Testimony against the bishop

We never knew what friends we had
Until we came to Leningrad -- Billy Joel, Leningrad

This past afternoon, a number of parishioners [lawyers among them], gave testimony and evidence to the State of Ohio's Attorney General's Charitable Law Section against the Diocese of Cleveland, and Richard Lennon, in particular. For two and a half hours they spoke to an attentive audience. For some it was the first time, that there seemed anyone was paying attention. They talked of their closed and looted parishes. They excoriated Lennon's rationale, while illuminating his method. Lennon looted ethnic parishes to gather money, in part to pay for diocesan financial mischief, and to pay for sex scandal damages.

They heard, most for the first time, that Sacred Heart in Akron was just sold* [this turned out to be false] to the Ohio Department of Transportation for to be a highway ramp. It had long been rumoured to be sold for that purpose, before the 'cluster' charade.

Their coming to-day was the part of the ending of mutual lawsuits dismissed on July 20 in Summit County. The attempted occupation of St. John the Baptist, Akron, was halted by an injunction granted Lennon. He sued Nancy McGrath, and she and several other parishioners, from sundry parishes, counter sued Lennon in his role as a trustee. The parishioners were both the grantors and the beneficiaries of the trust, that the bishop ran, but Lennon recognised himself as the owner. In the state of Ohio, a church is a public charitable trust. Lennon's lawyers argued the Summit Court did not have jurisdiction, and asked the Attorney General's office to intervene. The parishioners were good with that, so to-day they spoke. The investigators will have to determine whether there is a case. Their operative method is to 'follow the money'. Some may recall, Watergate. Watergate brought the end to Tricky Dick (Richard Nixon).

Here is one parishioner's statement:

Now, the first rule of a pastor -- is to love his flock. Richard Lennon does not love us, there is no doubt about that.

A parish is a juridic person. To suppress a parish is to kill it. We are taught not to kill, for killing is a grave transgression. [Murder is one of the four sins that cry to Heaven for redress.]

A parish is created to be perpetual, that is the essential meaning, that is presented in the Gospel, and canon law. Episcopal suppression is to be an extra-ordinary usage, upon extra-ordinary circumstances, not an effective or drastic use of a loophole.

Now, a trustee is supposed to act in the interest of those he is a trustee for. Killing the trust, and selling its properties is not in its best interest. It is the worst possible malevolence, and complete betrayal of trust.

There is a method to Lennon's madness, and he has displayed several mental issues of impaired sanity. Lennon has primarily gone after ethnic parishes with available liquid assets, and disposable property of non-modern artifacts. This is indisputable.

Now, people make the claims of "the church is not a democracy", or "we live in a democratic society/country". These are not the operant points. What the Catholic Faith and Church are -- is a community. It is a 'we' relation to God. In 'we' there is a 'we' amongst us internally, even with a clerical hierarchy. Lennon does not recognise this.

His principle is that of the oriental despot of pre-christian times, of the Leviathan-sovereign of Thomas Hobbes, of the divine right of kings of James I, and of the unitary executive of Richard Cheney.
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*Postscriptum: *I must say sorry [mea culpa]. I did not get to this earlier. Yes, they heard about this, but it was false. I found that out a bit later, and forgot to update. Just at that time, I lost access to my failed computer, and since then access to a computer has been sporadic, or not at all. Sacred Hear,t in Akron, is still being listed. I heard that ODOT did not have money in the budget for it now. -- 29 September 2010.

St. Wendelin makes 5

at St. Emeric after the first great cascade of rain subsided
group photograph of some of the Emeric exiles
part of the initial prayer circle at St. Wendelin
Huddled under a maple tree a group of umbrellas shielded the Emeric exiles through a sporadic downpour of summer rain. They prayed and sang as they and others have been since the lennonist evictions.

Friday, their representative, John Juhasz and his wife, Edith, had a meeting with their bishop, Richard Lennon. Lennon was in his non-public persona. He raged, and re-invented the past: now, financial situations and priest shortages were not the stated reasons for closure, and how his new pastoral iniative was wonderful, and the good catholics accepted it. St. Emeric's parish stalwarts would not concede, that, their suppression was good for them. They wanted, at the minimum, for their church to be opened as long as Rome continued to review their appeal. They also wanted some consideration for their beloved priest, Father Sandor Siklodi, whom had been treated with the highest disregard and discourtesy by Lennon. They also asked for the quixotic--a Mass of Reconciliation to be concelebrated by both priests.

It was a difficult hour. Lennon defines a good catholic as one obedient to him. Richie and his flunkies have made the comment that we do not have faith, and are not good catholics. He does not even concede or accept the obvious and neutral statement, that, we do not agree with him. By this, we can logically concur, that, only lennonists are catholics: BULLS***.

Lennon the mad tyrant has driven the faithful to the streets. We remain constant. So catholics are compelled to give public witness, that their faith is constant. It is with Jesus, and Lennon is no satisfactory substitute for Jesus. They go in front of their confiscated churches to continue their parish life, and continue, and even grow in their faith.

