansas, Ohio, recoiled when Toledo Bishop Leonard Blair, facing a tight budget, closed the parish, steering them to one several miles away. They filed an appeal to the Vatican. It failed.
Then they sued in a local county court, arguing that the bishop was a trustee but parishioners owned the property. The state sided with the bishop. “We spent $100,000 in legal fees,” said parishioner Virginia Hull. “Bishop Blair paid his lawyers with $77,957 from our parish account.” Blair had the church demolished.
Canon law says a parish is “a juridic person”. But that “person”, like an olden slave, does not own itself. The bishop does. Nevertheless, a federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts barred the bishop there from razing a church deemed a historic landmark. Parish ownership is unresolved in American law.
A US Catholic parish has closed on average once a week for the last 20 years. Many bishops have sold churches to plug deficits, or pay for abuse cases caused by their negligence or their predecessors’.
The idea that each bishop stands in a lineage going back to Jesus’s disciples renders them immune from prosecution for recycling abuse predators or selling churches to cover mistakes. Since 2005 at least 95 parishes from 21 US dioceses have appealed to Vatican courts. At least 12 closures won partial reprieves in the Syracuse, Buffalo, and Allentown, Pennsylvania dioceses.
The Apostolic Signatura (Vatican supreme court), in a split-the-baby ruling, decided that the protesting parishes were “sacred” property not to be sold, but would not restore them as active churches. Juridic “persons” slumber in the folds of legal farce.
In July 2003 Boston’s then new archbishop Cardinal Seán O’Malley visited Rome seeking financial help to resolve 552 abuse cases. He met Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano and Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, then in charge of the Congregation for the Clergy, which oversees the liquidation of diocesan assets.
They gave O’Malley carte blanche to sell properties. In Boston, parish sit-ins ignited bad press and a deep slide in donations.
Cardinal Sodano saw profit horizons. He installed an under-secretary at the Vatican who fed information on closing churches to a New York company, the Follieri Group. Its vice-president was Andrea Sodano, a building engineer in Italy and a nephew of the cardinal. The cardinal greeted potential investors at a New York launch party.
The Follieri website promoted its ties to Vatican officials. Its business plan: find churches, buy low, sell high. When an investor sued Follieri for profligate spending, the FBI investigated.
Follieri had wired $387,000 to the Vatican Bank account of a lay staffer in cahoots with Andrea Sodano. Cardinal Sodano’s nephew’s invoices netted more than $800,000 for work the FBI deemed worthless. Raffaello Follieri today is in prison for fraud and money laundering.
Nepotism, from the Italian “nipote”, means nephew. The FBI considers Andrea Sodano, the Vatican under-secretary and a lay staffer there to be “unindicted co-conspirators”. It helps to have an uncle in robes.
Pope Benedict should empanel constitutional scholars to create a court system for criminal issues and church property. But first, he should sack Cardinal Sodano – now Dean of the College of Cardinals and who will oversee the election of the next Pope.
It would give some sign of papal belief that St Augustine was correct: justice is a virtue.
January 19, 2012
January 17, 2012
An article explaining that the closing of parishes is a national program by the bishops. Their reasoning and their so-called justification for what they do. So even if your parish is vibrant and self-sustaining they will make it fail to justify their actions. Hitler, Lenin and Stalin also had programs and they were justified by false statements given out as the truth. You see these bishops think they have all the answers and they will make you and your parish the reason for their failures. They are above us in their reasoning and they think they have or are the only true way to the truths of Jesus. In essence they think they are above us and more important. In reality they are killing the church ,killing the faith, driving Catholics away. The bishops have failed and they do anything to cover their actions. What they are doing is wrong . In Cleveland we have seen our bishop in action, destroying the faith. This is not the gospel of Jesus. Lennon says they are only buildings, then why does he want to build a new building on the site of the chancery? A hypocrite that is all. The people are terrified that their churches will be next. It is a shake down of Catholics for money. Stand up to them and say no.See article here: http://ncronline.org/news/faith-parish/seismic-shifts-reshape-us-catholicism
January 12, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) - Parents upset by the admission policy at a parochial school. Clergy and parishioners at odds over use of their building. A priest resisting a transfer to another parish.
It was once assumed that disagreements like these in the Roman Catholic Church would end one way: with the highest-ranking cleric getting the last word.
But that outcome is no longer a given as Catholics, emboldened following the clergy abuse scandals that erupted a decade ago this month, have sought another avenue of redress.
In recent years, clergy and lay people in the United States have increasingly turned to the church's internal legal system to challenge a bishop's or pastor's decision about even the most workaday issues in Catholic life, according to canon lawyers in academia, dioceses and in private practice. Sometimes, the challengers even win.
In one example cited by veteran canon lawyers, parishioners wanted to bar musical performances in their church that weren't liturgical. Their priest had been renting space to a local band. In another case, a nun filed a petition after a religious superior disclosed the nun's medical information to others - a potential violation of privacy. Regarding bishops' often contentious decisions to close parishes, the liberal reform group FutureChurch posts a guide on its website called "Canonical Appeals for Dummies" on seeking Vatican intervention to stay open.
The reasons for the uptick are complex and reach back decades, involving changes in the church and broader society. Canon lawyers say the American concern for individual freedoms likely has played a role. So has the explosion of information on the Internet. But the change is also an unexpected consequence of the clergy molestation crisis, with the scandal exerting an influence far beyond cases that directly involve abusers.
"The focus on canon law and penal procedures in the case of sexual misconduct has made people aware that the church has a law system, it can work and people can take advantage of it," said Michael Ritty, founder of Canon Law Professionals, a private practice in Feura Bush, N.Y. "For so long, especially in the United States, many of the lay people did not speak up and did not know how to speak up, and many people in the hierarchy did not know how to accept things when people did speak up. I think that is changing."
No one knows the exact number of formal petitions before tribunals or agencies at the Vatican, or before church officials in the U.S. or in any country. The cases are guarded by pontifical secrecy, which bars advocates, judges and other parties from revealing details of the proceedings.
Still, U.S. canon lawyers say they have seen more widespread use of church law to resolve disputes.
Edward Peters, a canon lawyer and professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, said the increase in canonical litigation is "indisputable."
The Canon Law Society of America, a professional group for church lawyers, held a workshop on the trend called "Hierarchical Recourse: Can't We All Just Get Along?" Ritty founded his private practice in 2000 to keep active after he retired and now employs three other canon lawyers. Abuse cases are a significant part of his work, along with marriage annulments, but Ritty also has many cases relating to everyday church issues, such as use of money.
"Most of us, when we were training, were preparing for marriage tribunals, marriage annulments," said Monsignor Patrick Lagges of Chicago, a canon lawyer for three decades who helped lead the canon law society workshop last year. "Now there's such a broad range of things. It's a much broader field."
Until recently, the only canon law most American Catholics knew related to annulments, church declarations that a marriage was never valid. (For years, the majority of annulment petitions to the Vatican have come from the United States.) The first complete code of canon law, published in 1917, was also the first to be translated from the Latin into English. Even then, the system remained obscure, considered the province of an educated clergy-elite who were fluent in Latin and could quote directly from centuries-old papal decrees.
The Second Vatican Council, the 1960s meetings that ushered in modernizing reforms, aimed to make canon law more accessible. A revised legal code was eventually issued in 1983 by Pope John Paul II that placed new emphasis on the rights and obligations of all Catholics, lay and clergy. "The Christian faithful can legitimately vindicate and defend the rights which they possess in the Church in the competent ecclesiastical forum according to the norm of law," canon 221:1 says.
Yet, no flurry of canonical petitions followed.
A few prominent cases played out in public. The ex-wife of former Massachusetts Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, son of Robert F. Kennedy, wrote a book about her appeal to reverse the church decision to annul their marriage of a dozen years. The Vatican took about a decade to decide the case, but ruled in her favor. In the 1990s, some parishioners appealed Cardinal Joseph Bernardin's decision to close their Chicago church. They succeeded in a phase of the appeal, but the building was ultimately shut down. Still, the numbers of cases remained small.
Then, 10 years ago, a crisis unfolded that became the worst in U.S. church history.
The Boston Globe persuaded a Massachusetts judge to unseal documents that showed the Archdiocese of Boston kept clergy who had molested priests in parishes without warning parents or police. The outrage that the news reports generated spread nationwide.
Soon, every American bishop was pressured to disclose diocesan records on abusive clergy. In June, beleaguered church leaders gathered in Dallas, trailed by more than 750 reporters, to adopt a new child protection policy and discipline plan for guilty priests.
Suddenly, canon law was front-page news.
In many cases, the church's internal legal system was the only recourse for church officials who wanted to remove clergy from public ministry or the priesthood. Most victims came forward decades after they had been molested, long after the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution in civil court had passed. So over several months, American bishops began a closely watched negotiation with Vatican officials over how they could change church law to streamline the removal of guilty priests. Canonical due process rights for clergy emerged as a key issue. In a public meeting that November, bishops discussed plans for new church tribunals for accused priests who said they were innocent and would not leave ministry.
Bishops spent hundreds of millions of dollars on child protection programs and more on settlements with victims. But the damage was done. Trust in the bishops' judgment plummeted. So, when bishops in some dioceses announced the next round of parish closures, part of a consolidation that started years ago, angry parishioners didn't only protest and pray. They also hired canon lawyers.
"We just Googled it and got some information about who was available," said Patricia Schulte-Singleton, a 52-year-old parishioner who has helped coordinate resistance to church closures, including her own St. Patrick Catholic Church, throughout the Diocese of Cleveland. They hired a nun who was a canonist in Rhode Island.
Layman Peter Borre spearheaded a movement of canon law challenges to church closures in the Archdiocese of Boston where he lives. A semi-retired energy consultant who grew up in Italy and studied Latin in school, he began flying regularly to Rome to meet with a canon lawyer experienced in the Vatican court system.
Word of Borre's effort spread and parishioners in other dioceses contacted him about how they could petition to stay open. He estimates that two dozen appeals over the issue are currently before the Holy See. Some of the parishes in New York State, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, have won partial victories so far, keeping their cases alive at the Vatican, in what some canon lawyers described as landmark victories.
"The secular courts, in the United States at least, hate like hell to get between the flock and the bishops. They just won't touch it, " Borre said. "So by default, we're left with canon law."
Rejecting the idea that the church has entered a new age of litigiousness. Peters said petitions challenging decisions by bishops and other church officials have grown from a "tiny" to a "small" share of the church's total canonical actions. Still, the increase comes at a sensitive time, while bishops struggle to reassert their authority as teachers and leaders, and the church, like the culture around it, is more polarized.
"A lot of times you're delivering messages that maybe the bishops doesn't want to hear," Lagges said. "You have to go in and tell the bishop, 'You can't do this.' Bishops don't like to hear that."
January 10, 2012
The bishops of Ohio and Michigan will report to Rome
February 1st. This includes Cleveland's. It may benefit the Cause of Saint
Casimir (and all the people of eight counties) for some letters to be read in
Rome before that day. We all must know, that, Monday's 'press conference' was
staged to 'show' everything is fine here, now get along there is nothing to see.
The papal nuncio is the Vatican's ambassador to a country. It seems, the Vatican
(Rome, and the papal bureaucracy) prefers letters to be sent to the nuncio, and
he will forward them in a diplomatic pouch. So, you are asked to write a letter
to him, or send letter(s) to (a) curia chief(s) in another envelope to him. You
may send the same message in open envelopes to different recipients, within
the outer envelope to the nuncio.
Apostolic Nuncio
Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano
The Apostolic Nunciature
3339 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC. 20008
Other individuals that might be the addressees inside this outer envelope are:
1 Benedict XVI
(contact Benedict through his Secretary of State: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. Ask
that
Bertone please bring this matter to the attention of the Pope)
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone
00120 Vatican City State
Europe
2. Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect
Congregation for Bishops
Palazzo della Congregazioni
00193 Roma, Piazza Pio, 10
3. Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, Prefect
Congregation for the Clergy
Palazzo delle Congregazioni
00193 Roma, Piazza Pio XII, 3
4. Cardinal William J. Levada. Prefect
Con gregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Piazza del Uffizio II
00193 Rome, Italy
5. Archbishop Raymond L. Burke
Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura
Palazzo della Cancelleria
00186 Roma , Piaza della Cancelleria, 1
January 12, 2012
I noticed a couple of "happy" news articles about the church closings on local news websites today but cannot find any right now to link to.
