garden of utility poles

Between the South Marginal road of Interstate 90 (Shoreway, Route 2), Marquette Road, and the Penn Central railroad tracks, on the eastern edge of downtown Cleveland there is a garden of utility poles connected to themselves, and some wireless. I took several fotos of this forest. While driving by they seem a bit like a field of crosses. They will be used for a lineman rodeo on April 14.

Lights went on in Massachusetts

"And the lights all went out [ON] in Massachusetts"

--adapted from Massachusetts by the Bee Gees, 1967

St. Stanislaus Kostka, Adams

from Springfield diocese:
After three-year vigil, St. Stanislaus Church in Adams reopening for services
this parish/church was discussed here

from Boston archdiocese:
"The parishioners said the archdiocese is disingenuous by first condemning the sit-in vigil, then trying to use it to get a tax break."

St. Frances X. Cabrini, Scituate

That's the stories. After more than a thousand days of occupation, Rome forces a recalcitrant bishop to re-open an ethnic church, St. Stanislaus Kostka, Adams of Springfield, which is also an historically important church for the faith, and faithful in America. And in the ancient town of Scituate, which Richard Lennon had closed the parish, and the people have occupied for seven years, we see the duplicity of the archdiocese (and the avarice of the taxman).

The vigilers are despised by the chancery. Lennon made sure there were to be no occupations in Cleveland (and Akron), when he left Boston. He prepared the courts, and security forces to prevent sit-ins.Now, back to his former haunt, his successors have followed his determination not to bend to parishioners. Yet, when the tax collectors, and tax boards want to tax the archdiocese, they maintain that religious and charitable activities continue on the property. The priests and pharisees are hypocrites as they were in Jesus' day.

Cleveland's Old non-English Press

Polish Daily News, 1017 Fairfield
Wiadomosci Codzienne from 1914 to 1966

German Baptist Publication Society, 3804 Payne Avenue

Published der Sendbote (The Messenger) [1853 Cincinnati, 1866 to 1960 in Cleveland, Forest Park Illinois to 1971]

AMERICA Roumanian Daily News, 5703 Detroit Ave

Began in 1906, closed in Cleveland 1967

Cleveland's big dailies were Scripps Howard's Press, which had a circulation above 150,000 when the city had a population of 500,000, and was still annexing villages, and the suburbs most inconsequential. Other big English language dailies were the News, and the Republican, anti-Catholic, and anti-immigrant rag Leader, and the surviving Plain Dealer. These papers were about 12 pages at the beginning of the XXth century.

The papers in other languages were often 4 or 8 pages for dailies. There was a variety of frequencies: weekly, fortnightly, monthly. Some were general news, some devotional and sectarian, and some labor. Most of these are gone. Some survive as fraternal society organs. The circulation was between a very few thousand, to a few thousand more. The foreign born were as literate as the native born, and got news of the city, the old country, and the new. Political endorsements were made, and were consequential within the city.

As in many American cities, the first 'foreign' language periodicals were in German in the 1840s [Cincinnati in 1809]. Most of the nations of Eastern Europe were represented in Cleveland. The disappearance of a sense of shared community, bi-lingual writers, and the advance of new technologies have finally put to bed most of these publications.

Apocalyptic Cavalry

Viktor Mikhajlovič Vasnetsov. Воины Апокалипсиса (Warriors of the Apocalypse). 1887. St. Petersburg

Popularly the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse are: Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death; all not good. But, when one reads the Apocalypse only Death is named outright. The colors of the horse are clearer: white, red, black, and sallow (pallid, yellow-green); almost the colors of the four humours. The first rider wears a crown, and is a conqueror armed with a bow; the second a great sword, the third grocer scales. The fourth is not a reaper, but a commanding killer of several methods including famine and war.

Of all that is not to be read with certainty in the Bible, it is this book. It is a great misfortune that some so much preach from this book, and let their fancy fly, but demand your attention. We need John, himself, to explain it to us. If people understood in the generation that he wrote, no record of their understanding is known. Of the 27 books in the New Testament, this was the last to be accepted.

Third rider is dearth, the scarcity and costliness of food, that leads to famine. The second is deadly, bloody war.

The first is confusing. Many exegists have confounded him with Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. That makes little sense [to me]. The lamb opens the seven seals of the book, the first four release the horsemen. [The fifth seal is of those already martyred. The sixth opens up the Day of Wrath. The seventh brings seven angels with trumpets.] The lamb is usually identified with Jesus. The four horseman, on at least one solid strain of logic, are companions and members of the same marauding band. Now, the first is a conqueror. There are wars to conquer, and some just to kill. The second rider may be the avatar for that sort of war. Those who separate this first horseman from the other three, have him spreading the Gospel/Christianity. If that is correct, it is a very mixed metaphor. A very powerful metaphor, the Spaniard, Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, writes a novel of World War I in 1916, 'Los Cuatro Jinetes del Apocalipsis' (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse), a debauchery of war and greed.

