Posted on 10/30/2022 6:30:18 PM PDT by marshmallow
Priests in Steubenville have asked Ohio's bishops to reconsider a plan to merge their diocese.
Bishop Jeff Monforton says a plan to merge the Diocese of Steubenville into its larger neighbor could become a template for the merger of other small, struggling U.S. dioceses.
But more than a dozen priests of the diocese have signed a letter asking Ohio’s bishops to reconsider their support for a plan to merge Steubenville with the Diocese of Columbus. The priests say that Steubenville’s problems are overstated, and won’t be solved by a merger.
Steubenville priests and a former diocesan employee told The Pillar that the Ohio diocese has been badly mismanaged by Monforton, and needs concrete changes and new leadership, not a merger.
The Pillar has learned that Monforton is facing a Vatican-ordered investigation into his handling of sexual abuse allegations, while some clerics have said the bishop’s management of serious financial and personnel issues should raise questions about his support for a merger.
Among other issues raised, Monforton applied for a $50,000 grant to study fundraising prospects for a cathedral renovation and other diocesan projects, even after plans for the extinctive merger of the diocese were underway.
For his part, Monforton told The Pillar he understands concerns about the prospective merger, and that he is praying for the best outcome for his people.
(Excerpt) Read more at pillarcatholic.com ...
No mention of the Franciscan University of Steubenville in the article. That is why the diocese has more priests per capita and more activity for the low number of Catholics “living” in the diocese.
While I could imagine merging dioceses in some instances, I am not comfortable doing that when the diocese becomes geographically large. We lived in Columbus, GA for four years . . . the west edge of the Savannah diocese. Savannah is 250 miles away and so was the Traditional Mass. We were right next to the Mobile Diocese, same problem in reverse . . . Mobile was 250 miles away and that’s where most of the Masses were. The Deanery for Columbus was (and is?) headed by a priest hostile to tradition (Irish from Ireland . . . the worst when they go bad). We had to go to the Atlanta diocese for Mass, still two hours and 110 miles each way.
So, from personal experience I know that living on the periphery of a large diocese, especially one where the seat is on the opposite edge, means you may not be well taken care of.
Admittedly, I am not in the know about Ohio Diocesan politics… but the sceptic in me would think the Steubenville Diocese is too good and true so they have to crush it. There is something of a revival happening due to Franciscan and other Catholic online personalities who are moving to Steubenville to live and work together. They are picking up steam and therefore must be diluted.
Thank you, Karl! That’s a good image.
My instinct also.
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