January 9, 2012
A fancy show from Lennon however it really leaves many questions unanswered. This is just a sham to make people think it is all over. A good question would be--Lennon how can you sell churches to a charter school operator, David Brennan who sits on the diocesan fund raising committees with his wife and did you Richard Lennon finance any of his church campus purchases. David Brennan has even given money to the head of Cleveland City council for election campaigns for good council people. Example Martin Sweeney the head of council has stopped the interiors of landmark churches from also being land marked. Conflict of interest! One hand is washing the other . This is just a cover up. Another question Lennon said churches have to close that cannot pay their expenses--then why do the remaining churches need a cash transfusion if they have monies. The answer Lennon closed the ethnic churches because they had big bank accounts, were in excellent physical condition and had 100 year old artifacts that he could sell. The so called Museum that Lennon used for a prop had 1.3 million dollars in the bank, was in excellent condition and had income producing properties. This was a Polish church St Hedwig. This story will repeat itself time after time upon examination of each case. If your parish had monies and was an ethnic parish then you could be sure Lennon would close it. This is reality. If Lennon said a building is not important then why does he not sell the most underused building in the diocese that is downtown on prime real estate and then take the money and give it to the poor. Afterwards he can celebrate Mass in one of the two stadiums with all the followers who agree with him. Lets face it Lennon has failed as a bishop-his way of conducting business is un-Christian in all aspects. Lennon serves himself and shows his power. Lumping everything together will fool most of the people who are busy with their everyday lives and if you are not one of those who has had the doors of your church closed and had the interior looted and sold for pennies on the dollar, then maybe you can buy into Lennon's vibrant church plan. This sounds to me like the old Bolshevik saying " All power to the Soviet". We all know how the Soviets worked with their propaganda, need I write more.
January 9, 2012
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Thanks, Rick
January 9, 2012
I will make no comments, though I have many in mind, on the article below that discusses the amount of cash raised by the Diocese on the closed churches. The article discusses the 26 closed churches. I do not believe that includes any of the funds held by those parishes that were confiscated by the Diocese. It also should not include those parishes under appeal.
I heard that St. George sold to the Community Partners Greenhouse sold for under $200,000. I have no information on other properties sold. If you do send the information. I will post anything that can be cross checked with another reliable source.
http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/224036/45/Cleveland-bishop-195M-net-from-church-closings
January 9, 2012
It is with great sadness that I report the death of our former Treasurer. Richard will be greatly missed at Alumni meetings and events. He was a tireless worker and a good friend.
January 9, 2012
The following link has a video interview with the new pastor, Father John, of the new St. Casimir Church on Neff road. Also in the video is an interview with Community Partners Greenhouse that took over Father John's church, St. George and an interview with a lady from the Lady of Perpetual Hope that had been renamed St. Casimir Church.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oyUFG8LMIOs
January 8, 2012
Due to the unusually warm weather, today's prayer vigil lasted longer than usual.
A report on St. Casimir Church from the Cleveland Dioceses can be view here.
If you want to see all the Churches closed click here.
January 5, 2012
Bit late of a notification everyone but if you happen upon this there is a show tonight and tomorrow on:
History, architecture, community and congregations of Cleveland's places of worship.
January 4, 2012
On the 8th of November, the bishop of Cleveland, Richard Lennon attempted to suppress Saint Casimir parish with a Mass of Eviction. The congregation opposed him. They still do.And his lord answering, said to him: Wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sow not, and gather where I have not strewed: Thou oughtest therefore to have committed my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received my own with usury.The lord demanded money. He did not care how it was accumulated. Now, this is against the first principle of catholic christian ethics, ends must be achieved by honorable means.
Archbishop Carlos Maria Vigano
U.S. Apostolic Nuncio
3339 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
Washington DC 20008
December 31, 2011
Happy blessed New Year to all.
Coming Cleveland area religion eventsPublished: Saturday, December 31, 2011, 7:00 AMUnless indicated, events are free or will have an offering. SUNDAY Vigils at closed churches When: 11:30 a.m. weekly. Where: St. Casimir Catholic Church, 8223 Sowinski Ave., Cleveland, and St. Patrick West Park Catholic Church, 4427 Rocky River Drive, Cleveland. Details: Simultaneous prayer services/vigils outside each closed church. Each church has appealed its closing to the Vatican. Call 216-642-0576 for St. Casimir, 216-269-9560 for St. Patrick. |
December 24, 2011
For all of you
who replied to correct Sister saying that there are only 5 Sorrowful Mysteries
and not 7, I must clarify my use of 7.
Then there is
"the curse of estrogen" for adolescent girls, which makes them cranky,
disrespectful, preoccupied with their hair, nails and mammary glands, how short
they can wear skirts, and see how many phone numbers they can give to boys to
call them. Now do you understand where Sister is coming from? Now
you know why they made 14 inch wooden rulers and paddles to hit ping pong balls
with for sister.
Thank you &
Merry Blessed Christmas!
Sister must lie
down and rest because just thinking of those sorrowful mysteries, she gets
stressed and worn out.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Yes,
yes, it really is me, "Sister Margaret Mary of the Seven Sorrowful
Mysteries" wishing you a Merry Blessed Christmas!
I am also checking in on you to make sure you are still a good practicing Catholic, like I taught you to be. I was praying the other morning and your name came to mind.
I
was only hoping it wasn't Satan who made me think of you and if it was, then I
must be checking in on you for sure. I hope you are still praying hard and
several times during the day and evening. Prayer is good for keeping dirty
thoughts out your mind and keep you from sinning. It helps keep you sincere and
focused in your prayers if you kneel on uncooked lima beans while you pray (just
like I used to make you do during Lent and Advent and when you were
Remember
"God always sees what you are doing and He always knows what you are
thinking", so behave yourself and never mind
what those pagan songs say about Santa.
"Sister Margaret Mary of the Seven Sorrowful Mysteries"
Thanks
John Prokop
December 24, 2011
| My
Ohio: Cleveland Catholic Bishop comments on closed church buildings Source: newsnet5.com The bishop of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese rarely gives interviews to reporters, but during the Christmas season, he spoke, offering his viewpoints on the controversial decision to close many church buildings in the diocese. |
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December 23, 2011
This is one of
the most touching stories and should be sent to the Associated Press. This
is our Cleveland History that is being affected by these unnecessary closings.
Andrzej’s convictions in
December 19, 2011
Thirty years ago in December of 1981, martial law was
declared in Poland. A declaration against a nation and people that
demanded workers' rights and social change. In the middle of the night, starting
on December 13th, thousands were arrested and put in prisons throughout Poland.
Their sin, they disagreed with the communist regime.
At the closed St. Casimir Church on Sowinski Avenue stands Andrzej Sobolewski, a
native of Augustow, Poland who was one of those activists thrown into prison for
their beliefs.
Every week, since November of 2009, Andrzej has stood at the Casimir Prayer
Vigils with his wife, Czeslawa and daughter, Dorota. Andrzej, a
dedicated Catholic, strong in faith, holds high the Solidarnosc Flag for which
many have died. An original member of the Solidarity exiles who built
and installed a replica of the Gdansk Shipyard Workers' Memorial (in 1985)
at St. Casimir, he has refused to accept the tryanny of the forced closing of
his church.
This Sunday, December 18th, Andrzej was recognized for his commitment to his
faith. Surprised, a tearful Andrzej accepted a bouguet of red
and white flowers, presented to him by Ania and Edek Adamczewski in appreciation
of his never ending support and tenacity. Touched by emotion, Andrzej
and his wife humbly thanked everyone for this caring gesture.
This is one of the many stories of the men and women who stand shoulder to
shoulder every Sunday, united in hope that their prayers will be heard.
This is a true story of a man steeped in faith, who will not let the locked
doors of a prison cell or the locked doors of his church diminish the promise of
renewal, the meaning of Christmas, a day a light came into the world.
December 19, 2011
A nice turnout at our Annual St. Casimir Alumni Christmas dinner.
December 12, 2011
We are not alone folks, the following email was received concerning our dilemmas:
To all: I am sending you this beautiful letter from a lady in Pennsylvania who somehow read something I wrote and responded to my e-mail. Read this and you will be able to feel the truth and the pain of good Catholics who are targeted for their beautiful churches, patrimony and monies in the bank. These bishops think that they can get away with this because they are telling people it is for the betterment of the faith. It is their greed that is driving them and their unchallenged power as the phony representatives of the Christ. They must be challenged! The truth needs to get out. People need to stop being afraid. The Catholic Faith is good, these men have hijacked the real meaning of their role. They are false shepherds. The laity is being called on to protect the faith and we must respond. It is our duty as Christians. Spread the news ,tell everyone, write letters to Rome and demand help to stop the dismantling of the Catholic Church in this country by those who have--betrayed. Joe
Dear Joe: Thank you so very much for your kind
response and for the links. You are valiant in your battle and I wish you
victory!
We are all undergoing trial and suffering throughout the USA. The Bishops
plot and plan, and we have become mere pawns and our beautiful churches which we
built with great love and sacrifice have become little more than sources of
revenue for a corrupt and dictatorial hierarchy.
I have fought for over three years to save Saint Kunegunda's. I received
the final death knell decree from Bishop Barres on the 26th of Nov. this
year.....the ink was barely dry on the bishop's decree-- when the crane
and trucks moved in to remove all our magnificent stained glass windows. I
have no idea what they'll do with the Polish themes in two windows, since it
seems--as you say--the ethnic cleansing has become a reality in the American
Church. Maybe they'll sell them to a church in Poland! It is
heartbreaking to see these hurtful actions of bishops against so many lay
faithful. The diocese is peopled by cold-hearted men who act little better
than common thieves. They show no compassion, only greed.
Joe, Saint Kunegunda is indeed a Polish saint. My grandparents came from
the Gorale region of Southern Poland--Zakopane. Kunegunda (Kinga) was
beloved in Southern Poland (Wieliczka salt mines). When my ancestors came
here to N.E. Pennsylvania, they worked in and around the coal mines.
Hence, they chose this Saint who was also the patroness of the salt miners in
Poland. My maternal grandparents have a window dedicated at the Our Lady
of Czestochowa Shrine in Doylestown. It is a two-hour drive from where I
live. It is a very beautiful shrine, as I'm certain you'll agree.
My church was built in 1962. The sanctuary was purest carrera
marble--valuable...the finest in the world. The stained glass is beautiful
and now rare---the studios cannot duplicate the colors. We had
hand-painted oil canvasses of the Stations....An artist in New York carved a
life-size corpus of Christ on a wooden cross for all altar....All these items
were taken from us. No explanation. No apology. We are left
with nothing. The diocese is now starting on the Slovak Church...removed
her beautiful bells a few days ago.
May God forgive them for what they do.
You, and all those who suffer injustice with the Churches in Cleveland will be
in my prayers, Joe. Be assured.
May Our Lord bless and keep you. Wesolych Swiat!
Fondly,
Vicki
December 10, 2011
Great music here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PBkYm-Mpqk&feature=endscreen&NR=1
December 10, 2011
Working on my last newsletter. It will be nice for a break from the anxiety in getting the newsletter out before the next alumni meeting which is December 18. Don't forget there will be a Christmas meal after the meeting free to those who attend.
Soon the Alumni will accept "friends" as members so $5.00 will get you a newsletter and at least one or two free meals if you want to be someone's friend.
Since St. Stanislaus was one of the Churches St. Casimir was clustered with to determine who would close, I'm posting the information below:
You can read another version at this website: http://rustbeltvoice.blogspot.com/2011/12/lennons-second-five-year-plan-begins.html
December 7, 2011
Posted for my Mother-in-Law:
December 5, 2011
You can read up on the St. Barbara prayer vigil here:
| http://rustbeltvoice.blogspot.com/2011/12/saint-barbara-cleveland.html |
December 4, 2011
Interesting developments going on see the following notices: Here and Here
November 29, 2011
St. Barbara's Parish will be holding an outdoor prayer
vigil this Sunday, December 4th at 3:00PM. The vigil will be held on
the front steps of the church regardless of the weather, in honor of their
patron saint, St. Barbara.
St Barbara, closed by order of Bishop Richard Lennon on Mother's Day, May 9,
2010 was one of ten Polish founded churches eliminated in the chancery's vibrant
parish program. According to Michael Minich and Christine Dziedzina, two
of the organizers of this special vigil, the parish still exists. The
parish has filed an appeal at the Vatican questioning the bishop's actions and
requesting re-opening.
