Kansas St. James
In response to a Nov. 18, 2007, Toledo Blade article about the former Kansas St. James Parish, the Diocese of Toledo issued the following statement:

“It is very sad that some of the former parishioners from Kansas have initiated a lawsuit, thus forcing the church to spend for legal fees money that would otherwise have been spent for charitable and church purposes. This is in addition to the more than $60,000 the former parishioners claim to have raised for this purpose.

“Remaining assets and/or debts of closed parishes (including buildings and cemeteries) typically go to the parish(es) now responsible for the closed parish’s territory. However, if it is clear that the existing parish has no use for the building(s), the diocese sees to their disposition, using in the meantime the former parish’s assets, if there are any, to maintain the property and to pay all bills associated with the former parish.

“In the case of Kansas, because of the lawsuit these assets are sadly being depleted instead of being made available to the parishes now responsible for the pastoral care of the former St. James parishioners.

“At a lengthy meeting with former Kansas parishioners Jan. 16, 2006, Bishop Leonard P. Blair invited them to make proposals to him as to how the former church building could be used for the good of the local community. No one sent him any suggestions other than to insist that the parish be reopened.”

Junction St. Mary
On Nov. 19, 2007, a story appeared in the Toledo Blade about a lawsuit filed by members of the former Junction St. Mary. The following is provided as clarification and background regarding this story:

St. Mary Parish in Junction was closed June 30, 2005, and its church and territory became part of Paulding St. Joseph. After consulting parishioners at both Junction and Paulding and their pastor, Father Allan Fillman, Bishop Blair agreed in 2005 to allow the church at Junction to function as a chapel for the time being, with the understanding that this was a transition to the day when a separate congregation at Junction would cease. The former Junction parishioners agreed to become members of Paulding St. Joseph. Father Herman Scherger was appointed by the Bishop as associate pastor in Paulding because of his willingness to minister at Junction until his retirement.

When Fr. Scherger retired July 1, 2007, the time had come for the church at Junction to cease functioning as a chapel of Paulding.

In a letter dated Oct. 19, 2007, Fr. Fillman, pastor of Paulding St. Joseph, wrote to his parishioners from Junction on the subject of the stained glass windows at St. Mary, and the disposition of “Sacred Goods” in a closed parish. He stated:

“As I am sure you are aware, the items that are blessed in a church are set aside for sacred use and cannot be returned to a non-church use. Thus the Sacred Goods of a church can only be given to another church and not to individuals. The Diocese cares for all the Sacred Goods of the closed parishes and sees to it that they go to other churches for use. So the Sacred Goods of the Junction Church will be offered to other Catholic Churches in our Diocese and then beyond so that they can continue to give glory to God in a Catholic Church.”

The letter further addressed the question of how someone could acquire the nameplate from a window donated by a particular family’s ancestors. It was determined that the nameplates could be removed and the letter explained the procedure and the cost for anyone who was interested in obtaining a nameplate. On Oct. 17, workers tried to access the building to remove the stained glass as well as the nameplates for those who requested them, but were prohibited from doing so by some of the former parishioners. Additionally, the contractor attempted to pack up some of the Sacred Goods for storage so they would not deteriorate in an unheated building during the winter months. This work too was prevented by some of the parishioners.

This is the background to the Blade’s reference to a temporary restraining order filed against the diocese “from removing any fixtures, windows, or building components” from the church property.

At a hearing Nov. 29, 2007, in Paulding County, a visiting judge received the parties’ written evidence and legal arguments and took the case under consideration. The judge extended the prior restraining order for an opportunity to review and rule on the pending motions. The judge set the case for prompt resolution and encouraged the parties to discuss compromise. The judge is aware that the county library may be interested in taking the Junction building for future use.

Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority Tax Exempt Financing
A news story appeared in the Toledo Blade Oct. 26, 2007, with the headline “Port might finance up to $12M for parochial schools.” The correct figure is $11 million, not $12 million.

It should also be noted that a bond issue by the Port Authority simply means that the diocese can avail itself of the option open to non-profit entities to raise money for non-church activities like school construction through tax-exempt bonds. All the funds that result must be repaid.

The Blade story states that “diocesan schools to be renovated or replaced with bond funding are Holy Rosary School, Swanton, Blessed Sacrament, Holy Rosary Cathedral, and Queen of Apostles schools in Toledo, St. Joseph School in Maumee, and St Michael the Archangel school in Findlay.”

To be accurate, certain of these projects are already underway or completed (Findlay and “Swanton”); others are in the financing stage (Blessed Sacrament and Maumee) and still others are only under consideration as possible projects (Rosary Cathedral and Queen of Apostles).

Finally, the project referred to in the Blade story as Holy Rosary in Swanton is in fact Holy Trinity School in Assumption, Ohio.