Saint Emeric (Magyar/Hungarian) is very close, in proximity, to Saint Wendelin (Slovak). They have helped to jump start the prayer vigil at Wendelin's.

The attachment one develops with one's parish is highly personal, and sometimes, idiosyncratic. Gayle Hudak married into the parish. She is firmly christian, but not a catholic, yet far more devoted than most. After attending the Emeric circle, she went the last two weeks, by herself, to pray before Wendelin's church, her parish. Last night, she invited others. To-day, began Wendelin's street witnessing exile after the eviction. One vehicle, the people therein, recognised what was transpiring, and gave an affirmative wave of greeting, and salute.

Caravaggio's St. Lawrence

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Martyrdom of St. Lawrence. Rome. c.1600.

News has now reached Cleveland that a secreted Saint Lawrence, the painting, has been announced to the world, while a part of Cleveland mourns the loss of Saint Lawrence, the parish. Dear reader, if you have your reference books near you, look up Caravaggio—the painter of roman baroque, the paint brush orator of the catholic reformation. The man who made black an artist's color. If not click here for essays with his illustrations, or here for Wikipedia, which has the paintings everyone needs to know. After Merisi there came many caravaggisti, or tenebrists, and went north to the flemish and the dutch; Honthorst and ter Brugghen certainly, but Rubens and Rembrandt learned much from Caravaggio. The great spaniards—Zurbaran, Murillo and de Ribera, including El Greco were students.

This weekend past, it was printed in the papal newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, that the Jesuits in Rome had a painting of Saint Lawrence. These three churches in Rome—Santa Maria del Popolo, Sant'Agostino and San Luigi dei Francesi, and the Borghese Gallery were open though the darkness to commemorate the four centuries that the world has been missing Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio,†18 July 1610.

Chiaroscuro was this technique where he highlighted the play of light from the darkness. From the black, a realism that was photographic struck people. The words in the sentence prior is embodied in the bottom half of the Conversion of Saint Paul in Santa Maria del Popolo. Also, compare the position of Paul with Lawrence. Art experts will hem and haw, and make a living over this. They are Caravaggios.

Caravaggio had painted Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence in 1609. It was stolen in 1969 from an oratory in Palermo. Its continued existence is uncertain. Some great expert was quoted that St. Lawrence was not a known Caravaggio subject. artwork not in the possession of Richard Lennon to be sold

Parish souvenirs are to be ransomed

To some this looks like a shrine to Our Lady of Fátima with the shepherd children, Lúcia Santos and her cousins, Blessed Jacinta and Blessed Francisco Marto. The brother and sister died of the Spanish influenza pandemic, and Sister Lúcia became a carmelite and lived into her 98th year. To Richard Lennon, the bishop destroyer of Cleveland and creator of Lennongrad, it is $9,500. It was planned in consideration with Fortuna funeral home Many earlier conversations have been denied having occurred. Any statements are only good for the particular moment they are uttered.
To-day, the third Sunday of the month, the 10 a.m. Mass at St. Mary, Collinwood in Cleveland welcomes the parishioners of Saint Lawrence. Both are slovene parishes. The 10 a.m. Mass is in slovene. Some members will have to brush up on the mother tongue, really learn the mother tongue. The Saint Lawrence community is virtually all Cleveland born from the Broadway-Union neighborhood. Lawrence's Mass had been at 10 a.m.

They came together for the first time at Saint Mary's. After Mass they had pastry and coffee in the new parish hall. The one room where they conversed was decorated with items of pre-war, yet enduring, slovene culture. In the corner was a green ceramic stove, that some of the american born mistook as a bar. It was a pleasant place.

Some of Lawrence's parish wanted to maintain a slovene connection, hence St. Mary's (they could also have chosen St. Vitus). What was promised by the lennonist régime was that some items from St. Lawrence could go to St. Mary's. They can go if they are ransomed.
Lennon wants money for the Saint Lawrence statue too, amongst other items. please see earlier post first and last paragraphs.
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Postscriptum 8 February 2011: The Fatima group of statues are listed for $12, 000 on Lennon-Henninger. website.

Summer reading

It has been fifty years since the publication of Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird, and an hundred years since the death of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). In these hot languid days and nights, over the many years, the at least interested, if not diligent, high school kid has read, and reads some of his school's summer reading list. Over the years the national list has changed. Booth Tarkington, Gertrude Atherton, and Gene Stratton Porter have not been scheduled for several decades. Whims and fashion shape the list, and so does political tenor.

Lee's Mockingbird, and the faithful movie, has maintained its position. After some years it was assigned even in the southland. It has a child's view into the realisation of justice and injustice. It is a novel that, amongst other things, is a story of society's complicity in injustice. It also shows humanity in different people, in some the public would not initially respect.

Twain is one that has been translated early and has been a russian favorite. Many years reading critical literature, i noticed the russians read Huck Finn, and Robert Frost. The french, and the germans also, enjoyed Faulkner. For decades american students thought Hemingway would be the favorite. I should check this now, but ... no, you get the point.