During the appeal process, Canon Law states, neither the church nor patrimony (
sacred artifacts) can be sold or marketed. ( The parish is not extinct per
church law.)
This one hundred and five year old parish was self-sustaining and left a void in
the Denison Neighborhood. Donna Cuevas said, "The
parish was strongly supported. Members came from over 40 different zip
codes."
Members of St. Barbara's have been attending the weekly St. Casimir prayer
vigils and have asked the Casimir parishioners to join them for this special
vigil. Other closed parishes will will also send repesentatives.
All are welcome and encouraged to attend this vigil in celebration of the Feast
Day of St. Barbara. Mike Minich said it all, " St.
Barbara's was like a Mother to us, our faith was developed and nutured here.
We were a family. It will always be our home."
St. Barbara's is located right over the Harvard-Denison Bridge at 1505 Denison
Avenue. This Sunday afternoon, come and join them in prayer and
song. The church doors have been closed and locked but the people refuse
to go away. They believe and their strong faith learned at St. Barbara's
can once again open those locked doors.
by: Joseph Feckanin
November 27, 2011
On St. Barbara's Day, Sunday the 4th of December, the parish of St. Barbara will meet outside their church building on Denison and West 14th at 3 o'clock in the afternoon to mark the day.
More posts after today's prayer vigil.
November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving Day to everyone. Enjoy the photo of the crowd at Marotta's Bar on 79th Street between Korman and Simon. The picture was taken during the early 40s by a photographer who took photos of surgeries at the Cleveland Clinic. Ray Kasperski is front and center, Eddy Kasper is in the back row in the shirt that shows the address, 1045 E. 79th, the gentleman in the dark shirt on the lower left was killed by a train while working in the Boston Subway. At some point in the bar's history, Ray Kasperski leased the front of the bar and ran it with someone else. He said he had better business in the front than they had in the back.

November 21, 2011
VATICAN CITY -- Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned in disgrace as Boston's archbishop in 2002 after the priest sex abuse scandal exploded in the United States, has left his subsequent job as head of a major Roman basilica.
November 20, 2011
The Historic St. Casimir Alumni met today. 37 members came to consensus on making 2 $1,000 scholarship gifts to The Polonia Foundation and a $1,000 gift to the Polish League of American Veterans, Post 31 with one half of those funds to be used by the Ladies Auxiliary for their purposes. We the Alumni are currently 261 individuals of paid membership. If members are not paid by April 1 of the year they will be dropped.
Please note that the address for membership will be changing next year. Theresa Karpinski will be taking over the membership duties at the January 2012 meeting.
I will be reconfiguring this website and hopefully adding some more sophisticated additions that will allow people to register with the website and post and exchange information in a real time format. I am in the infancy stages of development but hope that my education on this will allow it to be available this summer.
I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration.
November 20, 2011
http://renegadetrad.blogspot.com/2010/04/protests.html
November 19, 2011
November 17, 2011
UPDATE: The interview can be heard at this link. Let it 'load' silently, and then beginning about 18.30 (minutes and seconds) the interview begins. Start listening at that point.
My father-in-Law and I had a conversation on the direction of the Alumni and the PLAV. We both agreed that both organizations are losing their Polishness. We debated for hours on how to bring about changing that but came to no consensus. Please send your thoughts.
With this in mind here are some Polish things going on:
Zatańczmy: A Celebration of Polish Folk Dance
The
Polish Arts Club of Youngstown
November 15, 2011
Joseph Feckanin will be interviewed by Rita Cosby live.
He will be talking about Cleveland's churches. Joseph will be on the radio on
the radio 4.30-5.00 pm Wed
Here is the station's homepage:
http://www.wor710.com/
And you can click to stream live:
http://www.wor710.com/pages/7049861.php?
November 14, 2011
The next two links are videos of our struggles.
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq0olPGGIzk |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-95WMis0vI&feature=related
Please note that the above two links are not on this website and do take up any space on the website. Please setup you-tube accounts and save your videos. Here is one of me sailing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V7uPDfCuwI just before I found it is best not to eat on days like that.
Send them and I will link them.
Just to let everyone know that Rita Cosby WOR Radio 710AM New York will have me as a guest on her program this Wednesday, Nov. 16th time slot 4:30 to 5:00 PM.
November 13, 2011
| from to-day's latin rite Gospel reading (NAB) the byzantines had the good samaritan Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; Lord, I know that thou art a hard man; thou reapest where thou hast not sown, and gatherest where thou hast not strewed. (DRC) |
November 11, 2011
There is a petition going on to protect our churches, the below link will get you to it and you can decide if you want to join. I believe it is something sponsored by Elizabeth Kucinich.
It is related to SCANCTUS which can be found at: www.SANCTUScampaign.org
SANCTUS
S ave
A ll
N eighborhood
C hurches
T hroughout the
U nited
S tates
November 11, 2011
Happy Veteran's Day! Keep all our men and women abroad in your prayers.
I was going through boxes in the basement and happened upon a yellow three ring binder that was used for past Alumni picnics. There was nothing special inside except for notes on past picnics: It was inscribed as follows:
1990 - 756
1991 - 705
1992 - 640
1993 - 647
1994 - 435 (rain)
1995 - 409 (very hot)
1996 - 485 (perfect day)
1997 - 418 (terrible weather, rainy cold)
1998 - 435 (perfect day)
1999 - 505 (beautiful day)
2000 - 400
2001 - 423 (rain / sun)
The above list is the year, attendance and weather comments. I recognized my hand writing for 2000 and 2001 so Rich and I took over the picnic then and ran it until 2009 or 2010. Before I pitched the binder I thought I would share that information with anyone interested.
November 10, 2011
Stanislav sent me the text below in connection with my OWS St. Casimir post. It has a lot of relevance to our activities and events taking place around the world.
Then there is dharna of the Hindus. Dharna is an
attempt to gain justice or payment. The form it took was the plaintiff would sit
at the entrance of the offender's home, or business, and wait, wait continuously
till he got his justice, or died waiting for it. This is a genesis of the
peaceful protest that had Gandhi and millions sit on the doorstep of the british
empire. "We shall not be moved" is a stand for justice. Occupations of
property are attempts to obtain justice. It is an attempt to shame people to do
right. Centuries ago, the transgressor or the debtor had a fear, that this
implacable soul would haunt his conscience, or being, for all time. The fasting
until death at a doorstep was put in play creating a spirit that could not be
appealed to--an unforgiving perpetual ghost.
November 8, 2011
Two people said they saw me on the news talking about St. Casimir and I was calm and the message was good. It didn't feel that way when I felt like a deer in the headlights staring at the two cameras. I looked on channel 5 and 8 websites and only found this link http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/parishioners-pray-in-the-street-for-church-to-be-reopened it doesn't show any interviews. If anyone has them send them to me and I will post them here.
After some thought, what I would like to have said was: "This is our Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement except we are occupying the sidewalk in front of our closed church which began two years ago. We used to gather here at this Church until the Bishop closed it against our will. Now we gather here in front of our closed Church. We are Occupy St. Casimir!"
Oh well hind site is 20/20. For those that don't know what the OWS movement is about it can be summed up as follows: "The Occupier movement is still in its infancy in the United States, but it cannot be stopped. Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game – an economy that won’t respond, a democracy that won’t listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards ~ Here, as elsewhere, the people are rising.”
I will be making major changes to this website and will be following the Prayer Vigil movement more closely. If you have any suggestions, please send them to me.
OWS St. Casimir
Dan
November 6, 2011
from: http://rustbeltvoice.blogspot.com/2011/11/two-years-on-streets.html go to this website for photos of the prayer vigil.
Sunday, November 6, 2011 Two Years on the Streets After two full years after a Mass of Eviction they still come. Not one Sunday has been unobserved. The Casimiri pray, sing, celebrate and invite everyone. They have been put out because of one man, their abusive bishop, Richard Lennon. Lennon was likened to the bad shepherd in Ezechiel, and the hard man in the parable of the talents in Matthew.
The weak you have not strengthened, and that which was sick you have not healed, that which was broken you have not bound up, and that which was driven away you have not brought again, neither have you sought that which was lost: but you ruled over them with rigour, and with a high hand. — Ezechiel xxxiv. 4.
But he that had received the one talent, came and said: Lord, I know that thou art a hard man; thou reapest where thou hast not sown, and gatherest where thou hast not strewed. —Matthew xxv. 24. They also said Canon 1741§3 [odium populi] applied and should be invoked, for Lennon had earned hatred from the people, which "will not cease in a brief time"; and therefore, should be removed. The parishioners asked for his resignation
November 6, 2011
There was an extremely good turn out for the 104th prayer vigil held today as the faithful entered their second year gathering in front of their chained and boarded up St. Casimir Church. I counted 92 people 94 if you include the camera men from channels 5 and 8. I found that I do not like to be interviewed and if they show me on the news, I apologize in advance for my stutter.
The prayer vigil welcomed Bill Patmon, former councilman for the area including St. Casimir Church and our Ohio State Representative.
The sign I liked the most was "Welcome to Lennongrad" it was just perfect.
I will post more about the gathering and provide links to any coverage as it comes in.
November 1, 2011
The Alumni held elections Sunday and the following officers will be replaced at the January 2012 meeting:
Daniel Horn will be replaced by Theresa Karpinski as 2nd VP
Raymond Michalski will be replaced by Richard Feimer as Treasurer
Raymond Kasperski will be replaced by Ted Sabat as Sergeant at Arms
All other officers and trustees will remain the same.
For the time being continue to send dues to Dan Horn as he is the lame duck 2nd VP.
November 1, 2011
The flyer for the 2nd anniversary prayer vigil will be held in front of The Historic St. Casimir Church on November 6, 2011. Click here to see.
October 31, 2011
St. Casimir urges all to attend
their prayer vigil this
St. Casimir, the church that
refuses to accept the closure and go away will conduct its 104th
prayer vigil in the streets of this neighborhood adjacent to
Though parishioners have been evicted from their church, they and their supporters have not given up hope that one day they will be able to worship inside.
No matter the weather, every
Sunday since the bishop’s “Mass of Eviction”, the Faithful have returned
at
The church was self-sustaining: was in excellent physical condition, had a large bank account, a strong alumni and dedicated priests.
Casimir has a re-open appeal in
The St. Casimir prayer leader, Wojtek Fleszar has stated, “We vow to continue the vigils, we will not give up. The closing of all these Catholic Churches is wrong. It only drives people away from the faith.”
October 28, 2011
Note: Our Alumni was in the same position but Frank Baganski obtained our tax-exempt status and began operating independently from the Church. Our thoughts go out to this lady.
Dorothy Swital is willing to go to jail for what she feels
is right.
The Rev. Monsignor John Prendergast, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Church,
confirmed he filed a report with the Streator Police Department accusing her of
stealing $35,622.16 in two certificate of deposit accounts formerly in the name
of St. Casimir's Altar and Rosary Society.
He believes that money belongs to the church.
Swital, the 86-year old president of the society, does not see it that way.
She said the non-profit organization always has operated independent of the
parish. The money was raised by the group through fundraisers and not through
church collections.
"You made the money,"said Swital to 15 members of the society Monday.
"Therefore, Ifeel it belongs to you ladies. You worked your butts off to
make this money, it should be up to us in how we spend it. If they want to put
me in jail, they can throw me in jail. I'm going to fight for it."
Swital said she will give her report to the police this afternoon.
In a letter dated Jan. 28, Prendergast notified Swital he would prosecute. In
it, he said she closed two certificate of deposit accounts in the name of St.
Casimir Altar and Rosary Society at Streator Home Building and Loan Association
and transferred money into an account which does not belong to St. Casimir.
The closed accounts, Prendergast stated, received tax-exempt status from the
church's federal identification number. According to him, "all funds
carrying this number belong to the parish, which is an Illinois Religious
Corporation governed by state law and the statutes of the Diocese of
Peoria."
After Streator's four Catholic churches merged Sept. 29 and St. Casimir Church
closed, the altar and rosary society changed its name to the Polish Rosary
Society to protect its funds.
With it, the group changed its tax code and placed the money into a separate
account at Streator Home Building and Loan. Since then, the organization has
donated $50 to the Salvation Army and $50 more to The Times Red Stocking drive.
Swital said the group always acted independently of the church, so she did not
think anything of the transaction. She said both the loan association president
and its lawyer approved it.