The quartet is serious, the most grave. Their activities are violently gruesome. It is difficult to imagine the four not being fearsome, cavalier, and most deadly.

The American Catholic bishops ought to devote some time, and intensity, preaching for the end of war and scarcity. Rather, they have deposited insured birth control as a jockey on these steeds. One should be able to contemplate the entirety of horse, instead of just the ass.

Ethnic Cleansing of the American Catholic Church

Harvard Business School on a webpage says of James McKinsey, "McKinsey founded the largest management consulting firm in the world." What sorts of customers come to them? [Pepsi, IBM, GM, GE, Bank of England, Roman Catholic Church, Bundesrepublik Deutschland]. They have over an hundred offices about the world, in more than fifty countries.

McKinsey was an accounting professor at University of Chicago, the first office was in Chicago in 1926. There is an office to-day in Lagos, Zurich, Abu Dhabi, Auckland, Caracas, Cleveland.

Mckinsey & Co. also works with the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Mgt. From their page:

Since 2006, the Leadership Roundtable has worked side by side with bishops, the boards of Catholic nonprofits, diocesan officials, school administrators, and the leadership of religious orders in a variety of different engagements to imagine and implement solutions to pressing and difficult problems.

Recently, a story has broke about a Vatican financial scandal. Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò cleaned up contracts, and instigated clean accounting practices for the City State. This did not sit well with the hogs that had access to the troughs. Viganò was punished by being sent to the US as papal nuncio. The current, and former presidents of the City State have signed, and published a document denying Viganò's charges of corruption.

To quote John Allen:

The statement also reaffirms the commitment of the city-state to continue to implement recommendations issued by McKinsey and Company, a global management consulting firm originally founded in Chicago, which was hired in 2009 to advise the city-state on finance and administration.

This sort of business management advice sold by McKinsey & Co. is the plan of action that these American bishops have employed to liquidate parishes. Our parishes are being stolen from us, in the manner of locust capitalists.

The Church, especially the American Church is run not on the four Gospels of Jesus, or canon law, or two millenia of Christian tradition, but by snot nose MBAs. McKinsey & Co. hires punks straight out of business school. Then they have an "up or out" system, which results in a 25% forced turnover rate yearly. One of their successes became CEO of Enron, Jeffrey Skilling. He is serving a term now of 24 years and 4 months in a federal facility. He had been found guilty on multiple counts of business crimes.

It is not lack of priests, or parishioners; because the quota to start a parish is — 3 —, and to continue — 1 —. There is no priest to parishioner ratio. Finances are irrelevant to legitimacy, although many, especially nationality, parishes have more money than they need; but not more than the bishops want. No, there is a co-ordinated plan for the elimination of such parishes. These mitered princelings detest the nations; they prefer the american, capitalist, business model with bland, interchangeable, homogenous franchises.

The good and just bishop

« Evêque, c’est par vous que je meurs ! » — Jeanne d’Arc, le 30 mai 1431
"Bishop, it is through you that I die!" — Joan of Arc, 30 May 1431

Pierre Cauchon was born in Reims in 1371. Joan of Arc was born in 1412 in Domremy. In 1420 Cauchon became the lawful bishop of Beauvais. At the time, France was occupied by English and Burgundian armies. Cauchon propagandised for the English. When Joan of Arc and the French army were approaching Beauvais, the people removed Cauchon. He ran to the English at Rouen.

The Burgundians captured Joan on 23 May 1430. The good bishop, Cauchon, negotiated for her purchase. He sold and gave her to the English.

Pierre Cauchon: How do you become the judge of Joan of Arc. Jean Favier. 2010.

Joan was captured at Compiègne. Cauchon who studied canon law claimed the right to judge Joan, since Compiègne was in his bishopric. He sentenced her to death. Yes, the bishop declared her a witch and heretic, and had her burned to death. Yes, the bishop burned a saint, and he knew it. He wanted to be rewarded with the archbishopric of Rouen. He got the bishopric of Lisieux.

drawing by François Roger de Gaignières *1642, 1715† of the portrait formerly on Cauchon's tomb, formerly at the cathedral of Lisieux