We also have banned books by local fussbudgets, many being the important works of american literature. Steinbeck the social chronicler of the Great Depression and biologist often has more than one grand work prohibited. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been banned because of the inclusion of a [now] taboo racial term, 'nigger'. That the 'nigger' has more noble humanity than any other character in the story; that he acts more a father to the runaway, than his mean, drunkard, miscreant of a natural father, does not over rule the current taboo is illustrative of the age. The moral dilemma Huck has, and he passes, is that he does the right thing, when 'good, God-fearing, american' society would force him not to, is a rite of passage to real morality. He does the truly natural right thing, even though his education would damn him eternally.

Good literature is not just a well crafted collection of phrases, but a story of meaning, that needs to be told. We are not familiar whether Ms. Lee has some unreleased work. This may be her only work, and it is celebrated. The mockingbird still sings, even if prohibited.

Samuel Clemens (Twain) had many volumes, fiction and not. His observations are sharp, brilliant and wickedly humorous. His sharpness is not of a throwaway razor blade, but that of a shining sabre honed on a fine oilstone. In his last years, he dictated an auto-biography. He, his editors, his daughter Clara did not want the complete work in public for a hundred years. Twain died with the return of Haley's comet (1910). The century has past. Previous versions had been released, and scholars have used sections in collections. Now the first volume of three will be released. There is no surprise of the direction his thoughts turn, but the strength of the words.

Clemens was a pacifist and anti-imperialist. He also was openly contemptuous of robber baron capitalists, and financiers, and religious hypocrites. Those thoughts applied to the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, are more volatile now.

To-day's false civil religion of country worship which garnishes Thanksgiving he analysed then as having,

“originated in New England two or three centuries ago when those people recognized that they really had something to be thankful for — annually, not oftener — if they had succeeded in exterminating their neighbors, the Indians, during the previous twelve months instead of getting exterminated by their neighbors the Indians. Thanksgiving Day became a habit, for the reason that in the course of time, as the years drifted on, it was perceived that the exterminating had ceased to be mutual and was all on the white man’s side, consequently on the Lord’s side, consequently it was proper to thank the Lord for it.”

We have just been freed from a régime, that, approved of methods that were defined and prosecuted in Twain's day as torture in the Philippines. Of the american soldiers of the day, Twain uses the phrase “our uniformed assassins” when they killed civilians.

What Twain said of the moneyed class's effect on America: “have quite completely transformed our people from a nation with pretty high and respectable ideals to just the opposite of that; that our people have no ideals now that are worthy of consideration; that our Christianity which we have always been so proud of — not to say vain of — is now nothing but a shell, a sham, a hypocrisy; that we have lost our ancient sympathy with oppressed peoples struggling for life and liberty; that when we are not coldly indifferent to such things we sneer at them, and that the sneer is about the only expression the newspapers and the nation deal in with regard to such things”, would not be respectfully presented in much of the country to-day.

The insidious thing about the talent of one such as Twain, is that, he had a moral compass of internal integrity, that he would not allow to be inconsistent. The jingoists who would call every action right if their side did it, even when it transgressed their supposed code, Twain could not abide. This country is split to-day in two large factions. We know of whom Twain would ridicule and anathematise, and necessarily so.

Perhaps the last american writer of recognised stature that might have said similar things, Kurt Vonnegut, did not have the audience Twain had. Those words though clearly chosen in righteous logic would be attacked as not just provocative but traitorous to-day, more so than in 1910. If certain fussbudgets that would dangle a teabag from their hat were to find out these words of Twain to-day, his proscription would increase. Twain will be remembered by some as the teller of the tale where Tom Sawyer tricks people to paint a fence. That innocuous image will screen Twain from some opprobrium. Twain needs to be read and appreciated.

§ __________ § __________ § __________ § __________ §

Lee, Twain, Vonnegut, Steinbeck are all important american writers, who are often some would be censors' target. Ray Badbury's, Fahrenheit 451, is a tale against censorship, pure and simple. Books are banned, the title refers to the burning threshold of paper, and people are outlaws if they know a book. George Orwell's dystopia '1984' is dangerous as it describes an all evasive government, and society, that allows no mental freedom, even memory has to be conformed continuously. The last two books are paeans and lauds to freedom of thought, and jeremiads against authoritarianism. Perhaps the most famous anti-war novel is Erich Maria Remarque's, All's Quiet on the Western Front. I wonder if academic America has forgotten about it. I am surprised that it has not been banned in recent years, it had been many times before, and in a different countries and languages. Those few books mentioned are a great, and vital reading list.Banning for political reasons gives proof that freedom is lost. Some books are banned for frequent, unpleasant language (cussing), and for sexuality. It is hard to blame a parent for that. Sometimes dictionaries are banned, because children look up naughty words. There should be some sense involved. Banning a book from a library is a onerous punishment. Teaching and reading a required book, in class, that arises provocation for its presumed 'filthiness' is pushing too hard. A high school teacher assigning D.H. Lawrence, instead of T. E. Lawrence is just not right. Now, Ayn Rand has a hideous philosophy, and i can not remember her stuff being banned. Some writers are wretched in 130 pages, but she is wretched for 700 to 1400 pages, have mercy. After so many pages of bad writing, why continue reading any book?