"In the past, we purchased a new organ, a new roof, made repairs to the
rectory, but the priest always asked us for the money,"Swital said.
"They never ever took it like it was theirs."
Prendergast declined to comment on the situation beyond confirming the letter
and filing a police report. The Streator Police could not confirm a report was
filed, but Swital said she was approached by an investigator Monday.
In his letter, Prendergast stated as the administrator of the former St.
Casimir, he considers himself the responsible agent for all parish assets and
did not authorize the move. Since she signed on the corporate parish accounts,
he said she was required to follow the parish rules governing them.
The monsignor put his name on each of the certificate of deposit accounts about
two years ago in place of the late Geraldine Smith, the group's longtime
treasurer, according to Swital.
Since the society's bylaws only require one authorized person to sign off on the
account, Swital utilized that opportunity to save what she believes is property
of her club.
"We plan on continuing our charitable efforts," Swital said. "We
have always given to organizations we felt were a good cause. We're not about to
stop just because we lost our church."
The organization meets once a month and boasts 23 members.
The function of a rosary society is to pray the rosary, a Catholic prayer, for
deceased, sick or troubled parishioners, along with supporting activities and
charities.
According to Swital's legal advice, the case is likely to be turned over to the
state's attorney to decide whether there will be charges. If not, the church
could file a civil lawsuit.
Swital told Prendergast in an October phone conversation she had "deposited
the funds in another account and will not return them."
"I'm going to tell you something, (Prendergast)has met his match,"
Swital said. "I'm not backing down. And if they arrest me, I'll have plenty
of people there to bail me out."
October 19, 2011
The
Church is made up of all its members. The Cleveland diocese is made up of 8
counties. The church and the diocese is not one individual, even though he has a
special hat, and likes to flash his ring. These events are not in parish
bulletins, but they still occur.
3.00
p.m. Saturday, 22 October -- outside the cathedral church
on East
NinthStreet, Cleveland -- Marian service, including the recitation of the
rosary, and songs -- sponsored by Saint Emeric's Parish -- for all evicted
parishes and Christians
1.00
p.m. Saturday, 29 October -- outside the closed St.
John the Baptist at 1044 Brown Street in Akron a
march against the abuse of children by clergy and the episcopal coverup, and
financial scandals all of which is related to the closure of 58 parishes
11.30
a.m. Sunday, 6 November -- outside the closed St. Casimir on
East 82nd there will be the 104th consecutive service since eviction, yes it has
been 2 years
October 18, 2011
St. Casimir Church 8223
Sowinski Ave.
(Adjacent to Rockefeller Park/Ansel Road Exit off
MLK Blvd.)
Church of St. Casimir in Exile
Two Year Anniversary Prayer Vigil
"NIE
BOJCIE SIE", in Polish means "DO NOT BE AFRAID". These
words are the famous words pronounced by the late Pope, Jan Pawel II on his
first visit to Poland as the Vicar of Christ. These words ignited a nation
to throw off the chains of tyranny.
On Sunday, November
6th, outside the locked gates of St. Casimir Church, the 104th prayer vigil will
be held at 11:30 AM.
This date marks two
years of continuous vigils held in the rain, cold, snow and heat. We urge
all to join us and show solidarity on this special day.
At St. Casimir,
Poles and non-Poles stand together for all Catholics who have been unjustly
treated.
We vow to pray
"FOR OUR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND YOURS".
Please join us, your
church may be in a second round of closures.
As our beloved Karol
Wojtyla inspired us in the past, let his words, "DO NOT BE AFRAID" ring
out to be heard by all.
Before the Mass of
Eviction [11.08.09], St. Casimir's was dedicated to the Blessed Mother. Since
then, Our Lady has been Our Guide and Strength.
For More Information: Joseph Feckanin 216-642-0576; Wojtek Fleszar at 440-384-0723
October 11, 2011
October 4, 2011
I have received a few notices that people who paid their dues have noticed that the last newsletter had not given them the credit. I have traced the problem to my merge of the newsletter with a backup of the membership database. I was having problems with the merge process when preparing the newsletter for mailing by the Dioceses and somehow used the backup to create the mail merge. Sorry for any confusion. If you feel you paid your dues and didn't get credit just drop me a line. Dan
September 27, 2011
Here is a touching article about the destruction of St. Catherine Church on East 93rd Street near Union. Click Here
September 23, 2011
September 13, 2011


September 13, 2011
Cleveland Bishop to Undergo Surgery - Most Reverend Richard Lennon, Bishop of Cleveland, will undergo surgery on Wednesday, September 21 for a chronic back ailment. The surgery will be performed at St. Vincent Charity Hospital with an expected recovery period of six-to-eight weeks. During that time, the Bishop will manage some of the affairs of the Diocese with assistance from Auxiliary Bishop, Most Reverend Roger Gries, and Diocesan Judicial Vicar, Reverend Gary Yanus. Your prayers of support are requested for a successful surgery and recovery. Any correspondence should be sent to: Office of the Bishop, 1404 East 9th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44114
September 11, 2011
It was not the usual street vigil outside the closed Saint
Casimir church this past Sunday. It was September 11th, and like the rest of the
nation the faithful of Saint Casimir focused on the horrific events of ten years
ago. The horrific events of the attack by extremists that shocked the nation and
killed thousands of innocent, unsuspecting people.
The prayer vigil that is always conducted right in front of the closed church
was moved across the street in front of the vacant convent, where a restored
statue of the Blessed Mother stands. The site by Mary, Queen of Peace was an
appropriate place to conduct this vigil of remembrance.
One week earlier, a Casimir parish member, John Niedzialek spearheaded an effort
to restore the Marian Statue. John enlisted the aid of Paul Kish, a professional
painter, and along with a third volunteer, they repaired and painted, restoring
the statue to its former glory.
Before the prayers began, an attendee, Maureen stated, "My brother is a
fireman, and to him this is a solemn day". The prayer leader Wojtek
Fleszar then proceeded to ask for prayers for the victims, and their families,
of the three crash sites: the Twin Towers of New York City, the Pentagon in the
District of Columbia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. He also asked for prayers
for those that had given their lives in Iraq, and Afghanistan, and those whom
are still in harm's way.
After the rosary was recited, and other prayers, the singing started with ,
"Let There Be Peace on Earth",
and continued with alternating Polish and American religious and patriotic
songs. The service ended with the "Star
Spangled Banner" being sung, and not a note missed. The acoustics of
the vigil location, in front of the convent and across from the school,
magnified the singing voices of the participants to the point that they
remarked, that they themselves were surprised at the power of their voices.
The sheriff deputies who often ride by during the service paused longer than
usual, and waved, somewhat surprised to see the Casimir faithful in a different
location. Their smiles and nods were a sign of approval. For truly indeed,
it was a day to remember as the large sign attached to the gates of Saint
Casimir by Ania and Edek Adamczewski said it all—9·11·01 NEVER FORGET.
September 8, 2011
August 29, 2011
Sorry everyone for the lack of posts. The Picnic was well attended by almost 400 people. Tina, Sutton, Theresa, Helen and many others put on a great picnic. I believe almost four thousand dollars was raised for the Alumni. Next years picnic is scheduled for August 19, 2012. Plans are already in the make for the date. Mark your calendars. Happy Birthday Tom!
July 17, 2011
At to-day's (17 July) sidewalk prayer vigil at St.
Casimir's-in-exile, Ray Michalski told the assembled about his audience with the
retired Bishop of Trenton, New Jersey, John Smith and a Monsignor. He told of
the cluster process, and the Day of Eviction, when Richard Lennon came with 14
patrolmen. Bishop Smith was attentive and quite surprised at the last mentioned
detail. Bishop Smith has come to Cleveland, this week past, to investigate
the manner of Bishop Lennon in administering the Diocese of Cleveland, and not
to review the causes pending. He also met with a representative of at least four
other parishes.
Other people have written to me noting, "one thing Rome abhors is a Bishop
who abuses or maligns his clergy, especially in a public manner or in the
presence of his brother priests". The suggestion is, that, Bishop
Smith may be particularly interested in eyewitness accounts of Richard Lennon
treating priests rudely and unfairly.
address letters to:
The
Most Reverend John M. Smith
Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Trenton
701 Lawrenceville Road
Trenton, NJ 08648
July 15, 2011
More on the Vatican representative:
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/more-clevelands-apostolic-investigation
July 6, 2011
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wfcr/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1822339/WFCR.Local.News/Mater.Dolorosa.Parishioners.Start.Vigil
The above link is radio broadcast of members of a parish refusing to leave their closing Church.
http://blog.cleveland.com/letters/2011/07/apostolic_visit_raises_hopes_f.html
The above link is a letter discussing the Vatican representative coming to Cleveland.
Hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July.
June 30, 2011
Rumor has it that the Vatican has sent a representative to Cleveland to see why Bishop Lennon is closing all the ethnic parishes. Will post any news on the subject when received.
June 29. 2011
Has any of you who have been bothered by the information proceeding this post. Please let me know your opinions dlhorn@stcasimir.com.
June 28, 2011
Sorry everyone for not having a post in so long. The paying job has been a bit too busy and no one has sent me any information for a while. Joe sent me what follows. Thanks Joe.
This large gathering of Catholics who have had their churches stolen from them thru the closure process will meet outside the closed doors of St Emeric, the last church that was forced to close by our Bishop Richard Lennon last year in June. Reps from all these closed churches will be in attendance for prayer, commentary and song. Prepared speeches will also be delivered. It starts at 7:00PM and ends at 8:30PM. At conclusions candles will be lighted to mark the sadness of what this persecution of Catholics has done to the faithful of this city. Please come and ask 5 people to come with you. Bring banners ,flags,etc. This church is right next to the westside market so plenty of parking is available. Bring our families. REPS FROM CHURCHES IN APPEAL will be in attendance. St Casimir, St Procop, St Wendelin, St Barbara, St Peter, St Patrick, St James St Emeric ,Community of St Malachi will all be there. THIS IS IMPORTANT THIS IS A MUST, COME AND BE ONE VOICE FOR JUSTICE Joe
May 7, 2011
I ask all to read the article linked to below. It concerns the patrimony of St Casimir Church. First be advised that St Casimir is under appeal in Rome. This means nothing according to canon law can be sold or marketed with price tags. After you read this article you can clearly see what Lennon and Company are up to. Just disgusting how this man operates. One priest high up in the diocese told me and I had a witness with me that Lennon gets revenge and is vindictive (Jan.2009). This faith will be destroyed by moneychangers unbless the people speak up and it is our duty as Catholics to expose these acts.
http://bloomingdale.patch.com/articles/st-stephen-launches-campaign-to-build-new-church
Here is the website with contact information for St. Stephens in Valrico, Florida.
http://www.ststephencatholic.org/
It is a shame that the wealth of those who built St. Casimir Church will be sold for pennies on the dollar.
April 27, 2011
I received an email requesting a St. Casimir medal from our organization. We have nothing to offer since our Church was boarded up by Bishop Lennon and we cannot help this individual with that request. However we can offer our prayers for the child, Casey Bush, who is in a coma after an incident in a pool near Nashville Tennessee last week and is the reason this matter is being posted. Our Sympathies to the parents for all they are going through.
April 5, 2011
March 23, 2011
Attention all: our two lobbyists Colleen and Krysia have
been attending almost all city council meetings for the last 16 months,talking
to the councilpeople, making friends,explaining how much this city and the
people of Northeast Ohio are losing by the ruthless actions of our bishop who
has been closing and looting churches. His actions remind of
the Vikings who raided the coasts of Europe and plundered. These two young
women have quietly and with such class have educated many members of council to
what is going on. Of course the big law firms have conveyed to the City of
Cleveland Administration that if they stop the diocese from doing whatever they
want with our sacred artifacts and windows of these sacred buildings then then
will send the attack lawyers after the city and tie them up in the courts.
The city council president, Martin Sweeney is doing the dirty work for the
diocese so they can loot, loot and loot with a free hand. this is the
case. Of course you probably heard the news this pass Monday and Tuesday.
We need to organize many people to go to the next Monday city hall meeting to
voice our opposition. Talk to your friends.
Joe
March 22, 2011
Happy Spring Time to All
NEWS UPDATE
On Thursday, March 17th, St Casimir (in exile), marched with three other
parishes unjustly closed, by Bishop Richard Lennon, in the downtown St Patrick's
Day Parade. The other three churches were St Patrick (West Park), St
James, and St Wendelin. St Casimir bore flags: the American, the Polish
and the Old Irish flag. They also had banners that read: St Casimir; St
Casimir Salutes Our Irish Brothers and Sisters; We Trust In Jesus. They even had
a Polish flag with a shamrock attached to it.
