SS. Cyril & Methodius must be Remembered

baptismal font. SS. Cyril and Methodius. Lakewood, Ohio.

On the bronze cover of the baptismal font, supra, there are statues of the two sainted brothers of Thessalonica. A scallop shell cascades four rivers of baptismal water. There are four circles, each with three of the lands north and east of Greece, representing where the two baptised lands and nations:

transylvania☩pannonia☩illyria
macedonia☩bulgaria☩chazakia
moravia☩slovakia☩russia
polonia☩slovenia☩bohemia

The two brothers, the monk Cyril †869 (also known as Constantine the Theologian), and the bishop Metod †885/9 first came to Moravia, roughly the center of the slavonic nations, in 863. They had previously been called by the khazars to be missionaries. Cyril was the first to capture slavonic words with gilded letters, and this work, and his brother's, made a literate and christian people of the slavs. In this they were hindered, accused, and imprisoned by germans, a king and bishops. Repeatedly, Rome and a series of popes approved the brothers. John Paul II, in 1980, made them co-patrons of Europe, for they are symbolic of the unity of east and west.

Now, across the ocean sea in the english speaking land of America, in the Diocese of Cleveland, there had been three parishes, of the name — Saints Cyril and Methodius. That was true a year ago to-day (when Lennon announced his list), at this very hour — there are none.

Before the arrival of ‘Dickie the Destroyer of Parishes’ Lennon there were, amongst others, seven hungarian (magyar) parishes, there will be one left according to his plan; there were seven slovak parishes, there will be only one remaining slovak church. It was SS. Cyril and Methodius (the Apostles to the Slavs, or as our eastern brothers say — the Equals of the Apostles) in Lakewood, it shall be called ‘Transfiguration’ parish, now. There had been another ‘Transfiguration’ parish in Cleveland. It burned down after George H.W. Bush had campaigned there.

‘Transfiguration’ is a feast within the church, it was an epiphany of the true glory of Jesus before the apostles, and in the company of the prophets. But, it is a sardonic sarcasm employed by Lennon as he ‘transfigures’ parishes according to his wont. Much of the hierarchy of this country has been of this prejudice to homogenise parishes to their ‘model’. It is of great visibility here. It is a campaign of suppression, a cleansing of ethnicity, the eventual complete eradication of ethnic parishes. The majority of Lennon’s parish reductions are nationality parishes. Many, if not most, having liquid assets, valuable properties, and no debt.

Cyril and Methodius is not being suppressed, it is being ‘merged’ with Saint Rose of Lima. St. Rose has debt, now that debt will be ‘Transfiguration’s’ to pay off. There are several parishes that have debt, and are remaining open. Some of that ‘debt’ is made up of diocesan assessments, payable to the bishop. The latest pastor of Saint Rose is to be the pastor of ‘Transfiguration’. He shares much ideology with Lennon.

The pastor of Cyril and Methodius wants the slovak members of ‘Transfiguration’ to cling to their slovak heritage, and fly their flag on the pole next to the american flag. Across the street, the polish parish, Saint Hedwig, was suppressed and its monies, and patrimony reverted to the chancery. Some members of Hedwig’s parish took welcome refuge at Cyril and Methodius. The pastor of Cyril and Methodius wants the polish members of ‘Transfiguration’ to cling to their polish heritage, and fly their flag on the new pole, which he bought, next to the pole with the american flag.

Saint Hedwig had monies in the low seven digits, to the left of the decimal. Lennon said at Sacred Heart, Akron, “the money follows the people”.* He was also reminded of this.
Supra: a mural (by Jozef Cincík) of the Scriptures in slavonic, a translation by Saints Cyril and Methodius. One of many murals on the lives of the sainted brothers on the church walls in Lakewood, Ohio. It is a nightmare and a thought in the minds of many, that these artworks, that tell of the faith and history of this christian people, might one day be whitewashed into oblivion. May all help preserve the story of Cyril and Methodius and their charges.
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*in the youtube clip between 6.53 and 7.16
addendum 10 May 2010: of course, those who loved St. Rose of Lima parish suffered a greater loss than those of Cyril and Methodius in Lakewood. That does need to be recognised. The primary thesis of the essay is that which is represented by SS. Cyril and Methodius is being purposely and systematically suppressed.