Historic Urban Church Faces Closing, Demolition
St. Leo's Church, Columbus, Ohio
(from the July/August 1999 issue, extended edition for the Internet)

The historic St. Leo’s Church in Columbus, once the cornerstone of the city’s Merion-Southwood neighborhood, and still a cultural and religious centerpiece, is slated to be closed on July 1. The Romanesque church, built in 1917, is to be immediately stripped of its beautiful and ornate interior, and is slated for demolition.

This recommendation was made by the South Side Task Force, which was charged to study the population and church resources in the historic South Side neighborhoods. Diocesan officials in Columbus have noted that the South Side parishes are among the county’s smallest and population growth has led to thousands of members for some suburban parishes. Their solution: suppress the parish and tear it down. The task force cited four reasons for the decision: the dwindling number of parishioners at St. Leo’s, the financial instability of the parish and the proverbial "shortage of priests."

The Diocese of Columbus, which has not yet experienced the vocations turn-around that seems to be taking hold in some neighboring dioceses, will ordain only one priest this year, the same number as last year.

The diocese has depicted St. Leo’s as being debt-ridden and impoverished, with dilapidated buildings and parishioners who care nothing for their historic church. Further, the South Side Task Force believes that the neighborhood is a wreck and that the church serves no real function in the community.

"Each of these reasons is dubious and is based on popular misconceptions about our parish," said Lori Mitchell, the unofficial leader of the demolition resistance at St. Leo’s.

Mitchell explained that the parish is financially solvent, that urban renewal is bringing more Catholics into the neighborhood than in previous years and the church structure is perfectly sound.

At the end of February this year, the parish had over $330,000 to its name. It contributed $50, 810 to missions and other charities in the previous year and had given more than $100,000 to aid tuition of St. Leo’s grade school children to attend a neighboring parochial school.

Since June of 1997, said Mitchell, St. Leo’s has raised $750,000.

Mitchell also explained that a county engineer recently inspected the church and school buildings and reported "no major structural problems with any of the structures." Mitchell is making the engineer’s report available to anyone interested.

In response to the misconception that nothing goes on at St. Leo’s, Mitchell explained that her parish operates religious education programs from pre-school to high school.

"We have a Monday morning prayer group, a choir, a Young at Heart Club, Altar Rosary Society, Lenten Bible Study, Summer Bible School," said Mitchell. St. Leo’s also helps staff and fill a neighborhood food pantry, champions an outreach program to a poor rural town, and the school building is host to myriad community groups and activities such as police and neighborhood forums, crafts shows, and meetings of various civic associations.

In a letter to the editor of Columbus’ ThisWeek, Mitchell summed up her understanding of St. Leo’s unfortunate situation. "In this age of urban and social concerns," she wrote, "it’s shocking to think that our urban churches, which help to hold the infrastructure of entire neighborhoods together, can be put aside, literally stripped of their beauty, and flattened to the ground."

Mitchell and others from the parish and surrounding communities believe that the diocese’s decision can have nothing but adverse effects on the morale, stability, property values and appearance of the neighborhood.

Disposing of church property

Based on the recommendations of the South Side Task Force, a hand-picked committee formed to evaluate the future of the Catholic Church in the South Side neighborhoods, Bishop James A. Griffin declared last Fall that the parish will be suppressed and its church, rectory and school "disposed of." The convent at St. Leo will continue to house the Franciscan Sisters of Stella Niagara.

Barring any unforeseen miracles or other acts of God, St. Leo’s will soon become a fatal casualty of the Task Force’s parish consolidation process—"a grave injustice," say some St. Leo parishioners.

Despite the fact more than 1,000 members of St. Leo’s parish and surrounding community have signed a petition requesting that the decision to close the church be reconsidered, Bishop Griffin is unwilling to even meet with representatives of St. Leo’s to discuss viable alternatives to disposing of the church’s patrimony.

Known as one of the most significant church structures in the city of Columbus, St. Leo’s Church is of considerable historical, architectural and social value. With an exterior of buff brick and stone trimming, the church boasts more than 30 von Grichten stained glass windows donated by the first families to join the congregation. Names on the windows reflect the parish’s mainly ethnic German heritage. Add to that a German Romanic pipe organ, wood-carved statues, marble floor, and an Italian marble high altar and baldacchino and it is easy to understand St. Leo’s architectural significance.

"Apparently we’re not the only ones in town who recognize the worth of the furnishings in our church," stated Matt Sauer, who grew up at St. Leo’s. According to parishioners, men have already been in the church measuring the windows for removal.

Bishop Griffin has stated recently that the Diocese of Columbus will be downsizing over the next five years via parish consolidations. St. Leo’s closure and demolition, it seems, is just the beginning.

"I think the bishops’ task force has completely overlooked the people on the South Side," said parishioner John Grote, adding that not one of task force’s members stood to lose anything by the recommendations they made.

"It is a sad day for the people of the Catholic Church," he said, "when ‘white flight’ to the suburbs sets the trend, and the Church follows that trend. The Diocese of Columbus feels it’s more important to build a new church and send priests to the suburbs instead of keeping older established churches like St. Leo’s operating; because of this, those of us who did not run to the suburbs are devastated.

"The people of St. Leo’s are losing generations of tradition, a church that is a work of art, a true tribute to God, but most of all, we are losing faith in our local church leaders."

"It all just does not add up," concludes Dan Schneider, a graduate of St. Leo’s school, who now resides in New Mexico. "I think the diocese is simply taking advantage of a population which cannot adequately defend itself. There’s no big money there anymore; it is ultimately a social justice issue, and the parishioners of St. Leo’s, and other residents of the South Side are losers."

--Michael S. Rose

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