On February 1, 2024 a Beacons of Light Information session was held at the PAC at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in McCartyville. It is estimated that 450 people attended the event.
Near the end of the event someone asked why the Archdiocese was forcing the extinction of parishes. Fr. Jan Schmidt responded with the following:
We’re not. It’s not happening. It’s in the canon but applied to places in world where the Church was wiped out like the Near East with Islam. We’re not talking about anything like that.
The Beacons of Light website states that there are four types of modifications:
- extinctive union (a.k.a. merger) – A and B unite to form C, only C remains (canon 121)
- extinctive union (a.k.a. amalgamation, sometimes merger) – A is subsumed into B, only B remains (by analogy to canon 121)
- total division – A is divided into B and C, only B and C remain (canon 122)
- suppression – A is extinguished, nothing remains (canon 123)
As you can see, extinctive union or extinguished is used in 3 of the 4 types of modifications.
Secondly, there is currently a decree of amalgamation for the five parishes that make up the St. Henry cluster. This decree was supposed to be effective January 1, 2024, but is currently under appeal. The following is a quote from that decree:
The pastor of Saint Aloysius, Saint Francis, Saint Bernard, Saint Wendelin, and Saint Henry Parishes, with the recommendation of the members of the pastoral council and finance council of all five parishes, has proposed an extinctive union [emphasis added] in which Saint Aloysius Parish, Saint Francis Parish, Saint Bernard Parish, and Saint Wendelin Parish are amalgamated into Saint Henry Parish as a fitting means to both best meet the pastoral needs of the faithful and most effectively manage the resources at their disposal. Having consulted the Presbyteral Council of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on September 11, 2023, I have determined that the pastoral mission of the Catholic Church in this portion of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati would best be served through such an amalgamation of Saint Aloysius Parish, Saint Francis Parish, Saint Bernard Parish, and Saint Wendelin Parish into Saint Henry Parish.
A second quote from that same decree:
In virtue of my office as diocesan bishop, in accordance with canon 515 §2 of the Code of Canon Law, I hereby decree the extinctive union [emphasis added] by amalgamation of Saint Aloysius Parish, Saint Francis Parish, Saint Bernard Parish, and Saint Wendelin Parish into Saint Henry Parish.
The very thing that Fr. Jan Schmidt said is not happening is happening to the St. Henry Cluster, not more than half an hour from where Fr. Schmidt made this statement.
I thought maybe Fr. Schmidt misspoke. Maybe he misunderstood the question. Maybe he thought the question was about a suppression of a parish. Maybe he thought the person was asking about the closing of a church building instead of the extinction of a parish.
I wanted to give Fr. Schmidt the opportunity to set the record straight. I sent him a letter (email) and asked if he wanted to clarify or retract his remarks.
He responded by asking for my phone number so we could have a conversation but I replied by stating that I wanted everything in writing. With something this important and the lack of clarity we have received, I think it is important to have it in writing.
I have yet to receive a response from Fr. Schmidt.
