It was not just churches closed by Richard Lennon in the area. Churches exercising different polity did not react as corporate America does to send in a shark to slash for cash. Some congregations voted to close because of actual conditions. No false rationale had to be invented. No finding plausible reasons to employ.
The North Coast District United Methodists had three close after Christmas 2010. One in Euclid, Master's Church; one in Brooklyn, Brooklyn Memorial, the oldest in the county; and this one on Broadway, which used to have some services in czech. There had been anti-Habsburg, anti clerical czech immigrants in Cleveland. Some converted. The Methodist North Coast District still has some functions at the address, and maintains their office there. Some twenty five feet across, a copy of Da Vinci's Last Supper is on the wall above the altar of this church. Mrs. Oliver Stafford saw it displayed in the Louvre. She, and her husband, were major benefactors and very active members of their church. She bought it. 18 December 1924 it was first seen by the public in Cleveland.
Mid-day Sunday, 8 November 2009. Eucharistic procession at the end of the Mass, prior to the Mass of Eviction. Smoke of incense visible in top picture. Half of 1st page of an 8 page 8 ½′′ x 14′′ prayer and hymn booklet prepared for the 3rd street vigil. Divine Mercy armband and Saint Casimir t-shirt.
Not all items were created from the parishes proper. One cover story in an alternative weekly did justice. Since then there appeared a fine story on the St. Casimir vigils, and this letter to the paper by a St. Cecilia parishioner. Two parishioner groups have formed in opposition to the closures and are asking questions of propriety that go unanswered. First there came Endangered Catholics, and then Code Purple. The latter is also questioning the mismanagement and sexual scandals the diocese has covered up. In this they are allied with Bishop Accountability.
In the French language: (se) souvenir means to remember. Je me souviens is the motto of Quebec, it means "I remember". The english canadienes ask, often mockingly, "remember what?". The French is so simple, and so full. I (we) remember all that has passed, the glories, the hardships, the beauty, those who have gone before us, some that we knew. We have not forgotten, we cannot forget, we will not forget.
Marty Haugen (composer of much current liturgical music) wrote, We Remember. The last words of the refrain (we remember, we celebrate, we believe) are sung as a moving, musical phrase.
In the last five years church closings have hit northeast Ohio. Holy Ghost Byzantine was one, both Broadway and Brooklyn Methodist were others; but by far the most drastic hits were on the Roman-rite parishes. Now, often what people have left are: souvenirs and memories. Parishes Closed 10 28 06 Assumption of Mary Grafton 11 12 06 St. Jude Warrensville Hts. 09 02 07 Holy Trinity Barberton 10 28 07 St. Wenceslas Maple Hts. 12 30 07 St. Henry 12 30 07 St. Catherine 05 27 08 St. Philip Neri 06 02 08 St. Andrew Svorad 10 25 08 St. George Clinton 04 26 09 Holy Cross Elyria
05 24 09 Epiphany 06 14 09 SS. Cyril & Methodius Barberton 06 21 09 Christ the King East Cleveland 06 28 09 Sacred Heart of Jesus Elyria 08 30 09 St. Procop 09 19 09 St. Hyacinth 09 26 09 St. Hedwig Akron 09 27 09 St. Stanislaus Lorain 09 27 09 St. Ladislaus Lorain 10 04 09 St. Francis
10 04 09 SS. Cyril & Methodius Lorain 10 18 09 St. George 10 31 09 St. John the Baptist Akron 11 01 09 St. Margaret of Hungary Orange 11 07 09 Community of Saint Malachi 11 08 09 St. Casimir 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 Akron
12 13 09 Holy Trinity Lorain 12 20 09 St. Vitus Lorain 12 27 09 St. Robert Bellarmine Euclid 01 09 10 St. Louis Cleveland Heights 01 17 10 St. Hedwig Lakewood 01 24 10 Sacred Heart of Jesus Akron 02 13 10 St. Christine Euclid 03 07 10 St. Joseph Lorain 03 14 10 St. Rose of Lima 04 10 10 Blessed Sacrament
04 11 10 St. Peter 04 17 10 Corpus Christi 04 25 10 St. Cecilia 05 02 10 Sacred Heart of Jesus 05 03 10 SS. Philip & James 05 09 10 St. Barbara 05 09 10 Our Lady of Mercy 05 16 10 Assumption of Mary Brook Park 05 23 10 St. Wendelin 05 30 10 Annunciation
05 30 10 St. Patrick West Park 06 06 10 St. Adalbert-Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament 06 12 10 St. Margaret Mary South Euclid 06 20 10 St. Lawrence 06 20 10 Our Lady of Mount Carmel—East 06 26 10 St. James Lakewood 06 27 10 St. Mary Akron 06 30 10 St. Emeric _________________________ 11 01 09 Holy Ghost Byzantine _________________________ 12 26 10 Broadway Methodist