Response from Bishop Murry

Bishop George V. Murry says he will spend the first year in the Youngstown Diocese listening to and understanding the faithful while visiting parishes, schools, hospitals and Catholic Charity offices. The Vindicator solicited comments and questions from area residents about what they think the concerns of the new bishop should be. Here are some excerpts:
Jo Subler, chairwoman of the Christian Formation Commission at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Boardman: "I liked that he said he wanted to get to know the needs of the diocese before he makes any decisions. Each church has its own needs and problems. We're recognizing the diversity among us and the congregation and want to make sure Hispanic and African-American members feel welcome and a part of the church. We're the largest church and biggest school in the diocese. The questions are ... 'how are we doing and what aren't we doing?'"
Rick Myers of Austintown: "More needs to be done in addressing the future of Catholic education in the Valley. Over the last several years, schools have been closing left and right, to the point where the City of Youngstown is left with only one elementary school. I fear for the future of the two Austintown schools as well, and really am concerned with the affordability of high school parochial education. Will you, as our new leader, take a more pro-active role in this area than our previous Bishop did, and do something to make Catholic education more affordable for people who do not get help from grants?"
Justin A. Dublikar, Esq., Canton Our Lady of Peace parishioner and grade school alumnus: "Just 30 years ago, nearly every Catholic grade school in the Diocese was prospering and the Catholic high schools were all near capacity. Now, many grade schools have closed or are in danger of closing their doors, and all five diocesan high schools have half the students they had a few decades ago. The number of Catholics in the diocese hasn't decreased by half in that time frame, so something else is at issue.
"It's partially the economy of the region, and I fully understand that Catholic schools are not free. But I believe our new Bishop should stress to the priests and parishioners of our Diocese that if we allow our Catholic schools to die or even to struggle, a vital arm of the Church will be lost forever.
"A second, but related issue, is the belief among many financially able Catholics in the diocese that they have no duty to seek a Catholic education for their children. It's one thing when a family just can't afford the ever-rising tuition costs. But it doesn't seem justified when there are many Catholic families in our diocese who could afford to send their children to our Catholic schools (with a small sacrifice of worldly possessions or luxury items), but choose not to (often so that they can buy a more luxurious house or another expensive car)."
Bill Schiraldi of Boardman: "Every year one or more parochial schools close due to lack of students and cost. The smaller parishes are going in huge debts to maintain their schools. Mainly with the cost of hospitalization and salaries [which in my opinion are low]. As an outsider and not being biased with individual alumni associations and school spirit, the decision must be made to consolidate the elementary and high schools into a central Catholic school system. The duplication alone in school staffs and materials would justify the consolidation."
Peggy Jones Leone of Guilford Lake: "As a lifelong Catholic, I have a serious concern about ... it's [the diocese's] distribution of charitable funds to various agencies. ... In Lisbon, the agency I want to talk about is Family and Community Services, which does emergency work with county residents on a non-discriminatory basis. The board members are all lay Catholics and serve without pay because they believe in what the agency is doing. Now the problem: This agency gets NO funding from Catholic Charities even though they have applied many times. ... Explain to me why this is happening."
Karen Partlow of Boardman: "I believe, along with many others, that in reference to cemetery rules and regulations they need to be updated and reviewed. ... The main point is that in Ohio you never really know how the weather will be, so having limitations on 'artificial' flowers from Nov. 1 through March 1 is not realistic and an inconvenience when someone has a birthday during that time and it is too cold to put real flowers out for them to even last a day. This is a difficult thing for those who are older and elderly to make many trips out there to put flowers on the graves. I ask you to kindly reconsider the issue of dates for real and artificial to be extended from another date such as April 1 until Oct. 1."
Carol Resseger of Ravenna: "I'm writing to ask you to intervene in a matter involving the trees in the Catholic cemetery in our community. Plans have been made by those in control to cut down all the trees, some of which are over 200 years old. Some members of Immaculate Conception congregation not only feel that this is unnecessary, but very wrong to do. Trees offer peace and shade to those who come to visit the gravesites of loved ones. Trees are a gift from God, and we need to be good stewards of His gifts. It would mean so much to these church members if the trees could stay."
Rich from Canfield: "I am 57 years old and was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith. My wife of 33 years has been a Catholic her entire life, and for the past 15 years I have been attending Mass with her every week. Over the past few years, I have decided that it is time for me to transfer my religious position to that of a Catholic. The concern I have encountered is that it isn't as simple a process as one would expect. I would very much like to attend some classes and/or training sessions with a priest and then be accepted into the faith, but the clergy I have approached thus far are adamant about the six or seven months of standardized group classes. I have observed that the Catholic Mass is in very many ways similar to my own Lutheran faith, and I don't feel all of this training is necessary for someone with such a background. In this age, I feel that the diocese should do whatever it takes to accept willing members into the faith. A one-on-one class with a priest seems to me to have much more meaning, and the ensuing private acceptance into the Church would be greatly appreciated by people that are shy in public such as I am."
Kathleen Mecak, St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Boardman: "As a teacher of 32 years in the Youngstown City Schools, I had opportunity to visit in the homes of my students and perform with my groups in their churches. I saw their many faiths and I ask, do we have a council representing the many religions of our community that meets with the goal of understanding one another's faith, eliminating religious intolerance, respecting values of all forms of spiritual practice? Imagine the people of our community living in harmony, eliminating violence, showing that peace is our nature by fostering love, kindness, cooperation and caring. This would be our community's contribution to global warming."