Bishop Lennon has met so far with representatives from four of the reopening parishes. Phyllis Fuller-Clips of Cleveland’s St. Adalbert Church spent nearly two hours with the bishop. She says he was very pleasant, and they had a productive meeting about what the parish means to its congregation, and where they hope it will go.

Though finances are a big issue, she says that money wasn’t discussed because the numbers are still being crunched by the diocesan financial staff. But she says the bishop made it clear that churches need to be self-sufficient, and that means making sure there are enough parishioners.

Fuller-Clips says that will take work. "Some people have joined other parishes, some have died, some have moved on. So we realize it will not be what it was when we closed. So we know we have to do serious evangelization, and we’re up to the task.”   

Timeline uncertain
Fuller-Clips says there was no discussion of when any of the parishes will reopen. The bishop will hold further meetings with each parish, and diocesesan spokesman Robert Tayak says these meetings are part of a new course that will take an unknown amount of time. He says finding and assigning a priest to each of these parishes will be a major milestone.

“I can’t put a timetable on it, I just want people to understand the process is underway, Tayak says. "I would add that, when they were closed their legal status changed. We’ve just about completed the process to get all 12 back into a proper legal status with the state and so forth, and that involves taxes and everything in between. So that was another endeavor that had to be accomplished before we could even begin the process of re-opening them.” 

Lessons learned
All money and sacred artifacts that were taken out of the closed churches will be returned. St. Adalbert’s parishioner Fuller-Clips says her church’s closure, and the fight to reopen it, is filled with lessons.

“I think this journey has taught all of us, not just St. Adalberts, but all 12 that appealed, not to take our faith for granted, and to not take each other for granted," she says. "We do have a voice, ... we have to stand up, speak up. And we have to be participating Catholics, not seasonal or quiet Catholics anymore.”

The diocese could have appealed the Vatican’s rulings, but last month Bishop Lennon announced he would not. The Vatican had ruled that the bishop did not follow church laws and procedures when he closed the parishes.