Save Our Parishes!

****Notice: For Questions/Information, Contact [email protected]****

*More News from Around the U.S. and Beyond (page added)

New: SaveOurBuffaloChurches.com

**February 1st, 2024 Beacons of Light (parish merger and closure) Initiative "Informational Meeting", Presented by Beacons representatives from the AOC to over 400 parishioners. Leaders called out on inconsistencies. @ PAC Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, McCartyville, Anna and Kettlersville, Ohio. See under Events & News header/Media Links.

**Shortage of Priests in the AOC? Not so fast.... See interview with Archbishop under Events and News header/Media Links.

New to Facebook: Save St. Martin of Tours (Cheviot)
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560986713462
*See Save Our Parishes on Facebook for frequent updates on parish consolidations and closures in regions across the United States. These reflect on the developments in, and future of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

*See also the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) website, and their list of clients (us). CLI appears to be managing the extinctions and consolidations of parishes into regional conglomerates. https://www.catholicleaders.org/our-partners

The Vatican Has Upheld the Appeal of Two Parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Louis Against Extinctive Mergers. https://www.archstl.org/Portals/0/Documents/Communication_Planning/PressReleases/FY24/RLS%20-%20Two%20Additional%20Dicastery%20Decisions%20051424.pdf?ver=2024-05-14-152349-163

St. Denis Parish, Versailles, OH has parish mandate to print under "Mandates, Decrees, Appeals" header.

Are you prepared for your Parish to be cancelled? There will be approximately seven stand alone parishes in the AoC. Every other parish, except those who are subsuming other parishes, will receive Decrees of Extinction, regardless of what high level Beacons of Light representatives communicated at the Feb. 1st Meeting in McCartyville. This means that most parishes will be extinguished through the Beacons of Light "Evangelical" Merger/Closure program being implemented under different euphemisms throughout the country.

Procurator Holy Angels Parish, Sidney Blogspot,: EXTINGUISHING Parishes. What Beacons of Light Administers Say, Verses What Their Website States. See Under "Events and News" header/"Media".

ARCHDIOCESAN MANDATES FOR ALL CITIZENS, CATHOLIC AND NON-CATHOLIC, OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF CINCINNATI, ARE LOCATED UNDER "MANDATES, DECREES, APPEALS" HEADER, 4TH POST DOWN.

*New* From Diocese of Columbus: SaveHRSJ.com (Holy Rosary-St. John, A Shining Light on S. Ohio Ave.) We encourage you to go to this site to read about their preservation efforts.

Facebook pages:
Save Our Parishes, Save Our Steeples, Save St. Michael's Parish, Save Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Save Our Saint Henry Cluster Parishes, Save Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Preserve Holy Angels Parish, Preserve Saint Remy Parish, Save Saint Anthony, and website sostlp.org (Save Our Saint Louis Parishes)....
Please notify us as your groups form.

WCPO INVESTIGATIVE REPORT regarding the effects of Beacons of Light on the people of South and West Central Ohio, and their responses, Installments #1 and #2 under "Events & News"; then click on "Media Links".

Parish Mandates Available Here for Saint Henry, St. Aloysius, St. Wendelin, St. Francis, and St. Bernard. Go to "Mandates, Decrees, Appeals" header and Click on "St. Henry's Area Parishes" Updates. You Must Sign Two Originals per Person, One for Cincinnati, and One for Rome.

*New* from Save Our Steeples: Video. "Is Your Church at Risk? What you Need to Know about Beacon's of Light". See under "Events and News" Header.

Recap, Fact-Checking and Highlighting Inconsistancies of the AOC and Beacons from the Feb. 1, 2024 #bigDiocesan Meeting at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, McCartyville. Save Our Steeples. Under "Documents" header.

Another Letter from The Land of the Cross Tipped Churches. Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish member Scott Gaier. See under "Documents".

A Plea for Parishes, by Joe Schmiesing. Published in Crisis Magazine. See under both "Documents", and "Events & News (under Media)" headers.

