Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Church Closing Spurs Walkout on Bishop

A large portion of the congregation at St. Casimir's Catholic Church walked out on Bishop Richard Lennon as he said the parish's final mass.

St. Casimir's, an ethnic Polish parish on Cleveland's near east side, is the latest victim of a decision by the diocese to close a number of churches in the face of difficult finances.

As Bishop Lennon approached the podium, many people stood and turned their backs on him and walked towards the rear of the church.

They then paused and sang a Polish anthem.

"It's terrible, terrible, terrible," said Eleanor Stanish, a long-time parishioner who hoped to have her funeral said some day at St. Casimir's. "I don't know what's wrong with that bishop."

Bishop Lennon has made it a practice to say the final mass at a church that is closing. He expressed his sadness at this day, and a few people offered words of understanding. One man said, "If you got to close it, you got to close it. All the families are moving out."

But many others expressed anger - especially because some people claim to still have an appeal pending with the Vatican to keep the church opened. "This church is still on appeal," one woman shouted at Bishop Lennon. "You have no business being here."

Earlier in the day, a final, beautiful mass had been said in Polish. Mostly, the day was filled with a deep sense of loss. "We're not going to have any of our traditions left in Cleveland," one older parishioner.

A moment later, a younger woman wondered where her children would one day go to church.

"Oh, it's so sad," she said. "Why are they closing it... why?"
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