Academic freedom versus the entrenched

Now, when gwbjr started the Second American-Iraqui War, it was chancing your job to criticise. Two senatorial heroes, Robert Byrd (†2010) and Edward Kennedy (†2010) spoke powerfully against it, and their voices were not even broadcast. They were, in effect, censored. It turned out the anti-war people were completely right, now many of the war proponents are having memory problems. To exercise the first amendment was not prudent, but necessary. As Pasternak taught us, "every age needs a fool to speak the truth".

In many communities the primary and secondary schools [state or private], and the state of Texas, are subject to 'conservatives' that enforce their party line. In public universities the battles often have different enforcers.

Perhaps, nearly every public university has a 'Gay and Lesbian' association, studies, department and so on. They tend to be quite jealous of their turf. Sometimes it is the administrators that share their opinions. Such is the case at the University of Illinois (Urbana). Kenneth Howell teaches a course on catholicism. He made the mistake to send electronic mail. A 'friend' of a student sent it, and a complaint of 'hate speech', to the department head. The university administration backs the dismissal. Further, Howell was dismissed from the Newman Center, and the Diocese of Peoria stands pat.

Now, there are other groups on many campuses that will mass against a professor that makes a comment they don't like. They have the academic freedom to voice a rebuttal, but that is not enough. They want to silence what they do not want to hear, or silence what is reported to them, that, someone else heard. And they often are vindictive enough to want a firing. I saw it at university more than once.

Howell taught that catholicism teaches that natural law is incompatible with certain sexual practices. And yes, water is wet. Now, some may disagree and disapprove of this teaching, but it is the teaching. So, if he wanted to keep his jobs, should he have avoided the topic? or just not have typed it into the electronic ether. And is the student that tipped off his buddy, not a rat? Well, of course not, if he had no such intent. But every teacher has to have it, at the back of his mind, that some students are informers, whether intentionally or not.

No, academic freedom has been crushed, and a man has lost his means of making a living, because a student not taking the class wanted the head of a professor; and the university was amenable. It was not only that he was sacked for an unpopular view, he was sacked for describing a view that proved unpopular in certain quarters. Now, these assaults on freedom, whether from one faction, or a quite different faction, are against the rights of men, and should be the epitome of 'anti-american' behavior. In this generation they often succeed.

Is arithmetic, perhaps, the only freely teachable subject? Then again, 2 and 2 are always 4 may be to hard to accept by all. Are we forced to be mute unless we side with the momentary powers that be? The tyrants who enforce their agenda in these ways are both disgusting and risible, and all too often successful. Remember, Socrates was sentenced to drink hemlock for corrupting the youth.

lennonist script

First it must be understood, that, Richard Lennon is the bishop of Cleveland. He is not the Catholic Church, nor the Catholic Faith. Arguments and criticisms with his programme are arguments and criticisms of him, and not of the faith. Now, there are other such tyrant bishops. As if he is as they, and vice versa, then such criticisms also apply to them. If we have an argument that goes beyond the see of Cleveland, it is that we have bad administrators whom betray and misuse us.

I have seen the lennonists substitute, in their arguments, our dissatisfaction with Lennon for dissatisfaction with the Faith. Then they lie our faith is not strong. Our Faith is strong. Our faith in them is not. They substitute our allegiance for them, for that of God. That is both dishonest, and ultimately blasphemous. You may remember, 'Bullshit' Bob Tayek (Lennon's mouthpiece) was quoted telling that lie in print. All these liars, or fools, speak the same words. It has to remind us of Shakespeare's line from Hamlet, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Their arguments are parroted, dull-witted, party line crap. They are defending their income and other gleanings.

Another similar and continuous lie they use is: the church is not a building argument. Lennon is robbing the patrimony of the parishes he destroys. This church is not a building argument is misleading, and FALSE. And all the lennonists use it without allowing a rebuttal. We object to the killing of the parishes, and the robbing of the corpses. We built them. Canon law repeatedly uses the phrase, "the intention of the founders and donors as well as acquired rights must be respected."[Can. 121, 122, 123]. The bishop is to act as a trustee in our behalf, not as a carpetbagging pirate.

Lennon's closures under review

It has been reported by at least two [now four] television stations (WEWS, WOIO), and a local paper, that Saint Patrick, West Park, and other closed churches are under review in Rome. It is believed twelve (12) parishes [or ten (10) as previously believed] have been extended.

It was known by mid-June that the extensions were made. The letters were slow to come, and they have come. It can be guessed that all twelve (ten) were extended. These are the ones:

??[Sacred Heart, Akron]??
*† St Adalbert, Cleveland
*† St Barbara, Cleveland
*† St Casimir, Cleveland
*† St Emeric, Cleveland
*† St James, Lakewood
??[St Margaret of Hungary, Orange]??
* St Mary, Bedford
* St Mary, Akron
*† St Patrick West Park, Cleveland
*† St Peter, Cleveland
*† St Wendelin, Cleveland

It can be speculated why Rome is granting continued time for appeal. Lennon is an embarrassment. How to correct his errors, without admitting them to be errors.

