CLEVELAND - Praise Be...

[MayDay]

This past weekend, I attended a tour of two of Cleveland's sacred landmarks - St. Colman and St. Stephen Catholic churches.
http://www.stcolmanparish.org/history.htm
http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=SSC1

As some of you may know, the Cleveland Catholic Diocese has ordered St. Colman's to be closed and its membership to be merged with St. Stephen. The members of St. Colman (along with other parishes slated for closure) appealed to Bishop Lennon, but all appeals were rejected. This decision makes it a very real possibility that St. Colman could be demolished. It's not a story unique to Cleveland - immigrants build a beautiful structure in their inner-city neighborhood, the neighborhood suffers disinvestment and the members with means attend church in some far-flung suburb, and now the question remains - what to do with these beautiful buildings?

I'm not Catholic, nor are my beliefs remotely Judeo-Christian, but I can't help but think that Jesus would be ashamed that his followers have 1. decided to distance themselves from those most in need and 2. decided that their congregation's heritage, history and hard work are so disposable. Normally I post photos, offer an introduction and say "enjoy..." - not this time.
http://www.cleveland.com/westsidesun/news/index.ssf?/base/news-0/123867947435290.xml&coll=4

*EDIT* Update as of May 2, St. Stephen and St. Colman will remain OPEN!

St. Colman, as viewed from I-90:










Keep in mind - the diocese has decided this place 1. doesn't deserve to stay open and 2. could be stripped of its interior ornamentation, and 3. could quite possibly be demolished:








I wish this photo had turned out better - these are the three sisters who spearheaded the fund drive in 1997 for a restoration of the church. As the tour director emphasized - it was NOT the priest, nor the diocese - it was these ladies who kept this church in such good shape.






Note the uplighting - this was one of the first churches built with electricity:


If St. Colman is saved, a huge kudos is due to Tim Barrett - historian and host of the tours:








There's more detail in the window of this stairwell than most churches built after 1980:


At one time, the church was so busy they had dual services - one in the main sanctuary, and one in the basement. This shrine and the altar in the next image are remnants of that era:




At the time of construction, swastikas hadn't taken on their more ominous reference:








Just a railing - nothing special:




The railing of the pulpit:


Quick sidenote - if you're 1. on a church tour and 2. you want to get a photo from the pulpit but 3. the only way to the pulpit is a skiiiiiny set of steps with railing on only one side, you really should wait for the person who is at the pulpit to step down before you barge up and practically shove them off, you inconsiderate jack@ss - hope you got the photo you wanted:


Back to the photos, here's the cover to the baptismal - the whole thing swings to uncover it:


Next up is St. Stephen - smaller scale than St. Colman but grand in its own right. It should be noted - St. Stephen was originally slated to close, but the diocese reversed the decision - had that been the case, it's likely that the interior of St. Stephen would be stripped - and what you're about to see was never meant to be seen as anything other than an ensemble:


The pulpit - over 30 feet; handcarved wood.


This statue - handcarved wood. The arch (not sure of the technical term) behind it - handcarved wood, but even so - it's just a side piece:


The big kahuna (woodwork and deity) are off to the left:


Did I mention the stained glass windows? The great grandson of the German company founder visited Cleveland, saw them and said they were some of the finest ever produced by his family:


Oddly enough, I didn't see any of these over at St. Colman:


Confessional:


Stations of the Cross:






ColDayMan on a pale day:


Oh well, just strip it out and put it in some 1960s church - it'll fit right in!!! 




Decorative cap on every pew - pshaw, they still do this in churches in sprawlburbia!!!










Ah, a huge sculpture? Nope - just one of several. In the pulpit alone:


Another railing - no big deal:


But in other diocese news we can celebrate Our Lady Queen of Peace in Grafton - there, the socioeconomically diverse parish will be constructing a brand new 450-seat facility (see below for rendering and location), 30 miles from places like West 65th Street (small red arrow, where St. Colman is located).
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/lorain/1240043558305000.xml&coll=2



So much for WWJD? 

[MyTwoSense]

Amazing photos, those churches are gorgeous.  Those pictures are stunning!

I want to know why you didn't burst into flames after crossing the threshold of those structures?

[KJP]

MayDay, These are beautiful pictures and the possibility of these churches (including St. Ignatius Church on Lorain at West Boulevard) being demolished sickens me. No offense to my Catholic friends, but these churches are too important to be victims of the ebbs and flows of the diocese.

[3231]

MayDay,

Thanks for this very important piece.

[MyTwoSense]

MayDay, These are beautiful pictures and the possibility of these churches (including St. Ignatius Church on Lorain at West Boulevard) being demolished sickens me. No offense to my Catholic friends, but these churches are too important to be victims of the ebbs and flows of the diocese.

I couldn't agree more! 

Are there any members/parishioners of these churches?

[MayDay]

"I want to know why you didn't burst into flames after crossing the threshold of those structures?"

Simply put, I was on a mission from God.

