Standing ovations mark church's end: Ss. Cyril & Methodius, a century of Slovenian tradition
Published: Monday, October 5, 2009
LORAIN — More than a century of religious devotion and Slovenian tradition closed yesterday, marked with two standing ovations for a well-loved pastor and a few tears for the end of an era, as the final Mass was said at Ss. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church, 1709 E. 31st St.
About 200 people attended the service, filling the pews and standing along the white-painted walls of the green-carpeted sanctuary, as autumnal sunlight filtered through the stained-glass windows.
From babes-in-arms to white-haired elders leaning on canes, they listened quietly as Fr. Lawrence Jurcak, secretary and vicar for clergy and religious for the Cleveland Diocese, said the final Mass. Bishop Richard Lennon, head of the Cleveland Diocese, could not celebrate the final Mass because he is on pilgrimage to Rome, according to Robert Tayek, a spokesman for the diocese.
The Ss. Cyril & Methodius parish, with about 100 members, is merging with St. John the Baptist, 2143 Homewood Drive, and St. Vitus Croatian Catholic, 1785 E. 32nd St., in coming months as the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland responds to declining congregations by closing some parishes and merging others. Final Masses were celebrated last week at St. Stanislaus Church and St. Ladislaus Church, just blocks away from Ss. Cyril & Methodius in South Lorain.
Jurcak sees the merging of Ss. Cyril & Methodius, St. John the Baptist and St. Vitus parishes as a coming full circle of the Slovenian and Croatian immigrants in Lorain.
Ss. Cyril & Methodius parish was established in 1905 from the Slovenian and Croatian communities that were growing in Lorain, Jurcak said. The church building, of pale gray stone, was built in 1952.
"When Slovenians and Croatians came to Lorain, they worshipped at St. John's," he said. "By 1922, the Croatians formed their own parish. Now they're coming back together."
The new parish will be named in honor of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American to become a saint. She is considered the patroness of immigrants, Jurcak said.
Jurcak was assisted in the Mass by Father Paul Krajnik, the pastor of Ss. Cyril & Methodius for the last 34 years; Father Charles Strebler, who has been assisting Krajnik; and Father Joseph Yelenc. When Jurcak asked the congregation to honor Krajnik for his service, they twice rose to their feet for thundering applause and cheers.
Krajnik, 87, said all of his 34 years at Ss. Cyril & Methodius were good years.
"I admire the congregation for being so faithful," he said. "It's sad to say goodbye." He was surrounded by well-wishers after the Mass who wanted to recall favorite memories and assure him they would stay in touch.
Krajnik will move next week to St. Augustine Tower, an assisted-living center run by Catholic Charities in Cleveland, Tayek said.
Yelenc, a former member of Ss. Cyril & Methodius, is a teacher at Franciscan University of Steubenville.
"I celebrated my first Mass here, and my uncle celebrated his first Mass here," Yelenc said, his voice shaking with emotion. "It's a place of warmth and generosity. The bells, the choir and the organ will be silent, but not us. Fear is useless. What we all need is trust."
During the 95-minute service, Jurcak asked those who were baptized at Ss. Cyril & Methodius to stand. He then asked those who were confirmed there to stand, followed by those who accepted their first Eucharist there, those who were married there and those who had attended a funeral there. By the end, nearly everyone was standing.
"You have enriched the faith and the people you have encountered," he said. "That's what we celebrate today. You will bring your rich Slovenian heritage to your new parish. No ending is ever easy. But the way Ss. Cyril & Methodius has touched your heart will always be there. Bring that with you as you go on to form your new parish community. As we walk out these doors for the last time today, Christ goes with us."
Support for Ss. Cyril & Methodius was shown by a group from Holy Trinity Church, who held a banner emblazoned with the message "Our hearts are with you" in front of the church before and after the Mass.
Judy Maldonado, 65, dabbed at tears throughout the service.
"I made my first communion here in 1953," she said. "I saw this church being built, and I think this (the closing) is terrible. I live in Puerto Rico now, but whenever I'm in Lorain I always come to Mass here. It's very special."
Lorain City Council President Joel Arredondo, is a member of Ss. Cyril & Methodius and serves as president of the parish council. Learning the church was to close and the parish would merge with others was like getting the call that someone you love has a terminal illness, he said.
"It was a terrible shock," he said. "But there is a reason God does these things. This is not a funeral, but a celebration."
The church property, at Globe Avenue and East 31st Street, will go up for sale, Tayek said. Statues and other religious goods have been documented and inventoried, and could be used at the new parish, he said. They could also go to other parishes in Cleveland or across the country, he said.