Another question, is whether MORE parishes could have also made appeals. There were other well financed, competently run and 'vibrant' parishes that were discouraged to appeal.
_____________
*Postscriptum: 11.30 p.m. 16 July. It seems the 2 bracketed parishes, might not belong on the list. They both have had their movable property listed on Lennon's trading website for months.
†Postscriptum II: 1.30 p.m. 24 July. It can only be confirmed eight (8) parishes have had their appeal extended.
Postscriptum III: The bishop's spokesman, Bob Tayek, has said and written from 19 August that there are fourteen (14) parishes appealing. The press did not ask, "Who are they?".

More Lousiana slime

Considering Diaper Dave's political positions (a chief supporter of tea-baggers, defender of British Petroleum), he is vying with DeMint to be the most "conservative" senator, it is surprising that he is a Rhodes scholar from Oxford, England. Now he is entertaining the 'birthers' militant fantasies.

Once he withdrew from a 2002 gubernatorial election, when a local paper brought up his penchant for a prostitute. In 2004 he denied a similar story in winning the senatorial primary. He became the first elected Republican senator from Louisiana.

In 2007 it became known that he was a customer of the "DC Madam" and had curious predilections, hence "Diaper" Dave Vitter. She later hanged herself in a shed outside her mother's mobile home. He was her customer at the time he was in the House of Representatives, and was criticising the morals of Bill Clinton. There was very little pressure put on Vitter to resign. Later that year, a New Orleans madam also claimed Vitter as a customer.

He has been favored to retain his seat. At one time a rumoured Republican challenger was Stormy Daniels, stage name of a pornographic movie actress. Recently, he has just picked up a creditable Republican primary challenger, Chet Traylor, a former La. Supreme Court justice. The winner is expected to run against Charlie Melancon, currently a congressman. Louisiana politics has had a reputation of being interesting, so to speak. Melancon is quite boring in comparison. Diaper Dave is a huge hypocrite and a great embarrassment.

Four parishes meet in the street

A part of the prayer circle, still visibly feeling the shock of violation.
The new Sunday prayer vigils continue at SS. Emeric, Patrick and James. St. Emeric is still feeling the way for a comfortable format. They gather in a circle, and request members to lead a prayer, or song, english or hungarian. The members are still in shock about being cast into the street. Their pastor left for Miami this morning, no longer welcome in the diocese.
Patricio group photo with banner recognising the Divine Mercy of Jesus.
The Patricios have been following a liturgical office of their own fashioning. They include an exchange of peace, mostly handshakes, and some hugs. They also brought along another specie willing to share their community, a spaniel. People enjoyed touching and greeting the dog, and the dog was fine with it all. Many people find hounds compatible to the Faith.
Praying the chaplet, next to the Patrick door.
They have been praying at the top of the steps of the main entrance of their church on Rocky River Drive, Cleveland. The car traffic drowns them out from time to time, as do the jetline aeroplanes that come to Cleveland Hopkins Airport.

The Casimiri, the Patricios, and the Jacobites all have their gathering at 11.30 a.m. At Casimir's they gather in a flattened semi-circle, or half oval, around the speakers, whom have their backs to the fence, that has become like a spanish retablo (reredo), or an iconostasis (icon screen). To-day they were worried whether the stained glass rose window was removed, leaving the outside protective window not guarding its charge. The vigils are not identical, they do not need to be. They are organic developments of different parishes. As each parish is a separate juridic person, they have different personalities, and it shows; but since they are all brothers in Christ, they have similarities.

They have vibrancy and unity. This is neither appreciated, nor fathomed by Dickie Lennon, the man who, literally, 'kicked them to the curb'. He has admitted to people, that, he has no definition of 'vibrancy', and unity is submission to his will.

Sisyphus

Titian. Sisyphus. 1548-9. Madrid.

Everyday...
“L’absurde naît de la confrontation de l’appel humain avec le silence déraisonnable du monde.” — Albert Camus, Le Mythe de Sisyphe

Lennon is no good

To those who may have read several of these posts, it might be apparent, that, I stand in opposition to the bishop, Richard Lennon. I do.

In part, the church has a hierarchy, but it is also a communal organism — the Body of Christ on earth. Lennon goes against Gospel and canon law if it is an encumbrance. He is a rogue bishop, not fettered with the Gospel, nor canon law. He is a law to himself, which is no law at all.

He is also a scoundrel. His promises last as long as one is initially in earshot. Just before he evicted Saint Patrick's he spoke to a very few parish members at the chancery. When one of those people spoke to him immediately after the Mass of Eviction, in the receiving line, he suffered 'memory loss'...ah... no, he lied. When he famously said, thoroughly unexpectedly, at Sacred Heart (Akron) that, "the money follows the people"; well it doesn't now. When the Cleveland police 'negotiated' for him in the basement of St. Emeric, the promise was made: that their will be talks. Well, his schedule is full for the next six weeks.* Hmm, the closures were supposed to be over. What does he have scheduled?