[3231]

MayDay, These are beautiful pictures and the possibility of these churches (including St. Ignatius Church on Lorain at West Boulevard) being demolished sickens me. No offense to my Catholic friends, but these churches are too important to be victims of the ebbs and flows of the diocese.

How on earth would you be offending any catholic but Bishop Lennon?

[MyTwoSense]

"I want to know why you didn't burst into flames after crossing the threshold of those structures?"

Simply put, I was on a mission from God.

Lawd!

[edale]

Wow, these churches are beautiful.  It would be an absolute CRIME to demolish these.  Thanks for sharing your photos with us.

[metrocity]

I took a class on Cleveland's sacred landmark's at CSU, and from the book on St Stephen's "The church's interior was considered one of the finest in the world in in the 1890's and was officially recognized in 1893 at the Columbian Expostion in Chicago, where the free-standing oak pulpit with its finely detailed canopy was displayed".  The wood was hand carved in Germany for a lot of the things in there, and the statues reflect the German heritage with the blonde virgin Mary.

On another note...in that class we took a tour around the city to see the churchs.  At St Stephens, the class boarded our van to leave, and as we were pulling out of the parking lot, the professor was telling us a few more facts when across the street, a woman came running out of a house with a guy chasing her, and he pushed her up on the hood of a car.  Then they ran back in the house, only to come running out again with the woman chasing the man with a knife!  The driver of the van called the police, but they went running into the house again.  THEN, completely unrelated, a car speeds up 54th, passes in front of our van, turns left way too fast onto the side street across from the church, and hits the telephone pole and knocks it over sending sparks and wires all over the narrow street.  4 guys jump out of the car and run away leaving it there crashed.  I kid you not, this all happened in a matter of 2 minutes after we left the church.  It was like a scene from a movie.

Great pics btw Mayday!

[SFSpike]

Unfortunately it is not just a situation unique to Cleveland. The catholic church in the last two decades has closed hundreds of inner city churches across the country and either sold them off, or demolished them, with absolutely no regard for the parishioners or the history of the parish.  It is the opinion of the diocese that the structures are their sole property.  Such arrogance is not just limited to catholicism of course, but because of the huge architectural legacy and treasures, seems more poignant. 

Appeals do very little, and seem to only speed the demise of a parish.  Here in SF there was a terrible scandal caused by the closing of 14 parishes, mainly to pay off legal debts incurred by the diocese.  They messed with the wrong parish when they sold St. Brigid, which was held up for many years going all the way to a court in the Vatican.  They naturally sided with the archbishop.  The church is now part of an art college and the interior ornamentation was sold for a profit during the appeal (so the outcome was predetermined and assured).  Additionally, the church as a matter of course fights any attempt to landmark its churches, siting "separation of church and state" while all the time benefitting from not paying taxes, exemption form worker's comp laws, exemption from unemployment insurance laws, exemption from state disability laws, and from nondiscrimination laws. 

I am not a religious person by any means, (obviously) but feel a deep sense of betrayal for the blood sweat and tears of the people who built, donated their savings and struggled to help these parishes.  The clincher is, of course, building a hideous nondescript pile of cinderblock trash in some horrible car enslaved suburb so a MacDonald's engorged family can throw their shekels into the collection basket weekly.

But I'm not bitter....honestly! 

I wish them good luck in their struggle .

[Robert Pence]

Great photos of some amazing structures!

The story is the same elsewhere. In my neighborhood, 1880 St. Paul's and its adjoining school became a parking lot for a neighboring Lutheran Church - the Reformation marches on victorious, I guess. St. Paul's location was such that its loss left a gaping hole in the cityscape and urban fabric. It was stripped of its brilliant German windows and fixtures before being razed. Some items may have gone to other churches and probably the Cathedral Museum, but the windows and possibly other things ended up in antique shops as far away as Chicago and beyond.

The Bishop of the Johnstown-Altoona (PA) Diocese has announced intent to close four of the five Cambria City parishes. I took some exterior photos in Cambria City during my 2006 visit to Johnstown; those magnificent buildings, towering above the surrounding working-class housing, in some cases seem to be all that holds together the neighborhood's somewhat tattered fabric.

[doctabroccoli]

MayDay, These are beautiful pictures and the possibility of these churches (including St. Ignatius Church on Lorain at West Boulevard) being demolished sickens me. No offense to my Catholic friends, but these churches are too important to be victims of the ebbs and flows of the diocese.

How on earth would you be offending any catholic but Bishop Lennon?

Don't worry, MayDay, you're not offending this Catholic.  I had never been inside either of these churches, though.  All I have to say is WOW.

[jam40jeff]

Are there any members/parishioners of these churches?

I am a member of St. Stephen and got married there last summer.  Also, I was Baptized, received First Communion, and was Confirmed at St. Colman.  So, thanks MayDay for a great thread that means a lot to me.

And don't get me started about this church closing mess, I have spent many a day lamenting over it already.