The Irish supporters who come to St Casimir every week to pray had a banner that
said, "Irish in Solidarity - Save St Casimir's". Leading
the Casimiri marchers was a parishioner, a member since 1949, the year she came
to Cleveland from Warsaw. This parishioner, Jane Hayes, along with her brother
obtained over 300 signatures. The people signing said , "Open St
Casimir". The bishop received nearly one thousand signatures, and the
signatures kept coming. Jane was asked to carry the banner of Jesus, the
Divine Mercy. Jane is not young, but she carried it high for over a mile.
This is devotion, and it was appreciated; a young boy said to her, "I like
your banner. It has Jesus on it." John Paul II always said,
"Nie bójcie się! (Be Not Afraid)"; and Jane was not afraid.
People have the power to change things; but they need to support each other.
As the Casimiri marched, along the parade route, thousands of people cheered.
There were upwards of 250,000 spectators. People were recognising the Polish
colors, the Jesus Divine Mercy banner, and they took pictures of them and the
signs. The Irish really loved the sign that read: St Casimir Salutes Our
Irish Brothers and Sisters. All along the route people were familiar with St
Casimir, they knew of them, the Polish Parish that meets in the street. As
they passed the Cathedral they turned the banners in that direction, just in
case Bishop Lennon was peeking out a window. Friends of the closed
churches, who were on the sidelines, said that when the four closed parishes
marched pass there were very loud cheers of approval. The voice of the
people was sympathetic towards the disenfranchised Catholics, and not their
bishop.
As the Casimiri approached Public Square, and the reviewing stand., they were
warmly greeted by the announcer. He named each of the churches, and said they
are all appealing and not giving up. And then he said, "Here is St Casimir,
the Polish parish, with their Polish colors". St Casimir, he said, is one
of the most beautiful churches in this city — "just beautiful". And
he said, this is the first time the Polish Falcon has ever appeared in this
parade; and he thanked them, and said to come back again. Of course, the
announcer meant the Polish 'Eagle' not 'Falcon', but to the Casimiri this was
sweet music to their ears. This announcer praised them strongly, and with
much enthusiasm; and the crowd reflected his words. A quarter million saw them
in the flesh, marching with their flags and banners. The multitude of
viewers appreciated and respected the inclusion of these new parade units.
It can be said the 'Polish Eagle' has landed. These first time marchers
will be back next year, and they hope to come from an open St Casimir's.
There is an old Polish motto, "W imię Boga za wolność naszą
i waszą [In the name of God for our freedom and yours]", can certainly
be applied to St Casimir, and to all the churches unjustly taken from the
faithful. In this case — "In the name of God for our religious
freedom and yours" — applies. In the meantime they invite all
to join them at St Casimir. "For where there are two or three gathered
together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." — Matthew
xviii. 20.
-30-
Joseph Feckanin
March 11, 2011
Attention all St Casimir marchers, we gather
together with the St Patrick Church marchers. However I
recommend we get there at least by 12:30PM and then we will form as a unit,
We must wear some outward green on our clothes that is visible.
Of course we will have our St Casimir Banner and the American and Polish Flags.
You can wear some red and white if you like but again I repeat we must have SOME
GREEN ON EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. ANY QUESTIONS
PLEASE CALL ME AT 216-642-0576.
We will also carry the Divine Mercy Banner.
Joe
I was thinking that assembly at 12:00 noon is even better. It gives us a
chance to assemble correctly. Joe
March 10, 2011
Attention all St Casimir supporters.. We are marching in the parade with the closed St Patrick's Church of Westpark. They are registered and we are part of their group. Of course we will have the St Casimir Banner, our American and Polish Flags, the Divine Mercy Banner and we all must wear some outward garb of green even if it is only a large green sash, In this e-mail is the location and the time, however I think we need to be there earlier than the time listed. I will find out.-- Any questions please call me or if you are coming with friends then have an appointed person contact me. My telephone is 216-642-0576 Also you can wear Polish colors if you want but you must have green too. Also try to call with the number of people you will have so I can get an idea of our numbers. - Joe
March 8, 2011
My father in law just called about a headline in the Polish American Journal. It talked about four churches in Allentown that have won their appeal and were ordered reopened. The churches that won their appeal had members holding prayer vigils outside their churches like St. Casimir Church. While we hear that the bishop in Allentown is trying to minimize the reopenings by limiting what can be held at those churches it is a step in the right direction and gives supporters of St. Casimir some hope for the future.
March 8, 2011
Remember?
You have to be a certain age to appreciate this. I can hear my mother
now ...
THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES: (if you don't know what clotheslines
are, better skip this)
1. You had to wash the clothes line before hanging any clothes - walk
the entire lengths of each line with a damp cloth around the lines.
2. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order, and always hang
"whites" with "whites," and hang them first.
3. You never hung a shirt by the shoulders - always by the tail!.
What
would the neighbours think?
4.. Wash day on a Monday! . .. . Never hang clothes on the weekend, or
Sunday, for Heaven's sake!
5. Hang the sheets and towels on the outside lines so you could hide
your "unmentionables" in the middle (perverts & busybodies, y'know!)
6. It didn't matter if it was sub zero weather ... clothes would
"freeze-dry."
7. Always gather the clothes pins when taking down dry clothes! Pins
left on the lines were "tacky!"
8. If you were efficient, you would line the clothes up so that each
item did not need two clothes pins, but shared one of the clothes pins
with the next washed item.
9. Clothes off of the line before dinner time, neatly folded in the
clothes basket, and ready to be ironed.
10. IRONED?! Well, that's a whole other subject!
POEM
A clothesline was a news forecast
To neighbours passing by,
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung to dry.
It also was a friendly link
For
neighbours always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two.
For then you'd see the "fancy sheets"
And towels upon the line
You'd
see the "company table cloths"
With intricate designs.
The line announced a baby's birth
From folks who lived inside -
As brand new infant clothes were Hung
So
carefully with pride!
The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed,
You'd know how much they'd grown!
It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung.
It also said, "Gone on vacation now"
When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged
With not an inch to spare!
New folks in town were scorned upon
If wash was dingy and gray,
As neighbours carefully raised their brows,
And
looked the other way .. . .
But clotheslines now are of the past,
For dryers make work much less.
Now what goes on inside a home
Is anybody's guess!
I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
When neighbours knew each other best
By what hung on the line.
March 5, 2011
Here is some more old news,in case you have not seen this. A good rerminder what we face in the accomplishments of our shepherd,our bishop----Lennon. He spreads the good word and loots our churches. And this from an outside observer---Patrick Richard---this man is an honest man who presents the facts as they are. Joe
| St. Hedwig is on Madison and West 129th. It’s our sixth
Polish parish that’s being closed – and not clustered with another
parish. So out of the twelve parishes I’ve visited so far, six were
Polish and none were clustered – seems a little strange, I guess I’m
missing something here. St. Hedwig, founded in 1914, was probably the first Polish church on the far west side; it’s located in Lakewood. As with many churches it is built on an upper level with the basement used for social gatherings. It’s a relatively small church that’s in excellent condition. There is a painting of The Risen Christ on the ceiling above the main aisle and no matter if you’re going up the aisle or down the aisle the painting looks like it’s facing you. One of the ushers I met told me he had been married at St. Casimir, was now a member of St. Hedwig and soon would be looking for a new parish; I’m not sure there are many Polish churches left standing. |
As I was going thru old e-mail, I came accross this wonderful blog written by
Patrick Richard about the churches that have been closed. In fact I THINK
THIS MAN SHOULD PUBLISH HIS FINDINGS.. His words tell a true story
compiled thru observation and reflection. Also today is
the feast day of St Casimir. Maybe you read his blog in the pasr but
if not here it is again. Our Wladek, Walter of St Casimir is
in his commentary. Read it ,you will enjoy it. Joe
--- On Sat, 2/5/11, Stanislav wrote:
http://closingcatholicchurchesincleveland.blogspot.com/
March 3, 2011
May 1,is a big day in Polonia this year. First the 3rd of
May Polish Constitution of 1791,modeled after the US Constitution celebration
starts and then this day in Rome, Karol Wojtyla known to all as John Paul II
will be beautified. And then this movie will be on the
airways. It is because of people like these two, who show us through
Christian example that we at St. Casimir stand up for all people who
have been scattered from their churches by bishops who look at us as fast cash
for their diocesean bank accounts. When you are the victim of
tryanny you must say no. We must stay the course. Pass this on.
Joe
March 1, 2011
Sorry for the lack of updates. Again. Busy time of year but "I will work harder" and a free year membership goes to the first three people who can identify the name of the horse who said just that. Send the name to dlhorn@stcasimir.com
Please note the entry for March 13th's annual cornbeef dinner on the main page. I noticed that I neglected to put it in the calendar of events for the newsletter so spread the word. I will see if there is a flyer, look for it here.
February 21, 2011
Sorry for the lack of updates to the blog. I hope to keep a more consistent updating. We have heard of at least three parish suppressions in Boston that were declared invalid by the Vatican. So we may hope for the future of St. Casimir Church. The newsletter is going out tomorrow with luck. It will not be going out in bulk rate non-profit because of interruptions.
February 27 will be our meeting and a spaghetti dinner. Only $8.00 for an all you can eat dinner!
February 1, 2011
January 26, 2011
Someone sent me this link that allows the public to post pictures and articles about the Parishes suppressed by Bishop Lennon. St. Casimir Church is included.
http://parishsouvenirs.blogspot.com/2011/01/saint-casimir.html
The Alumni newsletter went to the Diocese Monday but their equipment is down. I'm hoping it goes out today or tomorrow.
January 24, 2011
This is important!
January 24, 2011
Brrrrrrr was it cold at today's prayer vigil. None the less the faithful were there.
January 14, 2011
January 7, 2011
Thanks Joe,
January 6, 2011
Allow me to restate
that number.
January 2, 2011
Sorry to have been absent in any postings but the Holiday is for family and I didn't want to waste the time playing/working on the computer. Today's pray vigil in front of St. Casmir Church was attended by a nice crowd despite the 25 degree temperatures and steady wind. We are getting pretty good with the songs we sing. If we keep this up we will be able to enter competitions if there are any. No news on the status of St. Casimir Parish. The appeal had been extended to November 30, 2010 and I have not heard any word on the appeal since that date passed. I'm sure that we would have heard if the appeal has failed. There was talk at the pray vigil that a new person has entered higher hierarchy of the Cleveland Diocese and that an appeal to reopen St. Casimir Church would be directed to that person without any negative discussion. We will pray that either Tina Girod's appeal is successful or any other approach is successful in reopening St. Casimir Church and the other Churches that were closed against their will.
So Happy New Years. Eleven is lucky and we will need all the luck we can get to restore St. Casimir Parish. I leave you with the following sent to me by one of our members:
December 19, 2010
It was a difficult day for the Alumni. We were told by our Treasurer, who happens to be a CPA, that we needed to give to charity, $3,000.00 of our funds to meet our obligations as a 501( c)(3) organization. Since our Treasurer has a lot of experience with exempt organizations we really could not say no. This did, however, cause the record setting attendees (62 in total since the church closed) to bring up a number of thoughts as to where that money should go. The Officers made a decision to list all recommendations as to charities we would contribute our stated requirement of $3,000. Things got a little heated until a respected member stated that we should support that which with made the Alumni, the Sisters of St. Casimir Church. That member noted the incredible success of those who were privileged to attend St. Casimir School and to support the Sisters who had provided them that education. It was agreed that the Alumni would pay our required distribution of $3,000.00 to the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago, who are responsible for developing such successful graduates.
December 12, 2010
In freezing rain the faithful gathered to pray in front of St. Casimir Church.
I was given some information about the Loretto Chapel Museum in New Mexico from an Alumni member and I thought it interesting and scanned it for the website. While St. Casimir Church does not, to my knowledge, have anything like the Loretto Chapel we should begin compiling a history of anything and everything that occurred at St. Casimir.