He is a mean-spirited, callous, petty, vindictive tyrant. I have heard him quoted in one-to-one conversations where his response is brutally uncaring, and insulting. An oral history project could be made from what he says to people, with the sarcastic title, "I am not without sensitivity".

The rationale Lennon gives (for closures) is false on its own merits, and beyond that, none of his points are applicable. He speaks in the language of american business, not in theology.

When this diocese began, it was the northern half of the state, it had 33 parishes and 17 priests. Lennon says there is a clergy shortage now. There were at least two foreign born, bi-lingual, non-incardinated priests that are persona non grata, Lennon has no use for them. A Jesuit priest who was active in the deaf ministry was sent away for preaching about peace from the pulpit. Priests can be recruited from abroad. Lennon does not approve. The Sanguinists (Precious Blood) have ministered from the 19th century here, until now. Their priests are not welcome. He also has an active dislike for the permanent diaconate, and has been quite snotty to them. There were churches which had female administrators, and capable ones at that. That is not part of the lennonist régime. A priest is needed sacramentally. Some sacraments a deacon can administer. A priest is needed to celebrate the Liturgy. Administration is not a sacerdotal exclusivity.

A figure of 42% of parishes being in debt has been bandied about. No one has publicly asked whether the parishes closures were restricted to those parishes. They were not. This is deceptive, really it is dishonest. Several closed parishes had more than ample reserves of cash, and some were never in debt to the diocese for a penny. Also, much of this 'debt' was assessments to the diocese. I am to understand the average american assessment is ~6%. Cleveland's has a ~11½%, and a ~16½% assessment. Some parishes had their past assessments forgiven. These cancelled debts became magically current, the rationale became —"debt is debt".

I have several bedrock arguments, not all share. But, I believe each one destroys Lennon's rationale. In Aleksandr Isaevič Solženitsin's Nobel speech he ends speaking of a russian proverb "odno slovo pravdi ves mir peretjanet." ONE WORD OF TRUTH OUTWEIGHS THE WORLD. Before that, the world's laureate points out the intertwining of violence and lying. Violence is screened by lies ..."usually it demands of its victims only allegiance to the lie, only complicity in the lie."

• A parish is a 'juridic person'. It was created to be perpetual. Killing is not permitted. A parish is also a communal organism. Lennon kills more than a construct.
• Those who oppose Lennon, witness for Jesus and stand for justice and equity. Lennon, and those of his episcopal ilk, wish just to impose their will. They go against God.
• In this conflict, between bishops and parishioners, bishops are management. Management wants greater power. Labor wants equity. The rôle of a bishop is to be the chief teacher in the diocese. A teacher is labor. These bishops then entangle themselves in a conflict of interests.
• Authority is meant to be circumscribed to its legitimate function and scope. An abuse of authority is not accepted by tradition. This is managerial activism and authoritarianism. In the greater american socio-economic-political milieu this is accepted by 'conservatives' de rigueur. This is not true conservatism, it is a form of tyranny.
  

Besides the violence of lies, he uses threats. Protest the closing: and your school closes, your assignment will be not to your liking, your shelter closes, your community center closes, et cetera ... He then can say, you did not protest then. You were on board. What problem could be there now?

Lennon is the problem that persists. By odium populi (by the people's hatred) Rome can and should remove him from office.
_______________________
*Postscriptum: The 4.00 hour on Friday, 23 July became available for a meeting with three parishioners.
Postscriptum 2.00 p.m. 24 July: All four local televisions reported the conclusion of the meeting. The diocese was unavailable for comment. What was not said, is that Lennon was aggressively defensive, self-contradicting, aggrandising and unreasonable. This surprises no one who has been paying attention.

Exiles in prayer

edge of the cul-de-sac, by St. Emeric's, next to West Side Market parking lot
In Lennongrad people pray and sing in the street, because their churches are denied them. To-day, was the 30th Sunday in the streets for Saint Casimir in Exile, it was the 3rd for Saint Patrick in Exile, it was the 1st for both St. James (Lakewood) in Exile, and for St. Emeric in Exile.
the people seen by a police officer
At 10 a.m. a 2nd district police cruiser drove the cul-de-sac on W. 22nd. He waived as he did his circle, he was one of the officers there during the last moments of the church occupation. He saw about a score of christians in prayer. The private security that was there, the day before, was gone.
searching for an hungarian hymn
So the hungarians prayed and sang like their other brothers at the other parishes. They had not prepared, and were uncertain how to progress, but it came. There are enough prayers, and songs, in english, and in magyarul, for them to extemporaneously ad lib. They prayed and sang and shared news.

Father Sándor Siklodi was banished from the diocese. Miklos Peller, the procurator for St. Emeric's cause, told of the phone call he received, at 3 a.m., from hungarian broadcasting. He was asked whether it was true that Lennon now required a parish to have 2,000 members. He said that would be news to him, but since they met every other requirement, he would not be surprised that the rules would change.