Dickens at 200

stained glass portrait at London's Charles Dickens Museum

Dickens was a story teller, who wrote enjoying colorful and descriptive words. He was always popular. His social commentary caused attention to be paid to living conditions, especially in London, for Dickens the City of London was a character. He used comedy to show that an ass was an ass, and sometimes worse. For these reasons he has been looked down upon by certain breeds of critics.
Ebeneezer Scrooge before Christmas is to-day's capitalist, and in the US, the Republican party domestic policy architect. But, Scrooge as a fictional character was written to be redeemed. The sufferings of the poor, and the cruelties they endured was not what 'society' wanted to read. Notice the television soap operas (yes they have been reduced, because cheaper dreck can be aired) are filled with the grand bourgeoisie, and other than their servants, the only 'poor' characters are poor for a month or so. Dickens wrote in installments, and kept his audience's appetites whetted.
In England, Dickens' bicentennial is being observed. One of many ways to be reminded is on BBC News Magazine page which has a 'Dickens of the day' quote this year. (click here too)

Dickens of the day

3 February

“Strip the bishop of his apron, or the beadle of his hat and lace; what are they? Men. Mere men. Dignity, and even holiness too, sometimes, are more questions of coat and waistcoat than some people imagine” -- Dickens takes aim - in Oliver Twist - at officialdom and its pretensions

23 January

"Please, sir," replied Oliver, "I want some more." The master aimed a blow at Oliver's head with the ladle; pinioned him in his arm; and shrieked aloud for the beadle - The orphan Oliver Twist bucks the system at the workhouse, delivering his immortal line

13 January

"A good, contented, well-breakfasted juryman is a capital thing to get hold of. Discontented or hungry jurymen, my dear sir, always find for the plaintiff" - Mr Perker, attorney for Samuel Pickwick, shares his legal knowledge

pseudo-Conservative church police

Et factum est íterum Dóminus sábbatis ambuláret per sata, et discípuli ejus cœpérunt progrédi, et véllere spicas. Pharisǽi autem dicébant ei : Ecce, quid fáciunt sábbatis quod non licet ? Et ait illis : Numquam legístis quid fécerit David, quando necessitátem hábuit, et esúriit ipse, et qui cum eo erant ? quómodo introívit in domum Dei sub Abiáthar príncipe sacerdótum, et panes propositiónis manducávit, quos non licébat manducáre, nisi sacerdótibus, et dedit eis qui cum eo erant ? Et dicébat eis : Sábbatum propter hóminem factum est, et non homo propter sábbatum. Ítaque Dóminus est Fílius hóminis, étiam sábbati.

And it came to pass again, as the Lord walked through the corn fields on the sabbath, that his disciples began to go forward, and to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said to him: Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said to them: Have you never read what David did when he had need, and was hungry himself, and they that were with him? How he went into the house of God, under Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the loaves of proposition, which was not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave to them who were with him? And he said to them: The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. Therefore the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath also. — Mark ii. 23-28.

Many Catholics are upset by the bishopry. I have noticed that many self identifying 'conservatives' attack everyone whom disagrees with the bishopry*. They do so automatically, and without consideration. All are not presumed guilty, all are judged guilty. This absolute absence of thought defines much of American conservatism.

They display either a complete ignorance of the particulars, or they are absolute episcopal partisans, incapable of stepping out of their bunker, and they show contempt of parishioners equivalent to class snobbery. They seem to be ignorant of, or opposed to, the fact the Church is made up of all the baptised, and not of bishops alone.

In this greater issue, i see two points of debate/conflict: have the words of Matthew xviii. 20, "For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" been abrogated in the contemporary American church?; is the episcopal power within a diocese equivalent to the that of faro in Egypt, wherein the bishop and faro are the only citizens in their realm, and are absolute despots? Now, that last part would indicate that every bishop has the right to create a schism, and if that is furthered, does every bishop have the right to be a heresiarch?

Their explanations are boilerplate rubber stampings. One is that the laity 'lack proper formation', which means they have not been successfully brainwashed. If a popular priest, is scandal free, and beloved, but comes into conflict by the bishop, he engages in 'a cult of personality'; of course such a charge is never reflected at a bishop. Anything labelled 'liberal' is always negative, it is equated to heretical, or worse.

When people try to conserve their rights, and property, against a radical activist with aggrandising demands and diktats, they are the conservatives, to the point of reaction. The people who refuse such a bishop are the conservatives, they are attempting to keep a status quo, and refusing the imposed arrogations and exactions.

I have seen the parishioners of St. Stanislaus Kostka St. Louis, St. Peter Cleveland, and others defined as protestant. No, they are not protestant, they are in conflict with episcopal greed and tyranny. They may become separated, and then be schismatic. But that is using accurate language, not something the accusing, thoughtless, 'conservative' is in habit of doing.

