52 Parishes to Close in the Diocese of Cleveland; Major Restructuring Underway

This kind of clustering and collaboration process is underway in several Dioceses throughout the United States including the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia.

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Catholic Online) - By now the leadership of all the parishes which will be closed has been notified. Bishop Richard Lennon has announced a major restructuring and reconfiguration of the Diocese of Cleveland.

Of the over 224 parishes in the Diocese, 29 parishes will be closed completely and 41 will be consolidated with other parishes. This consolidation will result in the creation of 18 new parishes which will all receive new names. The net result is that there will be 52 fewer parishes in the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio by June 30, 2010.

The closings are the result of a two year process underway in the Diocese of Cleveland. This collaborative process included a cross section of the leadership of the Diocese, both clergy and lay. It also involved a clustering and collaboration strategy. This kind of clustering and collaboration process is underway in several Dioceses throughout the United States including the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia.

The Most Rev. Richard G. Lennon sent personal letters to each parish detailing the results of the two year process. He also set forth reasons for the decisions. He has requested his priests to notify the members of the parishes whose buildings will be closed - or those who will be combined with other parishes to form new parishes bearing a totally new name.

These announcements were made by the priests of the affected parishes at all Sunday Masses on March 15, 2009. In a prepared release the Bishop noted, "The clustering and collaboration process reflects hard work and discernment by parish leaders and parishioners from every one of our parishes, but in the end it was my responsibility as Bishop to apply my best judgment... I pray that my decisions will serve the needs of this Diocese and its people and create the vibrancy that allows us to carry out what God has asked."

Here is the official release of the Diocese of Cleveland which was disseminated to the Cleveland area press:

CLEVELAND -- March 14, 2009 - The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland today provided priests and parishioners with parish-specific information about a comprehensive reconfiguration plan that will allow for better use of the Church's resources and achieve vibrancy for each parish in the eight-county Diocese.

For the large majority of parishes, directives included sharing ministries and resources with neighboring parishes, and increasing evangelization to share the Catholic faith with others. However, the plan will result in 52 fewer parishes by June 30, 2010. Twenty-nine of the Diocese's 224 parishes will close, while 41 parishes have been instructed to merge with one or more neighboring parishes, resulting in the creation of 18 new, combined parishes - for a total net reduction of 52 parishes.

The reconfiguration plan reflects a proactive strategy to address three major challenges the Diocese and its parishes face as they work to create a more vibrant Church:
• Population shifts in the region. With movement away from urban areas, approximately two-thirds of Catholics are currently served by one-third of its parishes.
• Financial hardship for many parishes. Forty-two percent of parishes are currently operating in the red, with operating expenses greater than revenues.
• Fewer priests available for ministry throughout the United States and other parts of the world. The Diocese has less than half as many priests as it did in 1970.

Following a nearly two-year clustering and collaboration process, Most Rev. Richard G. Lennon, Bishop of the Diocese, disseminated personalized letters to each parish disclosing the results of the process and including specific reasons for his decisions. He asked priests to share the information with parishioners at this weekend's Masses. Diocese-wide details will be announced Sunday.

"The clustering and collaboration process reflects hard work and discernment by parish leaders and parishioners from every one of our parishes, but in the end it was my responsibility as Bishop to apply my best judgment," said Bishop Lennon. "I pray that my decisions will serve the needs of this Diocese and its people and create the vibrancy that allows us to carry out what God has asked."

In May 2007, Bishop Lennon directed 69 clusters of parishes to carefully consider the sharing of resources to create a stronger, more vibrant presence in the eight counties of the Diocese. Included in directives to approximately one-third of the clusters were requirements that they propose how to reduce the number of parishes within the cluster.

For more than a year, cluster teams that included clergy and laypersons from each parish within the cluster analyzed parish finances, attendance, education, sacramental and social ministries, trends and projected needs. The teams also sought input from parishioners and provided periodic updates.

Between September and December 2008, the clusters submitted their respective proposals to the Bishop, who presented the proposals to the Vibrant Parish Life - Phase II Committee for review and evaluation. The committee includes parish representatives from each of the 13 diocesan districts as well as representatives of the major consultative groups and different areas of the diocesan administration.

Following the Vibrant Parish Life - Phase II Committee review, Bishop Lennon and his cabinet staff studied all of the proposed cluster plans and the Committee reviews of those plans. The Bishop also consulted with the Presbyteral (Priests) Council in accordance with Canon Law regarding consolidation plans. Only after this extensive review process did he announce the final approved cluster plans, which in some cases reflected modifications to the proposals that were submitted.
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The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland is the 17th largest Diocese in the United States, encompassing Cuyahoga, Summit, Lorain, Lake, Geauga, Medina, Wayne and Ashland counties. The Diocese serves approximately 753,000 Catholics, or 28 percent of the total eight-county population.

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