United Voices of the Diocese of Steubenville

United Voices of the Diocese of Steubenville

We oppose the extinction of the juridic person known as the Diocese of Steubenville

 Update

1. The Petition was sent to Rome via the Apostolic Nuncio the week before Thanksgiving. The Nuncio's office called the Monday before Thanksgiving and declined to forward it to Rome citing two reasons: 1. The Petition is not an appeal per se, therefore the Nuncio would only forward it as a courtesy; and 2. The nunciature has been directed to decrease its budget to help with inflation issues, and decreasing the cost of mailings is one of its target areas. The cost of mailing via diplomatic pouch is still expensive, and this package weighed 61 pounds. These two reasons made it necessary for the nunciature to decline to forward the Petition by diplomatic pouch. 

2. The Petition with about 1500 mandates and private letters was sent directly to Rome and received in Rome the week before Christmas. No response has been received, but shipping confirmation does provide us the certainty that the package was received.

3. Philip Gray has spoken with five different priests of the Diocese of Steubenville since Christmas, and all have confirmed at different times that the Bishop has not initiated any discussions with the priests about a possible merger.

4. The Archbishop of Cincinnati has been directed to initiate a "health audit" of the Diocese of Steubenville. What that health audit will entail is not identified in the news reports. Presumably, it should include more than just an audit of the financial situation of the Diocese or its parishes. To be exhaustive, it should include an objective evaluation of the pastoral and evangelistic outreaches occurring in the Diocese and the results of pastoral and evangelistic efforts. Specifically, a health audit of a diocese should focus on how the Mission of the Church is being advanced within parishes, religious orders, and lay apostolates. 

The greatest resource of any diocese is its people; the Catholic Faithful who build the parishes and provide for its temporal needs together with the priests who minister to the Faithful and ensure the Mission of the Church is advanced in the parishes. Hearing from the people, and understanding their initiatives that support the Church and advance her Mission is essential if any health audit.

Without knowing what the health audit will entail, we can only hope that it will include an active dialogue with a broad range of priests and laity who represent the pastoral and evangelistic ministries found in the Diocese.

Unfortunately, multiple, private individuals have reported that the Diocese of Columbus remains interested in pursuing the merger because of the resources available from the Diocese of Steubenville.  These reports are from both first and second-hand sources. This is not surprising, but if this is true, the necessity of a health audit encompassing more than just financial resources is critical to an objective evaluation of our situation. 

It is important to recognize that other private individuals report from conversations with other bishops outside the diocese that the proposed merger has not been decided with certainty. It's still up in the air.

5. Bishop Monforton announced that he would open a discussion on the merger to include a broader participation by the clergy of the Diocese and the laity. In response to that announcement, our canonical Advocate, Mr. Philip Gray, sent Bishop Monforton a letter before Christmas asking that he be included in those discussions to represent us. In January, Mr. Gray received a response letter from Father Dunfee, the Vicar General. The full response reads:

"Thank you for your kind letter to Bishop Monforton, which we received on 19 December 2022. Please forgive my delayed response. Bishop is grateful for your concern, your counsel, and your prayers. He is also appreciative of your continued prayers. May our good Lord abundantly bless the faithful of our diocese."

6. ACTION ITEM:  We oppose the proposed merger under the current circumstances. Our Bishop has publicly stated he wishes to open a discussion about the matter but he has not done so. We are uncertain how the health audit will take place or what it will encompass. Because of our position and the uncertainty of what is happening, we believe it is important for those opposing the merger to write personal letters expressing their personal opposition and asking to be part of continued discussions. The letters can be written by anyone capable of speaking for themselves on spiritual matters. In Canon Law, that means anyone 14 years of age or older. We are asking all of you to please write a letter to Bishop Monforton, and in your own words, tell him you oppose the merger and want to be part of the continued discussions. Copies of the letters should be sent to Rome via the Nuncio. Because the Nuncio may not be able to communicate all of them to Rome because of the cost involved, please also send them directly to the Holy See. Copies of the letters should be sent to Mary King, our Procurator, so she can keep track of how many people have responded.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE TAKE THIS STEP. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT THAT YOUR LETTER BE RESPECTFUL. KEEP IT SHORT, RESPECTFUL, AND REVERENT.

Further instructions with proper addresses are found in the link below.
Faithful Template Faithful Mail Instructions
Mandate- Catholic Mandate- Non-Catholics

Catholics

Procurator Mandate

Instructions for Completing Procurator Petition/Mandate

1. Print the document. An electronic signature is not accepted.

2. Sign the document in the presence of two witnesses. The witnesses may be family members, and they may also sign a separate mandate. The witnesses must be 18 years of age or older and of sound mind. A witness does not have to be Catholic.

You must put your address on the mandate to prove that you live in the Diocese of Steubenville.

If you do not live in the Diocese of Steubenville, but you have an interest because of employment or you make regular donations to the Diocese, or you have some other specific interest, please explain your interest in the space next to your signature/address lines. EG: “I work in the chancery.” “I run a trust that gives money to the Diocese.”