From Ted Holthaus, Procurator for Saint Michael Catholic Parish, Ft. Loramie to Archbishop, Reverend Jan Schmidt, Father Jarred Kohn, and Mr. Mike Shafer:
Advertisement in Parish Bulletin Rejected, as it *Supports the Integrity, rather than Dissolution* of the Parish. Canon Law Permits Parishes to Oppose Extinction. Under "Documents" header.

Eucharistic Revival in the Era of Vanishing Parishes. Commentary by Archdiocesan Procurator, Mark Pettus. Go to "Documents" header.

New Survey of Sacred Heart of Jesus, McCartyville Parishioners in Response to Beacons of Light. See Summary of Results under "Documents" header.

Decree of Extinction St. Patrick's Parish, Shelby County, Ohio. Demolished 6 years later. See Under "Mandates, Decrees, Appeals" header.

See Holy Angels Parishioners' Response to bulletin insert requesting further clarification from Beacons Pathway Team regarding confusing Beacons information. Look under "Documents" header.

Re: Renovation Donation requests from Cathedral Basilica Saint Peter in Chains. Letter from Archdiocesan Procurator Mark Pettus to Rector Father Jan Schmidt. Includes Father Schmidt's letter in response. See letters under "Documents" header.

Where Can the Assets of a Suppressed Parish Be Transferred? We are told by pastors and "Beacons of Light" advertisements that the money goes with the merged parish to the new Parochial Church. *There are other possibilities*. Let your pastor and archbishop know you are aware of this. From Monsignor Jason Gray, Diocese of Peoria. Go to "Documents" header.

Three questions for your pastor and the archbishop:
1- If the laity throughout the archdiocese, whose churches are being suppressed, do not donate to the renovation of the ailing Basilica St. Peter in Chains, where will that funding come from?
2- If the archdiocese is incapable of renovating the basilica with the basilica's own money, where will they get the funds to pay the consulting firms for the "Beacons of Light" forced mergers?
3-If the assets from forced merged parishes can be designated for other purposes, rather than following the parishioners to the designated Parochial Church (see article under "Documents" header), will merged parishes' assets be directed for either of these projects?

Beacons of Light designated "stand alone parish" Cathedral Basilica Saint Peter in Chains seeking repair and operating cost donations from laity whose Parishes, supposedly unable to survive without merger, are slated for Extinctive Union. See letter under "Documents" header.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Mandates and Archdiocesan Mandate Pick Up and Drop Off containers now at MULLY'S DRIVE THRU and ANNA LIBRARY.
-At Mully's inside on counter so they don't blow away.
TWO Parish Mandates per person 14 and older, with TWO witnesses, 18 and older, on each Mandate. Keep the TWO clipped together.
For Archdiocesan Mandates, sign ONE, with TWO witnesses.
-At Anna Library on the Table to the RIGHT as you walk in.

Parish Vitality Survey: Record Your Experience with "Beacons of Light", https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/vitality23

"...a parish can be suppressed or merged out of existence, 'ONLY when the COUNTERINDICATIONS OF ITS CONTINUED LIFE ARE OVERWHELMING and only after careful consultation with everyone who is affected.'" From: The Rights of Parishes, by Duanne L.C.M. Galles. See link to full article from EWTN website under "Documents" header.

St. Louis CLOSES thriving Traditional Latin Mass Parish. See "Events & News" subheader "Media Links" for details.

"Documents" page: Letter to Procurator from Canon Lawyer explaining Canon Law and two Masses per year in Subsidiary, non-parish churches.

Beacon's Pathway Leads Session, September 20, 2023. Listen to understand the perspective of the archdiocese compared to your experiences of "Beacon's of Light".
Go to video under "Events and News"/"Media Links" At minute 1:10:30 it is suggested a TASER be used on Chris Neikamp of SaveOurSteeples.org (also on FB).
Transcript provided after video link (transcript does not contain TASING of parishioner remark.). Parish closures admitted. It is discussed how people are figuring out that their churches are going to close, but have not been told directly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=lxFI8rcB1Qs&list=PLuj5f6x42y9u8wJwgzA3sQ_TNTIz9vmjf&index=14

How will your Parish benefit from not existing?
See Blog Post by Canon Lawyer Patricia Dugan under "Documents" header.

