To the editor:
On Jan. 20, we attended Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Canton. After the homily, the priest announced that Youngstown Bishop David Bonnar, after speaking with the presbyteral council, has stated that the pastoral plan for St. Joseph and St. Joan of Arc is "90 percent complete." By June there will be a name change for the parishes, but the names of the churches will remain the same.
Both churches were combined a few years back, sharing one bulletin and priests. All the other church functions such as finances, clubs, etc. remained the same.
With this action, which is to take place in June, the bishop naming a parish (like the Triumph of the Cross) with two churches and all the finances will be under one place.
There is no need for this. This is a terrible and unnecessary action by this bishop.
These are the same steps used by Bishop Daniel Conlon in 2005 and ended with the closing of St. Stanislaus, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Pius X, Servants of Christ the King, Holy Rosary and Holy Name Cathedral, which was done in June of 2008.
When the pastoral planning for the city of Steubenville began in 2005, all the parishes were all paid for, had numerous parishioners and a faithful community. Not one pastor of a parish went to the bishop stating that a parish needed to be closed. After speaking to the presbyteral council, the bishop introduced the building of a new cathedral at a cost of $9.3 million and it was approved.
During this time the steel mills which employed a number of people and provided livelihoods for many in the area and throughout the country, were going bankrupt because of illegal dumping. This it seemed was not a concern for the bishop, and he moved forward with his plan.
The new cathedral was never built. Conlon remained in the diocese until the pope moved him to Joliet, Ill. Jefferey Monforton was named bishop in 2012, during his time he had an audit done going back four years (not the whole time Conlon was in office.) Discrepancies were found and two were charged and convicted, which put a stop on the work being done on Holy Name Cathedral. Lack of finances. This was in 2018.
In 2022, the bishop met with his priests and informed them that for a year prior he was searching to merge the diocese with the diocese of Columbus. After backlash, the merger was off the agenda. In 2023, Monforton was moved by the pope to Detroit. On Sept. 28, apostolic administrator Bishop Paul Bradley was named. Not even three months later, talks are back on the table.
The reason for the merger? The Diocese of Steubenville will be bankrupt in five years. Nothing about the faithful. No -- just the money.
Merica Petrella
Steubenville