LORAIN (OH)
Chronicle-Telegram

Filed by Brad Dicken March 17th, 2012

LORAIN — The former St. Mary Church has won its appeal of a decision by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland to merge the church with the now-shuttered Holy Trinity Church.

St. Mary and Holy Trinity parishes officially were closed in 2009 and merged into the new Mary, Mother of God Parish, which congregates at the former St. Mary location.

The decision to merge the parishes was part of an effort by Bishop Richard Lennon to streamline the diocese. That led to opposition by Roman Catholics in the eight-county area served by the diocese and several parishes that were closed appealed to the Vatican, which has overturned more than a dozen of the 50 closures or mergers imposed by Lennon.