Community

Gathering Prays for Proposed Steubenville Diocese Merger To Be Stopped

Linda Harris

The woman stood in front of the Diocese of Steubenville's chancery Sunday, fighting back tears as she talked about plans to merge it with the Columbus diocese.

"There's lots smaller cities and dioceses and this isn't being done to them," she said.

Nearly a hundred parishioners, priests and nuns, rosaries in hand, gathered in front of the chancery to pray for the diocese, for Bishop Jeffrey Monforton and their priests.

Monforton had told priests and staff members at an Oct. 10 meeting that he'd been exploring the possibility of merging the 13 counties of the Diocese of Steubenville with the Columbus diocese, citing declining numbers in parishioners, mass attendance and active priests as well as population. He said the Ohio Bishops had already voted on it, and in November he's taking it to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Once they've voted it will be forwarded to the Vatican so the pope can make his decision.

Sharon Conklin, a Steubenville resident and member of Holy Rosary Church, admits she's troubled by the proposed merger.

"There may be a financial problem here but there's not a faith problem.There's not a problem with devotions and there's not a problem with vocations," she said. "To me, that's what's important in a diocese -- you always have financial troubles in this world. That's not the most important thing. This is such a wonderful diocese, really."

Steubenville Mayor Jerry Barilla, one of the speakers, told the crowd it was handled badly.

"The people of the diocese didn't have a say in it," he said. "Our whole government was formed by the people, of the people and for the people. I think the people should have some say in it."

"We, the people, need to have a voice in our diocese," he told the crowd.

Jefferson County Commissioner Tom Graham, a deacon, said they were there to "pray to God this so-called merger will be stopped, we wanted an avenue to make it happen."

"People don't want to see the diocese merged -- it's always been a struggle, but we'll do what we have to to keep the Diocese of Steubenville," Graham said.

Steubenville 2nd Ward Councilman Tracy McManamon, Councilwoman-At-Large Kimberly Hahn and her husband, Scott, were among those who led a section of the Rosary.

Hahn pleaded for "new life and new strength" in the diocese, while McManamon asked that they be blessed with wisdom.

"We also pray, especially today, for our priests, our deacons and all those who are truly affected by this," McManamon told the faithful. "Most importantly, we ask for hope -- hope for our diocese to remain."

Scott Hahn asked for the "preserved integrity of the diocese and renew the faithful, expand and bless our mission."

A nun prayed for "our bishops, guide them and give them a shepherd's heart," while a priest prayed that, "God will preserve this diocese."

In closing, Hahn thanked those in attendance "for bringing your families out."

"Families are really the ones who make up the diocese and no matter what happens, I think we have to, frankly, acknowledge the sense of abandonment we're fighting and at the same time recognize that the grace is sufficient to us to see ourselves through."

Hahn told the group the "integrity of this diocese can be manifested by renewing the sense of mission we all have."

Contacted Sunday evening, a diocesan spokesman said only that, "The bishop always encourages prayer."