Richard Lennon
Cleveland, Ohio, USA | |
|---|---|
| Previous post(s) | Auxiliary Bishop of Boston (2001 - 2006) |
| Education | Saint John's Seminary Boston College |
| Motto | Diligamus Nos Invicem (Love each other) |
| Styles of Richard Gerard Lennon | ||
|---|---|---|
Reference style | ||
| Spoken style | Your Excellency | |
| Religious style | Bishop | |
Richard Gerard Lennon (March 26, 1947 – October 29, 2019) was an American prelate of the
Biography
Early life and education
Richard Lennon was born on March 26, 1947, in
Lennon attended
Priesthood
Lennon was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Boston by Archbishop
In 1988, Lennon was appointed as assistant for canonical affairs for the archdiocese, working for Auxiliary Bishop
In 2000, while working as an aide to Cardinal
In June 2001, Lennon was invested as a knight in both the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.[citation needed]
Auxiliary Bishop of Boston
On June 29, 2001, Pope John Paul II named Lennon as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston. He was consecrated on September 14, 2001 by Cardinal Law.
In December 2002, Law resigned as Archbishop of Boston due to an ongoing
Bishop of Cleveland
On April 5, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI named Lennon as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland.[9][10] He was installed on May 15, 2006.
In June 2008, after allowing the diocesan reconfiguration process inherited from his predecessor to inform his decision, Lennon announced plans to close at least 30 parishes in the cities of Cleveland and Lorain, including older parishes in Cleveland's inner ring suburbs. Parishioners and members of Cleveland's City Council attacked his plan, including Michael Polensek of Ward 11. Critics have pointed out that several of the churches to be closed enjoyed steady, if limited, monthly incomes, and that several of these churches have a politically liberal orientation. However, a portion of these churches were also in need of major capital investment after years of delayed maintenance, which was not always readily evident when examined from the outside.
Significant criticism of the parish cluster organization and the decision-making process associated with the closing of parishes followed. Some Catholics in the diocese requested Vatican oversight of Lennon in 2009, seeking review by the
In April 2010, Lennon faced a schism in the diocese. That year, the diocese announced the closing St. Peter Parish in Cleveland. Its pastor, Reverend Robert Marrone and many of his parishioners decided to form without Lennon's approval a new congregation, the Community of St. Peter. In September 2010, after the Vatican ruled that the closing of St. Peter violated canon law, Lennon reopened it with a new pastors. However, many of the former parishioners now at Community of St. Peter, declined to rejoin that parish. On March 4, 2013, Lennon excommunicated Marrone latae setentiae (automatically by committing the offense) for having disobeyed him by participating in the schism.[12]
In July 2011, due to the discord created by the parish closings, Lennon requested that the Vatican conduct an apostolic visit to the diocese to assess the situation. The Vatican agreed and dispatched the bishop emeritus of the
Resignation and legacy
On February 4, 2016, Lennon underwent an emergency cardiac procedure.[16] In November 2016, he submitted a request to the pope for early retirement. Pope Francis accepted his resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland on December 28, 2016. That same day, Lennon revealed his recent diagnosis of vascular dementia.[17]
Richard Lennon died in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 29, 2019.[18] After a funeral mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Cleveland, he was entombed in the cathedral's mortuary chapel.[19]
References
- ^ a b c d Robinson, Walter V. (December 14, 2002). "The Cardinal Resigns; On the horizon interim leader". Boston Globe. p. A13.
- ^ a b May, Michaela (February 25, 2003), Healing the Church will be a difficult task, Waltham, Mass: The Justice
- ^ a b c Paulson, Michael (February 16, 2003). "Lennon's Rise: from shy schoolboy to the chancery". Boston Globe. p. A1.
- ^ a b c d e Bentayou, Frank (April 5, 2006). "Highpoints in Lennon's life". Cleveland, Ohio: The Plain Dealer. p. A10.
- ^ Donovan, Gill (March 7, 2003). "Records reveal bishops's role in Boston scandal". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- ^ "Cardinal Law's aide, who took over for the disgraced Boston cardinal, dies". Boston Herald. October 29, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
- ^ Paulson, Michael (February 16, 2003). "Lennon's rise: from shy schoolboy to the chancery". Boston Globe. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ "Updates on major figures and issues in 'Hand of God'". Frontline. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ O'Grady, Robert M. (April 7, 2006). "Bishop Lennon named to Cleveland; Father Erikson is new vicar general". The Pilot. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ "New bishop: 'I am humbled'; Boston auxiliary to replace Pilla in May". cleveland.com. December 4, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ O'Malley, Michael (September 28, 2009). "Cleveland Catholics ask Vatican to oversee their bishop". National Catholic Reporter. Religion News Service. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- ^ Service, Catholic News (March 6, 2013). "Cleveland priest who leads breakaway faith community excommunicated". The Catholic Sun. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
- ^ O'Malley, Michael (July 24, 2011). "Cleveland Catholics abuzz over investigation of Bishop Richard Lennon". Cleveland.com. cleveland.com. The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
- ^ Sadowski, Dennis (March 9, 2012). "Vatican congregation says 13 Cleveland parishes must reopen". Catholic News Service. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ O'Malley, Michael (March 15, 2012) [First published March 7, 2012]. "Vatican reverses Cleveland Catholic Diocese's closing of 13 parishes". cleveland.com. The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
- ^ McCarty, James F. (February 5, 2016). "Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon undergoes emergency heart procedure; resting comfortably at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center". cleveland.com. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- ^ Krouse, Peter (December 28, 2016). "Retired Bishop Richard Lennon suffering from 'vascular dementia'". cleveland.com. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- ^ Hlavaty, Kaylyn (October 29, 2019). "Bishop Richard Lennon, who served as the 10th Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, dies at 72". WEWS-TV. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ Orlousky, Paul (November 4, 2019). "Former Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon remembered through calm, controversy". WOIO-TV. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
External links
