29 Cleveland churches to close

March 16, 2009

Bishop Richard Lennon of Cleveland announced he would reduce the number of parishes in his diocese by 52 in the next 16 months. 41 churches will merge to form 18 new parishes, and 29 churches will be closed. 42% of parishes, he added, are operating at a financial loss. The number of priests ministering in the diocese has declined from 970 to 541 since 1966, with the number of Catholics declining by nearly 200,000 since 1980.

 

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Further information:

• Bishop Lennon emphasizes people, faith in ‘difficult but necessary step forward’ (Diocese of Cleveland)
• Cleveland Catholic Diocese reveals full list of parishes that will close or merge (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• Diocese of Cleveland (Catholic-Hierarchy)