3. If you wish to send a personal note, please write it on a separate piece of paper. Keep it respectful. Stick to facts and concerns.

4. Mail the signed Mandate with your note to Mary King at the address found on the Mandate.

5. Pray. First and foremost, this is a spiritual battle against the powers of darkness. We must place our trust in the Lord and beg the help of Blessed Mary and all the saints.

Non-Catholics

Procurator Mandate

Instructions for Completing Procurator Petition/Mandate

1. Print the document. An electronic signature is not accepted.

2. Sign the document in the presence of two witnesses. The witnesses may be family members, and they may also sign a separate mandate. The witnesses must be 18 years of age or older and of sound mind. A witness does not have to be Catholic.

You must put your address on the mandate to prove that you live in the Diocese of Steubenville.

If you do not live in the Diocese of Steubenville, but you have an interest because of employment or you make regular donations to the Diocese, or you have some other specific interest, please explain your interest in the space next to your signature/address lines. EG: “I work in the chancery.” “I run a trust that gives money to the Diocese.”

3. If you wish to send a personal note, please write it on a separate piece of paper. Keep it respectful. Stick to facts and concerns.

4. Mail the signed Mandate with your note to Mary King at the address found on the Mandate.

5. Pray. First and foremost, this is a spiritual battle against the powers of darkness. We must place our trust in the Lord and beg the help of Blessed Mary and all the saints.

 United Voices for the Diocese of Steubenville 

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?

As a matter of public record, Bishop Jeffrey Monforton announced that the Vatican has been involved in directing a process to merge the Diocese of Steubenville for over a year.

The Pope and only the Pope can merge or notably alter a diocese (c.f. Canon 373 et al.).

Those whose rights could be harmed by a decision must be heard, if at all possible (Canon 50). This includes the Faithful and Non-Catholics (c.f. Canon 383). The Bishop had the opportunity to hear the People of God and their concerns about this proposal during the synodal process. He did not do this. He also has had opportunity to hear his priests, and he has not given them a voice. The Bishop gave no reasonable opportunity for those entrusted to his care to be heard.

Because we were not given a voice, we have a duty to make our voice heard. In fact, the Church teaches that we have this obligation and enshrines it in law (Canon 212). It is important and urgent that we let the Vatican know our opinion on the matter.

Canon Law also gives us a way to act with a united voice. Please join us.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

1.

Sign the Procurator Petition/Mandate

: A Mandate is a document in Canon Law that serves both as a personal petition to oppose the merger and as the appointment of a person to act on your behalf in this matter. Mary King of Steubenville is the Procurator. The mandate allows her to unite hundreds or thousands of people in a single action by following specific rules of Canon Law.

The Mandate also allows the Procurator to appoint a canon lawyer to help us argue our position effectively.

Philip Gray of Hopedale, a canonist with over 30 years of experience, including processes before the Vatican, has agreed to help.

Anyone that can be affected by the merger can sign a mandate. Non-Catholics may sign a mandate for Non Catholics.

2.

Write a personal note (Optional): If you have personal reasons why you do not want to lose the Diocese of Steubenville, please write a letter explaining why you are opposed to the merger.

3.

Join the email information list

(Optional):

If you wish to be part of an email information list, please include a note with your email address so we know to add you to the email list. We will use the email list to keep everyone up-to-date about this process, and send you copies of any responses.

WHAT TO EXPECT?

A core group is preparing a Petition that will address specific canonical points about the merger. The reasons given by the Bishop for the merger are not accurate or sufficient for such a serious action. If you compare the data, the Diocese of Steubenville is one of the strongest dioceses in the United States. For example, ithas one of the highest Mass attendance rates in the country!

The Procurator will use the rules of Canon Law to send the Mandates, the Petition, and the personal notes to the competent offices of the Holy See, and with copies going to the ecclesiastical authorities in the United States who will influence the decision. Responses and updates will be sent to Rome as information comes to light. Copies of the Petition and any responses will be communicated via the email information list.
Mandate- Catholics Mandate- Non-Catholics
7 November 2022

Notice


Bishop Monforton announced this morning that he is suspending a discussion and vote at next week's meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) as previously planned.
His announcement says he would like to take time for proper dialogue and
consultations to take place.

We are very grateful for this announcement, and we thank God for this reprieve.

After consultation with Philip Gray, our Advocate in Canon Law, we will
not suspend our efforts. So many people quickly organizing in this
process for our voices to be heard had an undoubted influence on the
decision. We will continue our efforts to pursue a proper consultation
process that allows all our voices to be heard. As he pointed out, this
is a suspension of a vote that would not be the final decision anyway.
We need to position ourselves for the best opportunity to be heard when
the consultation process begins. Let's keep the momentum going!

Mr. Gray plans to send the Petition to Rome as planned. He will modify
the Petition and the cover letter to reflect the current circumstances.
He encourages everyone to continue obtaining mandates, preparing your
personal statements, and most of, praying ardently for good success.
Contact us

Uvs prOcurator

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