December 11, 2010
My friends a documentary film producer is coming to St Casimir on Dec. 19th he wants to do a story on us and then interview people. I suggest that you tell all your friends who have ever been at Casimir to come again on the 19th next Sunday. We have also introduced him to other Catholics whose churches have been taken from them. This is a great chance to tell our story. This film will be seen by others. This great church holocaust which is only a fundraiser by our American Bishops will be told. These churches all had big fat bank accounts and valuable artifacts. Churches in debt with no artifacts and with poor physical structures were left alone. This is a fact. Spread the word.
December 9, 2010
Someone sent in an article from the Old Brooklyn News December 2010 issue
In reference to the letter sent to Bishop Lennon requesting that you can read under the link on the main page "Our Call to Reopen St. Casimir Church".
What a beautiful letter. Friends I asked to
read the letter were overcome with emotion. I truly hope the Bishop will
overturn his decision for all the people of Cleveland. Our city cannot
lose such a historical landmark. Our Lady of Victory, pray for
us.
December 6, 2010
A good website that is documenting what is going on in Cleveland http://rustbeltvoice.blogspot.com/
December 6, 2010
| Cleveland Catholic Bishop Richard Lennon: A profile Published: Sunday, December 05, 2010, 6:00 AM Michael O'Malley, The Plain Dealer CLEVELAND, Ohio — Even before he was officially installed as the 10th bishop of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese, Richard G. Lennon talked about the need to close churches here. "As painful as a funeral is, it's there that you commend your loved one to God," Lennon told a news conference announcing his appointment five weeks before his installation in May 2006. Those words, coming from a man who had just closed scores of churches in Boston, sounded a death knell for dozens more in Northeast Ohio. And those closings unleashed a small but shrill backlash from Catholics throughout Cleveland's eight-county diocese. Although some of the closings remain under appeal with the Vatican, the most extensive downsizing in the history of the 163-year-old diocese now is essentially over. In the end, 50 parishes -- mostly in inner-city neighborhoods -- were closed. Vacant churches are up for sale, merged parishes are moving forward. And Lennon must minister to a diocese where emotions remain raw. Like many U.S. bishops in financially struggling regions, Lennon faced a rapidly changing church when he came to Cleveland in 2006. Membership at urban churches had plummeted, priests were in short supply. Week after week, Lennon, often in the company of armed police, presided over the closings, saying final Masses that ended with snuffed-out sanctuary lamps and padlocked doors. The drama -- which ended in June -- was in shocking contrast to the 25-year reign of Lennon's predecessor, Cleveland-born Anthony Pilla, who closed only a dozen churches in that time. Lennon's defenders say his swift and sweeping approach was needed, because it was glaringly apparent when he came to Cleveland that decades of Catholic flight to the suburbs had left near-empty churches in the city with little money to operate. And with few men entering the priesthood, his defenders argue, the bishop needed to consolidate urban parishes through closings and mergers, allowing him to reassign some of his shrinking corps of clergy to growth areas. "He had to look at the whole diocese, not just a few parishes," said the Rev. John Betters, pastor of SS. Robert and William in Euclid, a newly merged parish. "He came into a situation of having too many parishes for the number of Catholics. I certainly wouldn't want to be in his shoes because he had to make some very tough calls." Making those calls would require an imposing, authoritarian figure to quell any rebellion, and Lennon seemed like just the man. Standing 6-foot-2 and wearing layers of flowing, embroidered robes, the 63-year-old bishop could be an intimidating presence when delivering a parish's last rites in his booming Boston accent. Nicknamed "The Boston Strangler" by detractors, he usually arrived at a final Mass chauffeured in a staff-driven car and escorted by uniformed and plainclothes police. Protesters, who called it the "Mass of Eviction," once circled his car as his driver edged the vehicle out of the parking lot. "He showed little compassion," said Patricia Schulte-Singleton, one of a few dozen protesters who followed Lennon from church to church. "And he wanted to let everybody know that he was in charge." Singleton, head of a protest group called Endangered Catholics, said she once shook Lennon's hand following a church closing and asked him how he was able to sleep at night, given the misery he was inflicting on people. "With my hand still in his, he pushed my hand away and said, 'Move along,' " Singleton recalls. Lennon himself has said little publicly about the closings since announcing the downsizing plan in March of 2009. The bishop also declined to be interviewed for this story. But Betters said the bishop, whom he described as a task-oriented administrator who is demanding of his staff, "is really getting a very bad rap." "He has listened very carefully to the people," said Betters. "He didn't always agree with them, but he patiently listened." Those close to Lennon, both in Cleveland and in Boston, described him as a man who lives a no-frills, simple life in the rectory of St. John's Cathedral in downtown Cleveland. "I find him to be a sensitive, good, holy man," said Betters. "I've seen him in the schools greeting the kids and going out of his way to meet the janitor and the secretaries." But no one will ever convince parishioner Marilyn Madigan, from the closed St. Patrick's in West Park, that Lennon is sensitive. She said she will never forget how Lennon treated her and other parishioners during a meeting in his office. When Madigan told the bishop she had followed the advice of her pastor, the Rev. Thomas Hagedorn, regarding procedures for appealing the parish's closing, Lennon "pounded his fist on the table," she said, "pointed his finger at me and said, 'I'm your leader. You listen to me.' " Ray Murphy, vice chair of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Foundation, the money-raising arm of the diocese, said: "You hear these stories that he's an imperious dictator. But I don't see it. "I think he pushes himself too hard. He's working long hours. But I find him to be very engaging, personable . . . a perfect gentleman." Foundation board member Patrick Auletta said he admired Lennon for taking on the monumental task of closing churches, knowing it would cause an eruption. He said the bishop told him he had been spat upon and sworn at. "He realizes the job he has to do has a lot of unpleasantries," said Auletta. "He's not the kind of guy to kick the can down the road and leave it for someone else." A number of priests contacted by The Plain Dealer declined to discuss the church closings or Lennon's leadership. Others did not return phone messages. The Rev. Paul Rosing, a member of a priest council that worked with Lennon on the closings, said the diocesan financial picture in the spring of 2007 showed 43 percent of the 224 parishes were operating at a deficit. Thus began a nearly two-year process of deciding which parishes would merge, close or survive. The work was done by grassroots committees known as clusters, comprised of parishioners and clergy in defined geographic areas. But Lennon, who had the final say, sometimes made his own calls. "Did I agree with every closing/merger scenario? No," said Rosing. "Did I agree with 95 percent of them? Yes." "In the final analysis," Rosing said, "The bishop is the boss and I support the decisions that have been made. We know there's a lot of anger and pain. It's going to take awhile, but we're doing the best we can." Back in Boston, anger and pain continue to seethe six years after Lennon closed parishes there, including his boyhood church built by his working-class ancestors. Eventually, the 83 closings were reduced to 60, but nine congregations in the archdiocese refused to leave their churches, holding around-the-clock vigils. In a couple of cases, police, under orders from Lennon and the Catholic hierarchy, began arresting squatters but, faced with public outcry and media coverage, the archdiocese called off the forces. In 2005, the archdiocese waved a white flag and reopened four of the nine occupied churches. Today, six years later, five remain under occupation. "This is all due to the Machiavellian hand of Richard Lennon," said Mary Beth Carmody, a leader of the still-occupied St. Jeremiah in Framingham, Mass. "He left a legacy of pain and harm to the Catholics of this archdiocese." Another Boston parish under occupation is St. Frances Cabrini in Scituate, Mass., which sits on a 30-acre bluff overlooking Cape Cod Bay. Parishioner Jon Rogers believes the archdiocese, struggling with debt from the clerical sex-abuse scandals, sees the prime real estate as a cash cow. "It's just a giant land grab," he said. "It's about the Almighty. The Almighty Buck." Rogers described a confrontation at St. Frances between Lennon and a few parishioners. "He told us to get off the property," he said. "The guy's brutal. He's arrogant and condescending. My condolences to the fine people in Cleveland. He's your problem now, not ours." However, Lennon is not without defenders in Boston. "The tragedy was that he was thrown into a daunting perfect storm -- the criminality of the sex abuse cases and the unstable finances of the archdiocese," said the Rev. Bruce Teague who had worked in a Boston hospital during Lennon's reign and is now in another Massachusetts diocese. "People I know have a great love and affection for him. He was seen as a man with a difficult job. And I think he did the best he could under an impossible situation. I'm not trying to whitewash the guy. I just see a different level of him." David Castaldi, former chancellor and chief financial officer of the Boston archdiocese, described Lennon as "a man of outstanding integrity." "I've worked very closely with him," he said. "I know him as a human being. He's a regular kind of guy. He's got a good sense of humor." Castaldi, a businessman in the health care field, supported the downsizing of the archdiocese, but he criticized Lennon and the hierarchy for not giving the laity a bigger role in the closing process. "Bishop Lennon is a man who can make tough decisions," said Castaldi. "And tough decisions can make a person unpopular. After the church closings, he became increasingly unpopular." Lennon once told Castaldi he wished to be back in parish work. The bishop echoed that wish in October in a speech in Akron. "To be very honest, I would prefer to be in a parish," Lennon told a First Friday Club of Greater Akron luncheon. "That's where my heart is, and that's where I left it 22 years ago. "There's nothing like being a part of people's lives, baptizing a baby or even burying the dead and things in between. In my job, I don't get to do that very much." Hard work made him a bishop Lennon grew up in Arlington, Mass., in an Irish Catholic family that prayed the rosary daily and attended Sunday Mass at St. James the Apostle where the young Lennon was an altar boy. In school, he was quiet and studious, embarrassed by a stutter that he would eventually overcome years later in the seminary. Lennon was ordained in 1973 and served in parishes in the Boston archdiocese. In 1988, Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law moved Lennon into the chancery as chief canon law expert. In 1999, Law appointed him rector of St. John's Seminary. Known for his obsession with work and regimentation, Lennon was elevated to auxiliary bishop in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. And when Law, embroiled in the clerical sex-abuse crisis, resigned in disgrace in 2002, the pope named Lennon as the interim head of the archdiocese, a move that shocked lots of Catholics. "Raw determination has fueled the rise of Richard Gerard Lennon to his present, unsought prominence," the Boston Globe wrote. "Lennon's willpower, analytical bent and capacity for hard work have helped him surpass colleagues of greater charisma or careerism and build a reputation as a man who presses past obstacles where others might stop." Two Cleveland clerics, the Rev. Bob Begin, a Catholic priest, and the Rev. Kenneth Chalker, a Methodist minister, have openly criticized Lennon over the closing of so many inner-city churches -- about 70 percent of the 50. Begin, who has worked with inner-city poor people for more than 40 years, is the only Catholic priest in the diocese to publicly challenge the bishop. Chalker, who in an interview called Lennon a "meat cleaver" and has appealed to Vatican hierarchy to remove him from Cleveland, claims that the bishop has unraveled the interfaith and ecumenical work of his predecessor Bishop Pilla. The diocese, responding to Chalker's accusations in a Plain Dealer story in September, denied all of his claims. And Murphy, of the diocese foundation, noted this week that Catholic Charities and the diocese's social programs help people of all faiths. But other non-Catholic clerics agree with Chalker. "He hasn't been engaged in the interfaith community nor the larger community of Greater Cleveland, as was Bishop Pilla, who was one of our most significant clergy leaders," said Rabbi Richard Block of Temple-Tifereth Israel in Cleveland and Beachwood. The Rev. Marvin McMickle, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church, said he and Pilla would dine together at each other's homes, meet in each other's offices and participate together in community events. McMickle said he has never met Lennon, "And it's not because of me." McMickle noted that in one of the poorest sections of Cleveland, Lennon closed three African-American churches -- Epiphany, St. Cecilia and St. Adalbert -- basically wiping out the black Catholic presence in the city. "When you close a St. Cecilia's, what happens to the ministry of the church and its witness?" McMickle questioned. "And what happens to the neighborhood in terms of stability?" During the closings, a few dozen protesters tried to save some of the churches through petitions, appeals and pickets. One congregation, St. Peter's in downtown Cleveland, made up of about 300 suburban residents and their pastor, broke away from the diocese and has been worshiping in rented commercial space, defying the bishop and church law. But most of the diocese's 750,000 Catholics, most of whom live in suburbs unaffected by the closings, kept quiet. In cases where churches merged, some people refused to go to a new place of worship and drifted away from the faith. Others welcomed the mergers. "We're going to come out stronger and more vibrant," said Betters of SS. Robert and William, who suggested that, because of the anger and pain over the closings, it might take 10 years to heal and restore the diocese. Lennon, who reversed two of his closing orders -- St. Colman and St. Ignatius of Antioch, both on Cleveland's West Side -- has repeatedly claimed the downsizing was necessary because of shortages of priests and collection-basket offerings and a change in demographics. Those are the challenges facing the Catholic Church in the Rust Belt and older cities in the Northeast. Catholics have migrated to developing cities in the South and West and ethnic identities are not as strong as they once were. "In the older cities, they built a church every two blocks," said Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C. "Now dioceses have many churches with no people attending them." Correcting those imbalances, she said, is the responsibility of the bishops. "The bishop has to be a good steward of the resources of the diocese," said Walsh. "You don't want to heat four buildings when you only need one. It's a bishop's decision how to best go about reorganizing a diocese." Lennon, at times, faced hostile parishioners when he showed up to say last Masses. Other times, he was received with respect. At St. Casimir's in Cleveland, hecklers shouted "Judas!" and worshipers interrupted the service, singing hymns in Polish. A man in his 90s pulled the plug on the bishop's microphone. At Sacred Heart of Jesus Hungarian Catholic Church in Akron, he found himself engulfed by shouts of anger and ridicule. The turmoil inside the church was videotaped and posted on YouTube. "Do you really believe I like doing this?" Lennon asks in the video. The crowd responds, "Yes!" "What joy does it bring me?" he asks. The crowd shouts, "Money!" "Please," Lennon says. "I don't get anything." The bishop continues: "I certainly understand people who are very sad and people who are very angry. I am not without sensitivity." The crowd laughs, prompting Lennon to hold up his hands and say: "You may laugh as you wish. "I did something that none of you have done," he continues. "I closed my own parish. Because as a man of God I believe it was the right thing to do for the mission that Jesus Christ has given us." |
December 5, 2010
The Plain Dealer article in today's Sunday paper left out much on the decision making process. It was one sided and the side of the Diocese. Left out were the vindictiveness shown by the Diocese to any opposition to its decisions. Left out was the fact that none of the closed Churches required assistance from the Diocese to maintain their parish. St. Casimir Church had over $800,000 in savings when it was shut down. That money went where?