Parish Procurator Mandates are to send to the Archdiocese and Rome after Extinctive Union Decrees are issued. Each person signs TWO, with TWO witnesses on both copies in order that we have TWO originals. These are DIFFERENT from the Archdiocesan Procurator Mandates.

Your Hope Will Never Depart from the Hearts of Men, as They Remember the Power of God. Judith 13:19
11/5/23 If you found your bulletin insert confusing, please refer to the Beacons of Light website for clarification:

(From Beacons of Light) Parochial v Subsidiary Church. Pay close attention to p. 2 definition of Subsidiary functions:
"Blessed Sacrament MAY be reserved."
"MAY have a baptismal font."
"Other sacraments MAY be celebrated therein."
(For the PAROCHIAL Church, substitute MUST for MAY.)

If there were no difference between Parochial Churches and Subsidiaries, no changes would be made to your Parish's status. Subsidiaries are buildings of secondary use, and there can be no expectation nor promise that there will be business as usual Parish life on those "campuses". They will be used less (as is the intent when making them Subsidiary), with the legal possibility always there that they will be used little. It could be a slow boil. It is all up to whoever is the pastor and how he wants to proceed at any given time. What happens to buildings that are not used, or are considered not significant enough to be Parishes unto themselves?

Additionally, from Kathleen J Bender, regarding the definition of Subsidiary Church: "MAY have Sacraments with permission" is correct, but it is stated in Beacons of Light that Subsidiary churches do not have the
RIGHT to have the Sacraments.
This is a huge legal difference. Please don’t give up your Parish rights. Please see the Beacons of Light website FAQ’s under the Canonical heading to verify that Subsidiary churches DO NOT have the Right to have the Sacraments..." on their campus.

For those Parishes who have formed Core Groups under Canon Lawyer Philip Gray's guidance, please sign Parish Mandates (TWO original per person, BOTH must have TWO witnesses, available under "Mandates, Decrees, Appeals" header above) to greatly assist with the Appeal of the impending Decree of Extinctive Union against your Archdiocese of Cincinnati Parish (all but 7 will receive decrees.). If you do not have Parish Core groups formed, and your Parish is NOT in need of a Merger/Extinctive Union due to your individual Parish circumstances, contact Cincinnati Archdiocesan Procurator Mark Pettus under "About" header. You must act quickly, as some Parishes have already received Decrees AND had Appeals rejected by the Archbishop. Parish Mandates are for Appeal to Rome.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Who Can Be Procurator of your Parish Core Group?

In response to a Cincinnati Diocesan Pastor's youtube.com video claiming that a Procurator representing a Parish against a merger or amalgamation must be a Canon Lawyer and approved by the Bishop, please read the Canon Law he misread and applied incorrectly:

"Can. 1483. The procurator and advocate must have attained the age of majority and be of good reputation; moreover, the advocate must be a Catholic unless the diocesan bishop permits otherwise, a doctor in canon law or otherwise truly expert, and approved by the same bishop."

There are two distinct positions defined:

1- The *PROCURATOR must have attained the age of majority and be of good reputation.
(The Procurator does NOT have to be Catholic, does NOT have to be a Canon Lawyer, NOR does he or she need to be approved by the Bishop.)

2- The *ADVOCATE must have attained the age of majority and be of good reputation, also.
Moreover, the *Advocate must be a Catholic unless the Bishop permits otherwise, a doctor in canon law or otherwise truly expert, and approved by the same Bishop.
- Canon. 212 §1. Conscious of their own responsibility, the Christian faithful are bound to follow with Christian obedience those things which the sacred pastors, inasmuch as they represent Christ, declare as teachers of the faith or establish as rulers of the Church. §3. According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful, without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons.
What Can You Do?
- 1.a. Sign the Archdiocesan Mandate.
  
