Vilija Nasvytis-Klimas wrote a very nice article for the Collinwood Observer, summarizing the recent opening of St. Casimir parish in the North Collinwood neighborhood.
I know some folks took issue with Vilija's use of the term "community", preferring to think of St. Casimir as a "Lithuanian" parish. Here's a news flash for you: St. Casimir's needs the neighborhood as much, if not more than the neighborhood needs St. Casimir's.
There aren't enough Lithuanians in Cleveland to make this parish viable as a "Lithuanian" parish. It's going to have to be a two-way street, both literally and figuratively, on the north end of Neff Road in the days ahead.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Amen!
ReplyDeleteCould very well be true there aren't enough church going Lithuanians to make the parish viable, but the new parish must work to make both Lithuanians and local non-Lithuanians feel welcome. A strong vibrant Lithuanian core will help attract Lithuanians who no longer live close to the church on Sundays and for special events. These are the folks who will have the resources ($) to help ensure the parish stays viable. A strong local outreach to the community will attract local residents both Lith and non to ensure a good solid base of parishioners who are loyal to the chuch. That will be the key to success.
ReplyDeleteThe demographics of this area do not support the existence of 4 parishes. The diocese was obviously very well aware of this fact when it considered to merge OLPH with St. Jerome.
ReplyDeleteThe onus of keeping St. Casimir viable is clearly on the Lithuanian American community in NE Ohio.
Face it, North Collinwood is going to hell just like the neighborhood around St. George's did years ago. It is only a matter of time before this parish faces a membership crisis. Where do you expect to get new members from in what is largely becoming a crime-ridden, non-catholic community? Furthermore, due to the lack of economic opportunity, our young Catholics are leaving this area in droves. So where is the future membership going to come from? Also, the bishop obviously has it out for us since he forced us to take on a name we didn't choose, stealing it from another closed Parish that had existed in the neighborhood near St. George's.
ReplyDeleteSo by the above logic, Our Lady of Perpetual Help was also headed for an even worse membership crisis, even if no clustering/merger had taken place.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that several factors now combine to create a potential difference for St. Casimir at this juncture:
1. The combination of the majority of the membership of the former OLPH and St. George churches into a single parish.
2. "Refugees" from Euclid parish mergers who are disgruntled with their new parish situations.
3. A pastor who has indicated a willingness to minister to any and all who wish to worship at St. Casimir, regardless of nationality.
As for the North Collinwood neighborhood, the jury is still out. Mike Polensek, Northeast Shores, and others are taking bold steps to push back against the decline, but only time will tell whether their efforts will be successful.
Having no plans to leave the region myself, I have no choice but to remain optimistic about its future, and to do whatever I can to raise the odds of its success.
The writer is sadly misinformed. The bishop didn't "have it out for for us." The two parishes were merged precisely because the bishop wanted to give Liths one more chance to be a parish that knows how to serve both its ethnic members and its neighborhood. That goal is something we all need to work on regardless of where we live geographically in relation to the parish.
ReplyDeleteAs for the name--again the writer is misinformed. The bishop didn't "force" anything on us. The directives for naming the new parish were to submit 5 names to the bishop for him to make the final decision. The bishop did just that. He chose a name from the top two on that list--the patron saint of Lithuania! What's to grumble about? He could have chosen something different all together like he did for other parishes. Would St. Robert be better?
How about we all try to work together to make the parish a success. Let's quit grumbling about what might have been and moaning about what might be. The future of the parish depends on each and every one of us and how much we care to make it a success.
The comment from the person above is well said! Best to look towards the future and grumble about the past. One thing is clear, we all want a strong Lithuanian parish to serve as the heart of our community. Let's all work together to make this happen.
ReplyDeleteAs for the North Collinwood area, I too am somewhat optimistic. It still is a viable neighborhood. Too bad there is no more Catholic school at St. Casimir's. Maybe one day again... That would make a huge difference in the future viability of the parish and neighborhood. However I also realize the economics of that make the reality rather remote at this time. The school is however a nice facility... even nearly 60 years after it was built!