Cleveland priest encourages parishioners to fight church closing

March 19, 2009

The pastor of one of the 29 Cleveland parishes slated for closure encouraged his parishioner to oppose the church closing. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported:

At the start of the service Tuesday, the Rev. Bob Begin tested the fervor for St. Colman. He asked a packed sanctuary if people wished to appeal the bishop's decree. "Yes!" the congregation shouted as one. Begin put a hand to his ear, as if he could not quite hear. "Yes!" the congregation declared, collectively jumping to its feet in an ovation.

In a letter to friends of the parish, Father Begin criticized Bishop Richard Lennon’s decision to close the parish. “To close the St. Colman site is effectively to eliminate these ministries to the neighborhood and would give a message of abandonment to the people to whom we minister,” he said.

 

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Further information:

• St. Colman priest to parishioners: Do you want to keep our church open? (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• Saint Colman Catholic Church, Cleveland, Ohio
• Letter to parishioners opposing church closing
• 29 Cleveland churches to close (CWN, Mar 16)