[KJP]

MayDay, These are beautiful pictures and the possibility of these churches (including St. Ignatius Church on Lorain at West Boulevard) being demolished sickens me. No offense to my Catholic friends, but these churches are too important to be victims of the ebbs and flows of the diocese.

How on earth would you be offending any catholic but Bishop Lennon?

That was a CYA statement on my part. I often say things that, to me, surprisingly offends some people. Other times I say things that I expect might offend some people and warn them, but the caution it what seems to offend them more.

This is why I like my cats.

[ProkNo5]

Threads like these really make me sad.  We absolutely need to stop thinking of everything as disposable.  Sometimes I worry that our priorities are so messed up that we might actually end up like the movie Idiocracy. 

When I did my tour of Cleveland last summer, St Coleman's was the only church I stopped in, and I was blown away.  How could they ever talk about destroying such a beautiful place?

I could ramble on, but at this point it seems hopeless.

[Avogadro]

Correct, but that suburban mentality has been engrained in his generation.  So much, that they think bigger and new equate to better.  When many of their parents and grand parents were born and raised or when first moving to the city lived in these neighborhoods.

Since I'm somebody who actually attends mass on a regular basis, let me take this opportunity to dispel your notion.  If you look at who is in the pews in a Catholic church in the city (including, but not limited to St. Peter's, St. Augustine, and St. Malachi), who you will see will be a mix of folks in their 20s and 30s, some boomers, and seniors.  If you go into a church out in the 'burbs, you'll see families headed by parents in their 40s and 50s, some seniors, and not a whole lot of young adults.

Man, if you are going to be expressing your opinions on such a regular basis, at least make them informed.

(On preview: Dammit, Prok: it would be helpful if you didn't contradict me before I expressed my view.  Also, I'm really sad about your friends.  Most all of my friends adore living in pre-war homes and neighborhoods.)

[jam40jeff]

If you look at who is in the pews in a Catholic church in the city (including, but not limited to St. Peter's, St. Augustine, and St. Malachi), who you will see will be a mix of folks in their 20s and 30s, some boomers, and seniors.  If you go into a church out in the 'burbs, you'll see families headed by parents in their 40s and 50s, some seniors, and not a whole lot of young adults.

I have noticed the same thing.

[ink]

So sad.

[jam40jeff]

Churches are cornerstones in any community.  Why let them die for some crap in the exurbs?

True.  Speaking of which, did you see the article about the new Catholic Church in Grafton?  I'll try to find it.

[MyTwoSense]

Churches are cornerstones in any community.  Why let them die for some crap in the exurbs?

True.  Speaking of which, did you see the article about the new Catholic Church in Grafton?  I'll try to find it.

We've all seen that abomination and that is the type of church I was speaking about.  Please don't post a picture of that unholy craptastic build again!

[jam40jeff]

We've all seen that abomination and that is the type of church I was speaking about.  Please don't post a picture of that unholy craptastic build again!

What is it with new churches these days that they feel the need to make them look like spaceships?  It's just creepy to me.

[MayDay]

[Columbusite]

Well, like the Baptist church Downtown, they could be turned into nightclubs.

[jam40jeff]

I don't know about any of the other churches that are closing, but I know that St. Colman has been consecrated, which means that if the Catholic Church is no longer using the building, they must tear it down.  It cannot be used for anything else.

[X]

That makes this news even more horrible.  I thought that they could deconsecrate these buildings so that they were just a building in the eyes of the diocese?

[MyTwoSense]

That makes this news even more horrible.  I thought that they could deconsecrate these buildings so that they were just a building in the eyes of the diocese?

I was thinking the same thing.

[buckeye1]

Canon law 1212:  Sacred places lose their dedication or blessing if they have been in great measure destroyed, or if they have been permanently made over to secular usage, whether by decree of the competent Ordinary or simply in fact.

Canon law 1222:  §1 If a church cannot in any way be used for divine worship and there is no possibility of its being restored, the diocesan Bishop may allow it to be used for some secular but not unbecoming purpose.

§2 Where other grave reasons suggest that a particular church should no longer be used for divine worship, the diocesan Bishop may allow it to be used for a secular but not unbecoming purpose. Before doing so, he must consult the council of priests; he must also have the consent of those who could lawfully claim rights over that church, and be sure that the good of souls would not be harmed by the transfer.

Re: adaptive reuse of a former Catholic church, see Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh:  www.churchbrew.com

[MayDay]

^Church Brew Works did come to mind, but that particular structure is more on the scale of St. Stephen, maybe slightly larger - St. Colman's main sanctuary seemed a LOT bigger, so I don't know if that could be practical. Of course, a formerly Irish church being turned into a brewery wouldn't be *that* absurd

[MyTwoSense]

^Church Brew Works did come to mind, but that particular structure is more on the scale of St. Stephen, maybe slightly larger - St. Colman's main sanctuary seemed a LOT bigger, so I don't know if that could be practical. Of course, a formerly Irish church being turned into a brewery wouldn't be *that* absurd

You're flirting with the flames of hell!