A woman told of getting up and coming there without knowing she would be there. She went on 'auto-pilot', her car responded like a drunk man's horse, and she arrived. Others spoke their heartaches, and their deep consternation with their bishop. The prayer leader from Imre's Templom Örzö (Church Guardians) petitioned God to change Lennon's heart.

A fellow spoke of the other prayer vigils elsewhere in the diocese. Later he spoke, and asked about unity. It seems that 'unity' in latin, english and hungarian is the exact same concept (oneness); except for Lennon, in which, it is submission. He went on to talk about the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius whom evangelised half a continent, including Pannonia. Panonnia was the roman province that included, what is now, western Hungary. He read from John Paul the Great's encyclical about the brothers, and what unity, and the gifts of all nations were to the Universal Church. All there agreed with the last Bishop of Rome, and not with the current Bishop of Cleveland (now Lennongrad).
A few of those at St. Emeric drove east to be with the parish at Saint Casimir. They welcomed the Emeric representatives. At Casimir they also sang, and prayed, and told of news. At 11.35 a.m. a phone call was received by Joseph Feckanin, from Saint Patrick, West Park, they were going to make their prayer vigils synchronous.
testing an old fire alarm bell rescued from a remodel of South High, years ago
Since most of the work of the lennonist 1st 5 year plan was complete, they recalled the 56 churches now unavailable for worship in the diocese. After the church was read, a black funereal card was displayed, and a bell was tolled.

A man had come from Florida. He was born in Poland. He went to school at Casimir's in '48. He later worked for a marble company, and worked on the marble at St. Casimir. Relatives of other parish members also came in from other places to visit for the holiday.

At Emeric and Casimir parishes they sang, Let There Be Peace on Earth. At St. Imre, they sang God Bless America. At St. Casimir, they often sang America the Beautiful, as they did to-day; and for the first time―the Star Spangled Banner. They had been wary of singing it before, for our great national anthem has had a reputation of being easily flubbed, and difficult to sing. They sang well, and were pleased and surprised.

We are in Babylon (Lennongrad)

Why do we grieve so much? Why do we cling to our churches so much?

We are in exile. We want our Jerusalem, we are in Lennon's Babylon. We were forcefully cast out, and we remember where we came from, and we want to return.

1 A psalm of David, for Jeremias. UPON the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept: when we remembered Sion: 2 On the willows in the midst thereof we hung up our instruments. 3 For there they that led us into captivity required of us the words of songs. And they that carried us away, said: Sing ye to us a hymn of the songs of Sion. 4 How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land? 5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand be forgotten. 6 Let my tongue cleave to my jaws, if I do not remember thee: If I make not Jerusalem the beginning of my joy. ―from Psalm 136 DRC

Saint Emeric was the last of the parishes and churches in Lennon's first five year plan of destruction. The parish did not want to perish. They held out until the police enforced the threats of the eponymous Bishop of Lennongrad.

Some of these stalwart rebels were the children of '56. In 1956, in Hungary, there was a liberalisation of the dictatorial communist régime. The russian soviets militarily crushed the movement. Rebels fought the invaders, and lost. Refugees left their homeland unwillingly, and in desperation. They dispersed to several lands. Some came to Cleveland.

There were many people from the nations of eastern europe in Cleveland. One of several parishes with an hungarian (magyar) community was Saint Emeric, on the very near west side. After arriving here, Vatican II came and went. One of its fruit was the language of the liturgy went from latin to the vulgar (common) tongues, in the latin rite. Masses at parishes in the diocese of Cleveland were now in divers languages. Lennon likes neither latin, nor other non-english languages.
Now, in that generation, the poles, the russians, the hungarians, the ukrainians all celebrated a millennium of christianity. At Emeric's a mural was painted in 1973 that commemorated hungarian christianity, and american achievement in space. Apollo 8 orbited the moon 24 December 1968, and this iconic photo and quotation was the subject of a postal stamp. Above is placed the heraldic shields of Hungary, and the United States, and top centre: an icon of Jesus, I am the Way: the Truth & the Life. This was blessed by Cardinal Mindszenty on 27 May 1974. It is on the nave wall, marian side of the church. These catholics celebrated both their magyar and their american heritage. This is beyond Lennon's ken.

Now, the magyars are not alone in this sort of devotion and behavior. Many angry poles, as well as angry magyars, have said, "Even the communists did not close churches." Well, maybe not in Poland and Hungary; churches were torched in Jugoslavija, Stalin destroyed or found other uses for many in Russia and other soviet lands. But, many of these people here in Cleveland compare their bishop with the atheism of communist tyrants.

But even in parishes where there are not refugees and the children of refugees, there are the descendants of other émigrés. And from their meagre poverty they built their, sometimes grand temples, temples they thought would never be taken from them. In the Gospel of Matthew*, there is a parable, in which, a servant says to his lord,"Lord, I know that thou art a hard man; thou reapest where thou hast not sown, and gatherest where thou hast not strewed." He berates this servant whom does not have more money for him. He even recommends the practice of the sin of usury. This 'hard man' here is Richard Gerard Lennon.

