CATHOLICS in Massachusetts Celebrate Reopening of Church While Cleveland Parishioners Wait
By Michael O'Malley
While Rome in recent months has reversed the closings of dozens of Catholic churches in the dioceses of Cleveland, Allentown, Pa., and Springfield, Mass., only one so far has been fully resurrected. Last week, on Palm Sunday, more than 750 people packed St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church in Adams, Mass., for a standing-room-only Mass -- the first Mass in the 110-year-old sanctuary since Bishop Timothy McDonnell closed it more than three years ago. "We're back in business," parishioner Fran Hajdas, 75, said in a telephone conversation this week. "It feels good. Everybody's happy." St. Stanislaus, like 50 churches in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, was closed as part of a finance-driven, diocesewide downsizing. But St. Stanislaus parishioners, like parishioners of 13 closed churches here, elected to fight the closing, appealing to a Vatican tribunal known as the Congregation for the Clergy. For 1,150 days and nights, Hajdas and more than 200 other protesting parishioners occupied the church in shifts, defying their bishop's order to vacate and finally ending their vigil in October when Rome ruled in their favor. "I slept every Monday night in the church," said Hajdas. "Slept like a baby." On Dec. 26, 2008, Catholic activist Peter Borre of Boston who advises parishioners fighting church closings nationwide, including in Cleveland, hand-delivered a notice to the Springfield bishop saying that parishioners were taking over the church. In January, 2011, the Congregation for the Clergy issued a ruling saying St. Stanislaus should not have been closed. The bishop appealed to a higher Vatican panel, the Apostolic Signatura, which, in October, upheld the Congregation's ruling. The bishop then raised a white flag. "St. Stan's in Adams is, to my knowledge, the best achievement so far by Catholic parishioners fighting church closings in the United States," said Borre, explaining that other churches have been reopened, but only with limited use. For example, in December, the diocese of Allentown, Pa., reopened six churches only for funeral Masses for former parishioners and for once-a-year Masses on the feast days of the churches' patron saints. The Vatican had decreed that the Allentown bishop acted with proper authority when he merged or dissolved parishes more than three years ago, but said he had no right to close church buildings. That's essentially how the Vatican ruled in the case of St. Stanislaus whose parishioners were merged with a nearby parish. But it's different than the 13 Cleveland cases in which the Vatican ruled in favor of parishioners on both the parish and church issues, saying Bishop Richard Lennon violated procedures and church law when he merged or dissolved parishes and padlocked sanctuaries. "In Cleveland, not only churches are to be reopened, but parishes are to be restored," said Borre. "I have never seen a situation where a bishop has been ordered to restore a parish." Borre, in consultation with long-time practicing canon lawyers in Rome, interprets the Cleveland rulings as orders to Lennon to immediately reopen the 13 churches. Other experts on church litigation say the rulings don't contain specific orders. Lennon has 60 days from March 14 to appeal the Congregation's rulings to the Apostolic Signatura. He may elect to start the closing process all over, this time following procedure and laws. Or he may reopen the churches. Last Friday, canon lawyers representing parishioners from three closed churches -- St. Patrick (West Park) and St. Casimir in Cleveland and St. James in Lakewood -- filed motions in Rome, asking that Lennon immediately reopen the three -- even if he does appeal. As of this week, the bishop has not said what he will do. Last week, he issued a prepared statement saying that he, with the help of lay and clergy advisors, is carefully studying the Vatican rulings which were sent to him as decrees. "I can assure you that this is not nearly as clear-cut as it may appear," Lennon said in a prepared statement. "While the decrees are brief in length, they are deep in underlying meaning and I continue to receive significant input and clarification." The bishop said that once he makes his decision on what action to take, he will share his reasons and rationale with parishioners. "Be assured that I will act fully in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church and with the utmost respect for its governance and authority," the bishop wrote. A spokesman for the diocese said Wednesday the bishop had nothing new to say on the matter. Some Catholics had hoped to be back in their closed churches by Palm Sunday, but now it seems apparent they won't even be back by Easter, which is this Sunday. Cleveland City Council on Monday adopted a resolution urging Lennon to open the 13 churches for Easter Mass. "There has been far too much anger and division over this whole issue," Councilman Mike Polensek, sponsor of the resolution, said in a prepared statement. "It is time for healing. I urge Bishop Lennon to begin that healing process and to reopen the churches in question." To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: momalley@plaind.com 216-999-4893
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