Byzantine Catholic Cultural Center
22 mins ·
Thank you for the tremendous outpouring of support for the BCCC!
Since His Grace, Bishop John M. Kudrick directed Fr. Richard to inform those who worship here of the Center’s closing, we felt an obligation to inform our online community as well. Though the Bishop did not request a video announcement, the Center prepared it because we believe that so many of you who faithfully follow the BCCC online have a right to hear this news in the same way that those who worship here heard this announcement Sunday morning.
While our natural reactions to this news range from disappointment to sadness to disbelief and even anger, please remember that above all, we are Christians, and must do and say all things in charity. Please refrain from any uncharitable comments toward our Holy Father, the Holy See, our hierarchs, our clergy, individuals, or other churches.
If you wish to express your opinions to our Bishop or other church authorities, please do NOT utilize Facebook or other social media outlets. Wall posts and private messages sent to Bishop Kudrick, Fr. Richard, or others, are not appropriate. If you wish to voice your support for our God-loving Bishop, John and his vision for our Eparchy of Parma, a group of supportive clergy and laity have organized a petition. Should you wish to voice your support, they have provided the following link ( https://www.dropbox.com/s/3p40a5uijoa…/Sample%20Letters.pdf…), which informs you what to write and to whom.
Remember, our Holy Father Francis did not issue the decree that necessitated this closing, but rather, as the Bishop’s letter states, it was a “directive from the Congregation for Eastern Churches,” an office of the Vatican.
While we would like to disclose fully the nature of the complaints that lead to this decision, unfortunately we have not been informed fully regarding the content of these complaints. We do know that in part the complaints involve finances, and we assure you that the BCCC is guilty of no financial malfeasance, a fact which the Eparchial College of Consultors confirmed and communicated in writing to the Apostolic Nuncio on March 19, 2014.
No eparchial parish funds contribute to the Center. Programming and operating costs for the Center are covered by a grant from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Home Missions Fund and private donations. The Eparchy of Parma only pays personnel costs, which account for approximately only 1/3 of the total annual budget for the Cultural Center. The Eparchy of Parma has contributed no money to the physical improvements to the property, all of which are being subsidized by additional grants or private donors.
The Holy Ghost building never was reduced to secular use following the parish closure, and as such the building remains a church suitable for the celebration of the Divine Services. The bishop stated this fact in his January 27, 2012 letter to clergy of the Eparchy, writing: “…while Holy Ghost Parish has been suppressed, Holy Ghost Church remains a sacred building appropriately suited for both liturgical worship and private prayers. Like any authentically Eastern Christian experience, the Center must remain solidly rooted in a genuine liturgical spirituality. To that end, I have given permission for liturgical prayers to be served at Holy Ghost Church, and I have directed Fr. Richard Plishka and Deacon Michael Lee to offer these services. This does not mean that Holy Ghost Church is now a parish. While faithful may attend divine services at Holy Ghost church on Sundays and days of precept, Holy Ghost Parish remains suppressed. The liturgical life at Holy Ghost Church will serve to foster the life, vitality and authenticity of the Byzantine Catholic Cultural Center, including local components (men’s community, gallery and café) and the Eparchy-wide evangelization efforts.”
The local components and the Eparchy-wide evangelization efforts of the Center continue to be guided by our mission statement which the Bishop together with a group of clergy drafted in 2008, as we prepared for the Eparchy of Parma 40th Anniversary Celebration. On June 28, 2009, Bishop Kudrick formally opened the BCCC, which “promotes the culture of life as proclaimed and lived by Jesus Christ. The Center celebrates those Christian cultures rooted in Constantinople, and promotes those elements of contemporary culture consistent with the Gospel message as lived by Byzantine Christianity. Likewise, the Center challenges those contemporary cultural elements contrary to the Gospel of Life.”
To learn more about “Who We Are,” “Our Story,” or our “Men’s Community” (Nathanael House), visit our website:
www.byzcathculturalcenter.org. [
byzcathculturalcenter.org.]
God be with you!