December 4, 2010
Article in the Garfield Heights Tribune can be found here.
December 4, 2010
I just had to share this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE
December 2, 2010
Tom Sullen took the following picture of the last mass at St. Casimir Church.

November 30, 2010
A new Solidarnosc banner provided by Andrzej Sobolewski and his
wife. Andrzej was imprisoned during his Solidarnosc days when the
communists ran the country. Andrzej was also one of the Solidarnosc
members who erected the replica of the Gdansk Shipyard Workers' Momunent at St
Casimir in 1985 and had the church dedicated to the murdered men and women.
This is why this church means so much to him. This may be the only
location at a church outside of Poland that was dedicated to those who paid with
their lives so others would have it better.
November 30, 2010
I received the following request:
| My name is Barbara Vamos and I'm a member of ST.
EMERIC HUNGARIAN CHURCH. I was there at your celebration - and there was a doctor who said that - the Mother of God spoke to him. (I hope he would write me.) I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF IT IS POSSIBLE, TO SAY THE ROSARY, EITHER AT YOUR CHURCH OR FRONT OF THE CATHEDRAL ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON, WITH CANDLES. HOWEVER IT WOULD BE IN POLISH, HUNGARIAN, GERMAN, SLOVAK, etc. (all five.) THIS WOULD ONLY WORK, - IF WE COULD GET AT LEAST OVER A 150 PEOPLE OR MORE,.... IF ANYONE OF YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE "OUR LADY OF FATIMA'" hundreds of people said the rosary to for the children. MAYBE THE MOTHER OF GOD WILL BREAK THIS EVIL DARK ANGEL'S POWER. GOD BLESS YOU ALL BARBARA VAMOS ST. EMERIC CHURCH |
November 29, 2010
I found the following article and thought I would post it here since the subject of who came to America first keeps coming up when we sing America the Beautiful at our weekly prayer vigil:
The explorer, Christopher Columbus, was the son of a Polish king living
in exile in Madeira and hid his royal roots to protect his father, a new book
claims.
A Portuguese historian believes he has solved the 500 year-old mystery of the
adventurer's true identity after a thorough investigation of medieval
documents and chronicles.
The origins of the man who discovered the Americas has long been a subject of
speculation.
Contemporary accounts named his birth place as the Italian port of Genoa to a
family of wool weavers but over the centuries it has been claimed that he was
a native of Greece, Spain, France, Portugal and even Scotland.
Others claimed his origins were hidden because he was Jewish or secretly
working as a double agent for the Portuguese royal family.
But the latest theory suggests that the great navigator, who died in 1506
after four voyages to the New World, was in fact of royal blood: the son of
King Vladislav III who was supposedly slain in the Battle of Varna in 1444.
In his third book on the subject, Manuel Rosa, who has spent 20 years
researching the life of Columbus, suggests that Vladislav III survived the
battle with the Ottomans, fled to live in exile on the island of Madeira where
he was known as "Henry the German" and married a Portuguese
noblewoman.
Mr Rosa believes a conspiracy was agreed to hide Columbus' true origins and to
protect the identity of his father. "The courts of Europe knew who he was
and kept his secret for their own reasons," the researcher at Duke
University, North Carolina said.
"Our whole understanding of Christopher Columbus has for 500 years been
based on misinformation. We couldn't solve the mystery because we were looking
for the wrong man, following lies that were spread intentionally to hide his
true identity," Mr Rosa told The Daily Telegraph.
His high birth would explain how Columbus was able to himself marry the
daughter of a Portuguese noble 15 years before he set out to prove the world
was round.
"The marriage was approved by the King of Portugal something that could
never have happened if we believe the myth that Columbus washed up in a
shipwreck in Portugal," Mr Rosa explains in his book Colon: La
Historia Nunca Contada (Columbus: The Untold Story), published
in Spain last month.
"His knowledge of geography, astronomy, algebra, cartography and even the
fact that he used a secret cipher to communicate with his brothers all point
to the best education. He was clearly a scholar and not self taught as the
myth goes."
Mr Rosa claims to have proved that a last will dated 1498 in which Columbus
wrote "being I born in Genoa" was forged 80 years after his death by
Italians with the name Columbo who wanted to lay claim to his inheritance.
Other evidence supporting Mr Rosa's theory includes the similarity of
Columbus's coat of arms with that of the Polish king and a painting of the
explorer housed in the Alcazar in Seville in which a crown is hidden on his
sleeve.
And the fact that he was "reddish-haired, fair skinned and blue eyed -
all features commonly found in Poland."
The next step is to try and prove Columbus's royal heritage by extracting DNA
from the tombs of Polish kings to compare with that of the explorer's son who
is buried in Seville Cathedral.
"I have made a request to the Cathedral in Krakov to examine remains from
the tomb of Vladislav II, who could turn out to be the grandfather of
Columbus. It would prove the truth of my theory," said Mr Rosa.
A project launched five years ago to discover Columbus' true origins using DNA
comparisons between his family and possible descendants was not conclusive.
A team of scientists took samples from his tomb in Seville and from bones
belonging to his brother and son and compared them with the genetic make-up of
477 people living across Europe with surnames believed to be modern-day
variants of Columbus.
November 26, 2010
Friends,
Fr. Joe McNulty has graciously accepted our invitation to host a Solidarity Mass
on the Sunday after Thanksgiving at his parish church. The faithful will gather
at Saint Augustine Church on West 14th Street for a 2pm liturgy. Worshippers are
encouraged to bring canned goods as an offering and the collection at Mass will
be given to Fr. Joe and Sister Corita for their Hunger Center.
Please consider this as a time to stand united with other sisters and brothers
from churches closed and merged in the recent Reconfiguration.
Pat Singleton welcomes any volunteers to read, greet, serve at the altar, or
assist with the distribution of communion. Please contact Pat if you are willing
to help; her contact info is on the flier.
Please feel
free to print this flyer and post it where others will see. Or please
forward it to any friends who may be interested.
November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your families.
Someone sent me the following list of closed Churches. Under lennonism 58 parishes closed:|
Assumption of Mary (Polish) Grafton 11 12 06 St. Jude, Warrensville Hts. 09 02 07 Holy Trinity (Hungarian) Barberton 10 28 07 St. Wenceslas (Czech) Maple Hts. 12 30 07 St. Henry, Cleveland (Black) 12 30 07 St. Catherine, Cleveland (Black) 05 25 08 St. Philip Neri, Cleveland 08 St. Andrew Svorad (Slovak) Cleveland 10 25 08 St. George, Clinton -----------------9 04 26 09 -- Holy Cross (Polish) Elyria 05 24 09 -- Epiphany (Black) Cleveland 06 14 09 -- SS. Cyril & Methodius (Slovak) Barberton 06 21 09 -- Christ the King, East Cleveland 06 28 09 -- Sacred Heart of Jesus (Hungarian) Elyria 08 30 09 -- St. Procop (Czech) Cleveland 09 19 09 -- St. Hyacinth (Polish) Cleveland 09 26 09 -- St. Hedwig (Polish) Akron 09 27 09 -- St. Stanislaus (Polish) Lorain 09 27 09 -- St. Ladislaus (Hungarian) Lorain 10 04 09 -- St. Francis (German) Cleveland 10 04 09 -- SS. Cyril & Methodius (Slovene) Lorain [date expedited]---------------12(21) 10 18 09 St. George (Lithuanian) Cleveland 10 31 09 St. John the Baptist (Slovak) Akron 11 01 09 St. Margaret of Hungary (Hungarian) Orange 11 .. 09 Community of Saint Malachi 11 08 09 St. Casimir (Polish) Cleveland Vatican appeal pending 11 14 09 Holy Trinity, Bedford Hts. 11 15 09 St. Mary, Bedford 11 21 09 St. Paul, Euclid 11 28 09 Christ the King (Croat) Akron 12 13 09 Holy Trinity (Slovak) Lorain 12 20 09 St. Vitus (Croat) Lorain [date expedited] 12 27 09 St. Robert Bellarmine, Euclid --------12(33) 01 09 10 St. Louis, Cleveland Heights 01 17 10 St. Hedwig (Polish) Lakewood 01 24 10 Sacred Heart of Jesus (Hungarian) Akron 02 13 10 St. Christine, Euclid 03 07 10 St. Joseph (German) Lorain 03 14 10 St. Rose, Cleveland 04 10 10 Blessed Sacrament, Cleveland 04 11 10 St. Peter, Cleveland Vatican appeal pending 04 17 10 Corpus Christi (Polish) Cleveland 04 25 10 St. Cecilia (Black) Cleveland 05 02 10 Sacred Heart of Jesus (Polish) Cleveland 05 03 10 SS. Philip & James, Cleveland 05 09 10 St. Barbara (Polish) Cleveland Vatican appeal pending 05 09 10 Our Lady of Mercy (Slovak) Cleveland 05 16 10 Assumption of Mary, Brook Park 05 23 10 St. Wendelin (Slovak) Cleveland Vatican appeal pending 05 30 10 Annunciation, Cleveland 05 30 10 St. Patrick, Cleveland Vatican appeal pending 06 06 10 St. Adalbert (Black) Cleveland Vatican appeal pending 06 12 10 St. Margaret Mary, South Euclid 06 20 10 St. Lawrence (Slovene) Cleveland 06 20 10 Our Lady of Mount Carmel -- East, (Italian) Cleveland 06 26 10 St. James, Lakewood Vatican appeal pending 06 27 10 St. Mary, Akron Vatican appeal pending 06 30 10 St. Emeric (Hungarian) Cleveland Vatican appeal pending-----------------25(58) ____________________________________ Conversion of St. Paul has changed status from parish to shrine. |
November 24, 2010
I posted a letter on the main page that was recently sent to Bishop Lennon. You can view it here. It was sent with over 1,000 signatures in support of St. Casimir Church.