  1.b. Sign your Parish Mandate when it becomes available. (Sign 2 originals, one for your Parish Procurator, and one for Rome.)
  
  *See "Mandates, Decrees, Appeals" page for Parish specific Mandates.
  Mandates NOW READY for Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, McCartyville/St. Michael's Parish, Ft. Loramie, and Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Newport). Must sign 2 originals for Parish specific Mandates.
  
  2. Choose your Parish Procurator. You MUST have a Procurator and a Core Team before our Canon Lawyer will assist you.
  Go to "Mandates, Decrees, Appeals" page, print the Parish Packet and Procurator Mandate Word.doc template, enabling you to enter Parish specific information.
  Prepare for merger or amalgamation of your Parish by following the packet instructions. Contact Mark Pettus, Archdiocesan Procurator (address below), to enter under our Canon Lawyer's plan and free services. Mark will assist you.
  3. Pray and fast for our Parishes and priests!
  4. Write a letter to your Parish Council members, Pastor, and Archbishop:
  
  Send Priority Mail (tracking ability) to:
  
  Archbishop Schnurr
  100 E 8th St.
  Cincinnati, OH 45202.
  
  Send copies (regular or email) of all letters and responses to your Pastor, and to
  Mark Pettus, Archdiocesan Procurator
  11550 County Road 25A
  Sidney, Ohio 45365
  [email protected]
  
  5. Sign up on our email list (Go to "About" header/then click on "Contact Us")
  6. Share this website. Speak to fellow Parishioners. Take Mandates to family dinners and neighborhood get-togethers. Carry copies of Mandates with you. Share this website with those you know throughout the Archdiocese of Cincinnati (all of whom we represent). Share on FB, and with your email and phone contacts. Visit, Like and Share Save Our Parishes Facebook page (Click on link.) (There is another false SOP FB page that we were locked out of as soon as it was created. It has a photo of St. Michael's Parish Church, Ft. Loramie.)
  
  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
  -1 Corinthians, 13:6
  
  We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable.
  -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
- Priest Info
- Documents
- Contact Us
Learn More
What Is Beacons of Light?
- What Is Beacons of Light?
  
  ****Be vigilant. The 2027 date leads to complacency. You will be caught off guard with much earlier Decrees. Decrees of Extinctive Union are currently being issued locally. First, choose your Procurator. Start you Parish Packets (See "Mandates, Decrees, Appeals" page) NOW.
  Note- The 2027 date may also lead to a different kind of complacency. Parishioners may be worn down by the prolonged strain of protecting their parishes from forces within. Changes will be made gradually, so that before people realize it, the merge is effectively, physically done, and they feel like it is too late to do anything.
  
  The Extinctive Merger Decree for your Parish is likely already prepared.
  
  When the leadership of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati rolled out the pre-planned models for "Beacons of Light," on July 1, 2022, Parishioners and most priests had little input into these plans that revealed "the most sweeping changes" to the Cincinnati Archdiocese in its 201-year history. "Beacons of Light" is an Archdiocesan program that reduced 208 Parishes into about 57 families of Parishes with eight permitted to remain stand-alone Parishes. The Archdiocese intends to merge each "Family of Parishes" into single Canonical Parishes by July 1, 2027, and some will become mega-parishes, or one church per region.
  
  Read through the Beacons of Light Website.
  
  Matthew 10:26
  Therefore fear them not. For nothing is covered that shall not be revealed: nor hid, that shall not be known.
What is One Canonical Parish?: Merger?
- What is One Canonical Parish?Merger?
  
