The Roman Catholic Church In Cincinnati (Dayton, Kent: neighborhoods, school, closing)

[CarpathianPeasant]

If you don't already know (I trust most people in Cincinnati do know), the administrative chief honcho of the Catholic Church for the region (Dayton's included) is the Archbishop of Cincinnati, and the Archdiocesan offices are in Cincinnati, most recently somewhere around 8th & Walnut.

In addition, there are a couple of religious orders of women based in Greater Cincinnati including the Sisters of Charity and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (Reading on the latter).

Archbishops are "chairmen of the board" for entire states in the United States. In some countries, it's the entire country.

[motorman]

So what's there to discuss?

[Ohiogirl81]

Thanks for the update! Has any of that changed in the past, oh, say, 150 years or so?

[kjbrill]

The Archbishop may be the chairman of the board, but in recent years councils of lay people in the individual churches have taken over a lot more of the duties to keep those institutions operating.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

The Archbishop may be the chairman of the board, but in recent years councils of lay people in the individual churches have taken over a lot more of the duties to keep those institutions operating.

As well they should. The diocese has made a horrible mess of the institution.

[CarpathianPeasant]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

The Archbishop may be the chairman of the board, but in recent years councils of lay people in the individual churches have taken over a lot more of the duties to keep those institutions operating.

True.

And, in a good many cases they make actually implement decisions, but probably not always.

I think it was in the biography of John Paul II (written before he died) that John Cornwell (Hitler's Pope and other books) expressed the idea that in time the Catholic Church may go underground.

Now there's a thought. It's the first time I've ever seen it suggested publicly by someone with some say.

[The Don]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Thanks for the update! Has any of that changed in the past, oh, say, 150 years or so?

Yes, actually it has; the Achdiocese of Cincinnati used to encompass the majority of the State of Ohio.

Still not sure what the intent of the OP was - other than maybe to point out the importance of Cincinnati to the region.

Speaking of things Catholic, I would highly encourage locals to take a trip the the Cathedral Basilica in Covington, Kentucky - it's very impressive! Puts the Cathedral of the Archdioces of Cincinnati to shame.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by The Don

Yes, actually it has; the Achdiocese of Cincinnati used to encompass the majority of the State of Ohio.

Yeah, but the last time it spun off was in 1868.

Speaking of things Catholic, I would highly encourage locals to take a trip the the Cathedral Basilica in Covington, Kentucky - it's very impressive! Puts the Cathedral of the Archdioces of Cincinnati to shame.

You're right about that. I like St. Peter in Chains just fine, but the Basilica is awe-inspiring.

[kjbrill]

I feel a discussion of Catholic is mainly relative to the historical significance in Cincinnati. Such a large percentage of the original migrants to Cincinnati were from a Catholic background it virtually dominated the City. Whole neighborhoods were Catholic, I think especially on the West Side. The most significant remanent of this may be the parochial school system, one of the largest in the country in terms of percent of total student population. Maybe it is a problem to CPS, since it drains off so many of the people definitely interested in education.

I personally think the adherence to strict Catholic Church dogma, in the US at least, has relaxed considerably in the last 50 years. The majority of Catholics may still be anti-abortion, but adherence to the official position on birth control is at the best tongue-in-cheek, sort of like the military position on don't ask, don't tell.

A similar stand was the old position of the church on marriage between Catholics and non-Catholics. The non-Catholic was treated like some sort of undesirable. I feel today if a Catholic and non-Catholic decide to marry, the Catholic will say to the Church accept my spouse or I will find another church. In the past, the pressure on the non-Catholic to turn Catholic was immense. In fact, for a non-Catholic to marry a Catholic in a church sanctioned marriage, the non-Catholic had to first agree that any children would be raised Catholic. My wife, who was Lutheran at the time, had to go through this.

But the biggest change has been the horror of many Catholics at the revelation the church did so little, in fact covered up, the problem of sexual abuse fostered by the clerics. The very people entrusted with the spiritual growth of young people were their worst enemy. I considered this an involatile act, and is the reason why I became a non-practicing Catholic. Having been raised a Catholic all my life, I still cannot search out another church because I just don't feel comfortable there. But at the same time, I severed my support with the Catholic church. I am not sure what they could do to get me back. I will likely die stuck in some limbo land.

[CarpathianPeasant]

Originally Posted by The Don

Still not sure what the intent of the OP was - other than maybe to point out the importance of Cincinnati to the region.

The intent was to point out that Catholic speaking, everything comes down to Cincinnati (yet, today).

Given the Catholic population of Cincinnati, the assorted mergers and closing, etc., have a substantial effect on everyday living, whether you are talking about "revitalization," voting patterns or whatever, and it's not easy to go beyond it. It might be good to keep that in mind in some of these discussions.

There is an exception: as I understand it, if a religious organization has a charter directly from Rome (directly approved by Rome), that group really does not have to abide by decisions by the Archbishop. I know the Society of Mary has such a charter (they grandly "agree" with the Archbishop) and I would assume the Jesuits also have one.

Covington is "only" a diocese (Louisville is the Archdiocese) and Covington does have a lovely, historic cathedral, but much of the power still sits in Cincinnati.