Can one understand some of the rationale and cause of our desires now?
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xxv. 24-7

Prayer Vigils Expand

A small witticism of punish humour i enjoy, is that March 4th can be pronounced, 'march forth'. March Forth, then, is the only day of the year that is a command. It is also Saint Casimir's Day. This July Fourth will be the thirtieth, consecutive, Sunday prayer vigil in front of Saint Casimir's. It has been an unbroken chain. The links of faith in this parish are of strong enduring temper.

And, marching forth from Saint Casimir's the prayer vigils are growing. This Sunday, Saint Patrick's, West Park, will have their third Sunday vigil in synchronicity with Saint Casimir's. The time is 11.30 a.m. St. James, Lakewood, will have their first.

Now, a quickening is beginning to stir at Saint Wendelin. In Akron through the leadership of Nancy McGrath of Code Purple, and others there is a plan of rotating parishes to host a prayer vigil, perhaps involving Saint John the Baptist, Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Mary.

Joseph Feckanin, who has become an ambassador of Cleveland's Catholic Polonia, will be talking to Lorain's latin-rite slavs and others to also have a rotating prayer vigil. There had been great spirit at the near co-adjacent Saint Stanislaus, and Holy Trinity.

These committed christians sing, pray and have communal fellowship, and in doing so, have found a greater unity than they had before. This they do in front of the parish churches wrested forcefully, illicitly and ruthlessly from them. Their presence is a christian witness of constancy and steadfastness.

ubi enim sunt duo vel tres congregati in nomine meo ibi sum in medio eorum
For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.—Matthew xviii.20.

Why are they there? They are loyal to Jesus, and cast off by Richard Lennon. Bishop Lennon is like the bad shepherds (pastors) mentioned by Ezechiel in chapter xxxiv; and most unlike the Good Shepherd of the Gospels.
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Postscriptum 8.52 p.m.: In the last hour I have received communiqués from Nancy, and from Joseph.
Nancy says it is slightly in ovo at Akron, with the germ at Saint John the Baptist, and that the latin mass goers of St. Mary's are visiting several parishes as a group.
Joseph replies with this statement:

As we stand in the streets and pray, the power of prayer will overtake the one who has cast us out onto the streets, taken away our houses of God, fenced our artifacts, and counts on devouring our bank accounts. To him we are not vibrant, we are just easy pickings. We don't count, he says we are only a 'handful'; but too much of a handful for him to squash, but handy to plunder. However, we are chosen to represent the tens of thousands, and probably hundreds of thousands who oppose his program. He tries to censor the media. After St. Casimir the media was not allowed in the churches, 'too disruptive', he says. The truth is they are witnesses and he does not want other Catholics to see the truth. Now St. Emeric has brought the media back into the church. And now the vigils will grow and grow. We, Catholics, have had many suffer under the communist yoke. We know the tactics. History repeats itself, and he who wants us to bow before him will repeat like those whom came before him. Our devotion, the Divine Mercy of Jesus, we trust. It is not over yet. — Joe

Postscriptum II, 12.45 p.m. 3 July 2010: Events have flared at St. Emeric's. A heavy "security" presence has descended there. Lennon has called for a game of hardball. The priest of twenty-five years has not been allowed to collect his bible from the church. In partial response there will be a prayer vigil there Sunday at 9.45 a.m., the regular time for the hungarian Liturgy (Mass). It is a question whether they will be on W. 22nd, in front of the church, or in the West Side Market parking lot.

Vigil broken

The parishioners held the night, the police took the afternoon. A dozen spent part of the dark hours in the church. They stayed after the litany and the fellowship meal. A few left. When the diocesan contractors came to change the locks, they could not get in. By noon the press was aware. A police commander, Keith Sulzer, was the first policeman to show. He was there to enforce the landlord's (Richard Lennon) will. He would tell those who sat in the church, that, he was authorised, by the bishop, to break the doors down.Catholic supporters gathering outside Saint Emeric (Imre) to lend support to their brethren inside.
Reporters filming and recording phone call from John Juhasz as he speaks to friends outside.
An elderly, former parishioner wishing to see her old parish, that she has not been able to frequent, after owing to an act of street crime, and lack of Sunday bus service. She is standing beyond the line, that the public, at that moment, was allowed to traverse. The policeman said to other people, "I am not arresting her." During the morning and afternoon, the freedom of standing from spot to spot changed. Before the police came, there was no restriction; afterward, the line of demarcation changed at least four times.
Joseph Feckanin lecturing Jim (Chipmunk [Chippie]) Armstrong, Lennon's officer for diocesan dismemberment and dispersal. personal aside: if Chippie is not in a group, or at least one person in person conversation, he will bolt from a camera lens.
Hanna Gereby emerging from Saint Emeric, Cleveland, carrying the hungarian standard.
Remaining vigilers, their legal counselor (Santiago Feliciano), and police leaving the church.
An impromptu news conference occurred as, and after, the people left the church on promises soon to be ignored by the diocese.