St. Peter's is not in schism [not upon this writing, at least]. Their ordinary, Richard Lennon, has attempted their suppression, and has evicted them from their campus. Before this was done, and following all procedures, St. Peter's had appealed to Rome. Their appeal (as others) has been repeatedly extended. March 2012 formally ends their latest extension. Until the appeal has ultimately been withdrawn, or ruled against, the parish remains open and in existence. The parish is still a functioning parish in the diocese of Cleveland. That is accurate and true. What is also true, is that, Lennon is not happy with this. Lennon has sent a letter to the parishioners threatening them. That is where it stands. We may know more soon [or not], since to-day is his last day of the ad limina meetings for the bishops of Ohio, and Michigan.

I went off on a tangent. One may choose to leave the Catholic church, but the Catholic church counts all those baptised in the faith (and those that enter afterwards) as Catholic. Once baptised, the mark on the soul is indelible, it can not be undone. Luther was an heresiarch, he remained a Catholic priest even while being the first Protestant.

There is ex-communication. That is not expulsion. One is still required to attend Mass. One is denied the Eucharist (Communion), and cannot take an active rôle in the Mass. These pseudo-Conservative church police may desire those they attack expelled, they could also wish to grow a horny carapace, or a second snout; but alas they have not the ability.

These ever vigilant, never lenient, nor merciful, self-appointed church police are supporters of totalitarianism. When transferred to a like minded political movement, they are fascists. Perhaps, if they are injured, then they may have another viewpoint. They do not worship God, but absolute authority without restriction. What a stupid, and mean idol to worship.
__________________________
*There is at least one exception, many 'conservatives' hate Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. They are taught this by political neo-conservatives such as the dishonest George Weigel. Peace and social justice issues are anathema to these Pharisees. In their world Mars and Mammon are faultless, and their critics more than suspect.

Others chronicled the casualties

take a look at:

http://closingcatholicchurchesincleveland.blogspot.com/

I am not the only one, who was upset with the loss of parishes in Cleveland. I was not the only one, who attempted some chronology.

This fellow, Patrick Richard, provides commentary, history, context, and fine fotos. He likes to present the sanctuary from the back center path of the nave. In his other shots, his subject of interest is something especially, visually, beckoning your attention. I am disheartened that his worthy exercise has been seen by so few.

There has been at least two books with photographs published about these suppressed churches.

Founded in Faith: Cleveland’s Lost Catholic Legacy. Debra First .

Cleveland’s Vanishing Sacred Architecture. Barry K. Herman & Walter Grossman, Introduction by Dennis Kucinich.

Who first wrote this to whom?

"Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores of America to help build America's cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God given rights."

I would not be surprised if this was written to Richard Lennon, certainly he received many with similar wording [if not exactly]. The letters to him were about his closings and eradication of parishes, and then the selling of the physical properties.

But no, his name is attached to these words. In a letter marked 40/2012, and dated 26 January 2012 from the office of the bishop.

Is he making a confession? No, he is railing against the federal government and a policy of "employees' health coverage".

The quote was printed in the Cleveland daily, to-day, Tuesday 1 February. The page was put in many church bulletins over the weekend. It was read in several churches. To-day, the rest of Cleveland could read about it.

Is this ironic? or hypocritical? What did someone sitting in church, who had lost their parish to businessman Lennon, think when he heard the words, or read the words?

How much does Lennon like money?

'rooted in faith--forward in hope' is an attempt to be slick in a shakedown for cash. The same Madison Avenue campaign has been issued elsewhere, but usually not in combination of a clearance of parish properties, and the extermination of parishes. The slip above was passed out to everyone in the pews by a flock of ushers, after a verbal appeal from the ambo/pulpit/lectern.

This capital campaign Lennon has rolled out is stealthy. Lennon delayed it. He wanted it concurrent with the parish closings. It had to wait. It is coming to ALL the surviving parishes, but not at once. Pressure is applied with greater focus.

It was to build a new chancery center. All the priests were called downtown for meetings. They said it was a bad idea to hit the people up then, and for that much. The goals were lowered. When the campaign was announced, other purposes were named. They were vague; and after all, when the money rolls in to the same place, to the same person, ten accounts is no different than one. Shuffle it there, shuffled here, and watch the money roll in.

One interesting portion is that people were encouraged, even pressured to join new parishes. Now as a member of a new parish they are pushed to pungle to the campaign. Economy be damned, pony up the money. Perhaps, the effectiveness of this shakedown will be that elusive gauge that will define 'vibrancy'; but that is no certainty of continuance.

The Hedwig presentation of the partial returns on parish liquidation released preliminary, partial numbers. There is still stuff to be sold. Lennon is in Rome this week, he brought money.