  Often it is mentioned that Parishes will be merged into one Canonical Parish, and no churches will be closed. In plain English this means Parishes will be merged to a single Parish with a different name, and the merged Parishes will no longer exist. For example, if your "Family of Parishes" has four Catholic Parishes- One Church, A, is chosen to be the Parochial/Parish Church. The other three Parishes are demoted to Subsidiary Church status. None of the four Parishes retain their identity, but become one Parish with a new name, and all monies mergered into one account. The four Parishes and Parish communities are gone. A+B+C+D=Extinct (fill in the name of your Parish). Some groupings will be mega-parishes. When two or more Parish communities are merged, the blending requires a substantial change to each community.
  
  It does not mean the Subsidiary Church is closed, sold or demolished, although it could be. It could possibly see limited Masses in the future if attendance and collections drops. By Canon Law, when a Parish is demoted to a Subsidiary Church, it has few rights under Canon Law.
  
  When Parishes are merged and our Catholic communities gone, 20% or more of the Parishioners will stop going to Holy Mass and being part of a Parish. We want to save souls!
  
  The decree of the Amalgamation of Saint Aloysius Parish/Carthagena, OH, Saint Francis Parish/Cranberry Prairie, OH, Saint Bernard Parish/Burkettsville OH, Saint Wendelin Parish/Saint Wendelin, Ohio INTO Saint Henry Parish/Saint Henry, OH occurred in October 2023.
  
  In Champaign County Ohio, in September 2023, Immaculate Conception/North Lewisburg, OH; Sacred Heart/St. Paris, OH; and St. Michael’s/Mechanicsburg, OH were reduced to one Holy Mass on a weekday. St. Mary’s Parish/Urbana, OH remains open as the Parish Church.
  
  To destroy a people, you must first sever their roots.
  -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
What is the Mandate and how does it work?
- 1- The Diocesian Mandate is important BEFORE the decrees for extinctive mergers/closures for our Parishes are sent by the Archbishop, so that the Archdiocesan Procurator may send a letter to the Archbishop requesting "Beacons" be halted.
  
  2- The Parish Mandate is important AFTER the Archbishop issues decrees for extinctive mergers/closures for our Parishes, as it starts the legal process through our Parish Procurators to prevent the mergers and closures from occurring. Each Parishioner must -sign TWO original Parish Mandates-, one for the Procurator, and one to send to Rome.
  
  A Mandate is a document in Canon Law serving both as a personal petition to oppose the closures/extinctive mergers of Parishes, and as the appointment of a person to act on your behalf in this matter in communicating with the Archbishop (like a very limited power of attorney in civil law).
  
  Mark Pettus agreed to be the Procurator for the Archdiocese. The Archdiocesan Mandate allows him to unite thousands of people in a single action by following specific rules of Canon Law. (Each Parish will have its own Parish Procurator who collects Parish Mandates -2 original copies per person- from his or her own Parishioners.)
  
  The Mandates also allow the Procurator to appoint a Canon Lawyer to help us argue our position effectively.
  
  Philip Gray, of the St. Joseph Foundation, a Canon Lawyer with over 30 years of experience, has agreed to help, free of charge, the Parishes that join our group.
  
  The Process:
  For the Archdiocesan Mandate: Download the Mandate form located under the "Mandates, Decrees, Appeals" header, print out the Mandate, and sign with two witnesses. You only have to be 14 years old to sign. Witnesses must be 18 years of age or older.
  Please take this form/forward this website to your neighbors, friends and family. Collect as many Mandates as possible.
  
  Mail your ORIGINAL physical signed copies of the Archdiocesan Mandate to:
  Mark Pettus, Archdiocesan Procurator
  11550 County Road 25A
  Sidney, Ohio 45365
  
  If you have questions or would like to contact us, send an email to: [email protected].
  
  We are a 100% volunteer group of faithful Ohio Catholics without compensation of any kind.
  
  Finally, Brethren, whatever is True, whatever is Honorable, whatever is Just, whatever is Pure, whatever is Lovely, whatever is Gracious, if there is any Excellence, if there is anything Worthy of Praise, think about These things.
  -Phillipians 4:8