ELYRIA — Several weeks ago, the Rev. Frank Kosem walked into the sanctuary of Holy Cross Church and held Mass. With the shared Sacred Heart and Holy Cross priest away, Kosem was happy to fill in.

He stood before a small flock of faithful followers seated in pews and conducted the liturgy. The group didn’t quite number the scores who call Kosem’s St. Jude Church home. But there, standing in front of the faithful, was not the time for Kosem to ponder the obvious: Time has not been a friend to the church.

In an interview a week later, Kosem did not linger on the number of parishioners in attendance when he spoke of Elyria’s future Catholic presence. Instead, he rejoiced in the fact that he was able to be there for the group, many of whom likely will become members of other churches once the Cleveland Catholic

Diocese moves ahead with its Vibrant Parish plan that calls for Elyria’s five Catholic churches to consolidate into three.

It’s been a year since Bishop Richard Lennon, who took over the plan started in 2001 by retired Bishop Anthony Pilla, called for the massive reorganization. Since then, area churches have been working to come up with ways to address the changes.

Some — like the cluster that includes St. Thomas the Apostle in Sheffield Lake, St. Anthony of Padua in Lorain and St. Teresa of Avila in Sheffield — already have come up with a consolidation plan for next school year to merge schools.

Faced with low enrollment, St. Anthony of Padua School and St. Thomas the Apostle School opted to turn St. Anthony into the main kindergarten through eighth-grade school. St. Thomas closed at the end of the year to traditional students and will reopen in the 2008-09 school year as a preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds and a day care site for infants and toddlers

And after monthly meetings with representatives from each church, Elyria cluster members are nearly ready to make their recommendations to Lennon by the Oct. 15 deadline, said Sister Mary Dorothy Tecca, cluster spokeswoman and parish catechetical leader at St. Mary Church.

While not yet official, it will be recommended that the smaller churches of Sacred Heart and Holy Cross close. It is a proposal that the Elyria cluster has discussed as a way of keeping in step with Lennon’s directives, Tecca said.

“We are not at a point where the two churches are closing, but we are sharing what we feel should happen,” she said.

Tecca said the cluster meetings also have led to shared feelings of what Catholic life will be like in Elyria in the future. Instead of one church parish thriving, the end result will be all thriving through the sharing of resources.

“The future will be bright in Elyria, and we will see a united Catholic Christian community when all is said and done,” she said.

The Vibrant Parish plan calls for parishes to realistically plan for the future and produce a stronger church moving forward, Kosem said.

“The thinking is, how can we utilize the resources we have and reach out to those who are unchurched?” Kosem said. “It starts by working together. We have to complement each other because we are not in competition. We are one church.”

In recent months, St. Jude, St. Mary, St. Agnes, Holy Cross and Sacred Heart have engaged in a pastoral exchange program that has allowed parishioners to hear from area pastors in the comfort of their own churches.

“Going over to Sacred Heart and Holy Cross was a good experience, and I really enjoyed having a liturgy with a smaller congregation,” Kosem said. “Their problems and faith are no different than those at St. Jude. It’s good to have those kinds of experiences because it lets people know that, just as I was welcomed, they, too, are welcome at St. Jude.”

Getting to this point has not been easy, Kosem said.

“In terms of community, Holy Cross and Sacred Heart have been there for so many years that seeing the numbers dwindle is not easy,” he said. “Watching it is like watching a death in the family.”

However, even in death, there is life, Kosem said. The remaining three churches will recognize this and will embrace new members.

“All along, we have gone about this with the idea that it’s about being inviting,” Kosem said. “Very good things will come of this.”

Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.

---

Print this story
Report an inappropriate comment

---

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.

---