Also:
Found the following editorial comment for Akron Churches
| http://www3.thebeaconjournal.com/searchohiocom/JE_NewSearch.aspx?Search=nancy+mcgrath&Scope=News&Submit2=Go Letters to the editor - Nov. 24 Give Akron parishes a second chance Not all Akron church closings are equal. Some may be necessary, some are not. Beacon Journal staff writer Colette Jenkins seemingly refuses to acknowledge important facts (''For sale: Heavenly location,'' Nov. 13). Three urban Catholic churches — St. John, St. Mary and Sacred Heart — had vibrant congregations, all determined to maintain their churches and their vital social-service activities. They were up to date on bills and diocesan assessments. All parish campuses were in near-perfect repair. St. Mary needed to do some roofing renovation; parishioners were offering to pay. Among the three churches, there were substantial savings. All were victims of Bishop Richard Lennon's shut-down program. Akron was dealt a blow. The priest shortage, cited as necessitating closings, can be handled. More progressive and peaceful approaches are being organized. Clusters of collaborating parishes are sharing priests (Youngstown, Minneapolis-St. Paul). Mission parishes are being designated under umbrella parishes (Miami). Prayer services are being recommended when priests are unavailable (Columbus). And pastoral teams of laity and clergy are assuring that ''no church will close without consent'' (Dublin, Ireland). A collaborative clustering of St. John, St. Mary and Sacred Heart can save the parishes and their important urban presences and missions. Those who are working to preserve parishes throughout the diocese ask Bishop Richard Lennon: Would you consider a creative, sharing process for these three churches? You allowed a second chance for two parishes in Cleveland. How about a second chance for these three parishes in Akron? St. Mary, St. John and Sacred Heart, in combining forces, could serve as a beacon for urban parishes throughout the country. The Cleveland diocese could become an agent for creative change. The Catholic Church in the city could begin to grow again. Doesn't the Christian spirit demand
such consideration? |
November 21, 2010
We had our normal crowd at the pray vigil today. There was discussion on a number of goals that the group would like to achieve. Here is a video on YouTube that shows the prayer vigil:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2lHIOovjsk
you will need to cut and paste it into your browser. For some reason I cannot get it to link correctly.
November 19, 2010
I found the clip of Bishop Lennon's audio when he didn't know he was being recorded. You can watch it here:
http://www.fox8.com/news/wjw-i-team-bishop-lennon-recorded-church-closings-txt,0,6102295.story
I did not have my hopes up and wasn't disappointed. The fact that it is actually illegal to record someone without their knowledge and consent does not do our cause any good. We wouldn't want it done to us and we shouldn't be doing to others. That and the fact the story really didn't have much substance and the audio was hard to hear and follow puts this one in the circular file for non-news. It gave the Cleveland Diocese a way to portray those protesting its actions as if it they were the unreasonable ones fighting dirty. They even had the diocese putting out a we hope and pray that those protesting their actions see the light message. Quite an odd position as those holding the weekly prayer vigils in front of their closed Churches are praying that Bishop Lennon and the Cleveland Diocese see the light. We should avoid the media. It is not going to support our cause. Our message must travel through other means. I see numerous people filming at the prayer vigils. People should open a You-Tube account and start publishing. If there are any experts at it please email me. My problem is editing the video to a smaller size.
November 18, 2010
Received a copy of the letter that follows. I left the name out to protect the innocent.
The Most
Reverend Archbishop Pietro Sambi
11/18/2010
Apostolic Nuncio
3339 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20008
Dear
Archbishop Pietro Sambi:
I am writing this letter to plea for your help for the people in the
Diocese in Cleveland. So much hatred and suffering has occurred over the last
year due to our church closings. People are leaving the church. People are
asking how this could happen. My children are asking me why I should remain
Catholic when they see what the Bishop is doing here. Can you please appoint
someone or take some action to help us reopen some of our churches? You know and
I know many of the churches here have been closed with no good reason. I am
trying to find ways of telling my children why the Catholic faith is a gift
given to us by my parents and their parents but it is difficult at this time.
Yes, I would like to see St. Casimir open again as it was built by our immigrant
past generation and is a great example of what people with little monetary means
could do. You may have heard it is an architectural wonder here in Ohio. Those
immigrants gave all they had as a gift to the Lord and as a gift to future
generations (us). How could this happen? How? Please tell me? Is there not any
type of forward thinking here to understand that inner city Cleveland may once
again thrive in the future and need these churches again?
Is it wise to do this and destroy our churches because of a short term
economic shortfall? I can recall the “Churches in the City” ideology offered
by past Bishop Pilla here. Was that all a waste of positive energy and thinking?
I am concerned. Can you help us?
November 17, 2010
Wow! Lots of stuff going on right now. Time to pay attention it seems. Channel 8 is advertising that they will be airing something Bishop Lennon said at a time when he didn't know he was being recorded on Thursday, November 18 at 10PM.. I'm not holding my breath on this though, the media is what it is and I'm sure it makes more money from the Catholic Church than it does with a bunch of upset parishioners but I will be watching none the less. If they put the clip on their website I will link to it here.
I haven't checked out the next link so you are on your own if you want to proceed.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PARISHIONERS GONE?
The press barely has scratched the surface of the question. The chancery has not
publicly responded. In October (for years) ushers have done head counts at
Sunday Mass, and the parish has sent the numbers to the chancery. These numbers
have not been compared and released, and even if they were, it would not point
to where the displaced parishioners have gone. I am not comfortable with
the phrase 'displaced parishioners', for I know how those resulting initials
were used as an insult towards millions of Americans.
I believe if you use this 'link' it should proceed to the survey form:
http://tinyurl.com/reconfig2010
The Endangered Catholics coalition of faithful has put together a survey looking for comments about the recent Reconfiguration. Many, many parishioners from closed parishes have not registered at another parish yet. It is our hope that this survey will give them the opportunity to speak up about the two years of leadership in our diocese and the fallout from the closure of more than fifty parishes.
Received the following information about a church Minnesota that is being purchased by those who wish to preserve it. Click here for the decree. I was also sent this list of Churches that were bought by their parishioners in case we would like some resources if we do the same thing in the future.
Jill Palof, St. Rose of Lima, Kenyon MN (507-824-2403) email, jillp@myclearwave.net The Friends of St. Rose of Lima website is http://www.friendsofstrose.org/public/
Terry Stallbaumer, St. Bridget’s Axtell KS, (785-736-2910,) website, http://www.marshallco.net/stbridget/
Jean Kulwicki, St. Albertus, Detroit MI (313-664-0257,) website, http://www.stalbertus.org/Daniel Kouba, St. Catherine of Lomice, Michigan ND (701-259-2492)Peggy Barta, St. Wenceslaus, Lewiston MT, (406-256-6191,) email, peasles@gmail.comSt. Joseph, Salem OH http://www.salemstjoseph.org/
See you at the November 21 prayer vigil!
November 16, 2010
Check out the photograph on the main page found under the link "Our Rainbow of Hope". The picture was taken by Tom Sullens'.
During the last Mass in St. Peter's, TV8 reported a halo
rainbow. I've been told there is a St. Patrick rainbow photograph. Some of
this was discussed on the steps of the cathedral, early last Wednesday evening.
Some of us are attracted to mystical leanings in these items.
Does any one have pictures of the other suppressed Churches with rainbows? If so please send
and I will post them here.
November 12, 2010
Memories:
I started school at St. Casimir in the fourth grade and graduated in 1953 from the eighth. I saw many improvements through the years. A new school, Hall and Convent, and the remodeling of the interior of the Church. I moved to Florida for my wife's health over twenty five years ago. I have visited Cleveland and St. Casimir Church as often as I could. I have a special relationship with the remodeling of the Church, because I helped to do some of the marble work. When someone commented how beautiful the Church is, I felt very proud, and pointed to the few stones I installed. It hurt very deeply to see the windows boarded and a locked gate. All I could do is say a few prayers in the street.
The Parish contracted the Ranieri Marble Company of Italy to do the remodeling. I was hired as a helper by Mr. Desetefano and Mr. Lucca. It seems like it took well over a year to complete the job. The two men were perfectionists, they thought me well enough to work alone for a couple of Saturday as they went to Detroit Michigan to see their families because the company was based there. It was amazing how things were done. Blueprints were made of everything to be covered with marble. Each stone was numbered and the prints told us where they belonged. We did very little cutting. I was asked by Mr. Desetefano to go with them on other jobs, but declined since I wanted to finish high school. Now I think that was a mistake because of how satisfying that kind of work was.
I am happy to see there are people who are working to have the Church reopened. It is one of the most beautiful Churches I have seen in this country and Europe. It is more than that, it is a landmark. There will never be another Church built like that again. I hope the different organizations that are working to have this landmark reopened coordinate their activities and be more effective, as their goal is the same. I wish I could be there to help.
Al Sosnowski class of 1953
November 9, 2010
Catholics everywhere are suffering!
http://blog.adw.org/2010/11/more-church-closings-so-what-is-god-teaching-us-and-how-will-we-respond/sale-cqat3-1989587002@craigslist.org
November 4, 2010
Received a call today from a gentleman from the class of 1953 if my memory is correct. He worked with the people who installed the Italian marble in the Church. He said he would write me a story of his experience in doing that work. Look for it in the December newsletter which will go out in the first half of December.
November 3, 2010
November 3, 2010
October 24, 2010
Today's prayer vigil was well attended. We had a family who had recently arrived from Poland with us today. There were prayers for those who are losing faith in the Catholic Church due to Bishop Lennon's actions on closing various ethnic parishes. After the morning prayers and signing there was discussion of related events. There are rumors that Bishop Lennon is going to be removed from the Cleveland Dioceses but the Bishops do not know where to put him. There was also talk that the Bishops will not change any of Bishop Lennon's actions because they do not want to admit that anything wrong was done. There was also talk of starting an organization called "Saint Casimir Community" where we would find a priest and hold Mass outside of the Diocese. One comment was that Bishop Lennon believes parishioners will find salvation only through him and how hurtful and vindictive he has been to anyone resisting his decree. What we do know for sure is that November 7, 2010 will be an interesting prayer vigil. There may be a bag piper, there will be representative from various closed parishes attending including representatives from one or more PLAVs. So come to the Ladies Guild Pancake breakfast at the PLAV on 200th Street across from the Home Depot which starts serving at 9:30am and then come to the prayer vigil at 11:30am in front of St. Casimir Church. After the prayer vigil you can try to make it back to the PLAV to catch the end of the Alumni meeting.
October 21, 2010
I just happened to find your website. I have fond memories of St
Casmirs. I graduated there in 1970 going to a High School Seminary. That's where
my vocation to the priesthood was nurtured even more.
My mother did have to speak polish to priests to prove we were polish though.
Fr Nick O'Brien
Pastor www.stanthonyparish.com
October 9, 2010
News Release to all Polonia:
We at St. Casimir will be marking the one year anniversary of the PRAYER VIGILS that have been held every Sunday at 11:30AM on the street in front of our Polish Church, St Casimir, which has been unjustly taken from the Polish people of Cleveland. The church had plenty of bank funds, was in excellent condition, had a Polish priest and has a strong Alumni. Regardless of the weather, loyal parishioners and Poles from all over Cleveland have supported us week after week. We also have many non Poles who come week after week to pray with us in the rain, cold, snow and the heat. These non Poles have showed their love for us by standing up to the Bishop. We ask the whole community to come and pray with us at least once a month, we are there every Sunday. Please make this effort to show solidarity with your Catholic brothers and sisters. We have an appeal in Rome, We need your help. No Polish church will be safe unless we stand and tell them NO. On November 7th we want everyone to come and show all Cleveland our solidarity. Please contact us if you are interested in helping with the program.
October 6, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2010
The parishes closed by Bishop Richard G. Lennon of the Cleveland Diocese will
unite in prayer in order to honor Our Lady of the Rosary on Thursday, October
7th at St. John the Evangelist Cathedral at 5:10 PM Mass, followed by a Luminary
Service at various appealing parishes at approximately 6:30 PM signifying their
hopefulness, their faith and continued petition.
Many of the parishes have been asking the Blessed Mother for her intervention in
having the mandates of Bishop Lennon of closures reversed. Vatican appeals
are currently at the Congregation for the Clergy which has extended their
decision until November 30th.
It is our understanding that all activities to merge and/or close the parishes
were to be suspended until parishes individually heard from the Congregation for
the Clergy with their decree. These letters from the Vatican are somewhat rare
since most appeals do not receive any response at all, and are thus considered
“denied” according to Canon Law. It is believed that the Vatican
officials are seriously looking at what has transpired in the Cleveland Diocese
and are concerned. Parishes have received several extension letters by the
Vatican dated with dates that correlate with the Blessed Mother, September 8th
(Blessed Mother’s birth date) & March 25th (Feast of the Annunciation).
Many believe that she has already interceded.
Patricia Schulte-Singleton
St. Patrick (West Park)
President, Endangered Catholics
Bob Kloos
Historic St. Peter/Community of St. Peter
Vice-President, Endangered Catholics