Save Our Saint Henry Cluster Parishes

07/21/2026

So very true - many of us share these same concerns!

Tressa Walton
Letter to the Editor:

Listen to the People

On behalf of Catholics who are losing a mass, which we know will lead to the closure of the church, I ask if any of the people behind the curtain in Oz have actually talked to the people in the diocese.
Have you spoken with the elderly parishioners who tell us they will not drive out of town to attend Mass? Many are no longer physically able to do so. They now face two heartbreaking choices: watching Mass alone on television while already struggling with loneliness, or leaving the Catholic parish they have faithfully attended for decades and joining another church in town. Other churches are welcoming them with open arms. These are choices our elderly faithful should not have to make.

Have you spoken with the business owners and restaurant operators in the towns that are losing Mass? They understand that fewer people gathering in town on weekends will have an impact. The regular routines that connect faith, family, and community life will be diminished, and local businesses will feel that loss as well.

Have you spoken with Catholics at all about how these decisions are affecting them?

Many of us are confused, hurt, and angry. We have churches that appear to meet the requirements for the future, and there seem to be enough priests available to celebrate the Masses currently being offered. At a time when families, employers, volunteers, and caregivers are continually asked to do more, it feels as though our Church is asking less of itself and offering less to its faithful. In a nation where the Catholic population continues to grow, why are opportunities to gather for worship being reduced?

Since no one has asked me, I will tell you how I feel.

I have remained faithful through difficult times in the Church. I have attended Mass regularly, formed lifelong relationships, taught religious education, shared in the Eucharist, participated in parish life, and prayed with my church family. This church is not simply a building to me—it is part of who I am.

Today, many of us feel as though something precious is being taken away. There are days when I struggle to breathe under the weight of knowing that my family, my community, and I may lose the church that has been such an important part of our lives. We are asking our leaders to see us, hear us, and understand what this loss means to the people in the pews.
So I ask: Will you find a way to preserve and strengthen the faith communities that have remained faithful, or will you allow them to fade away?

I send my prayers and goodwill to those making these decisions. I sincerely hope that the same care and concern are extended to the faithful whose lives will be changed by their decisions.

Sincerely,

Tressa Walton

07/21/2026

Attention!! There will be an upcoming Synod meeting on September 12, 2026 at the St. Joseph Parish Life Center in Wapakoneta from 10-12:00 noon. The goal for these meetings is to have genuine, respectful conversations, with an emphasis on listening to one another and trying to understand each other. Hopefully, the group in attendance can come up with some ways to improve relationships between laity and church leadership, and discover ways to improve our diocese for the benefit of everyone. This meeting is open to all in the northern part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. We urge our St. Henry Family parishioners to attend as well as those from our neighboring parishes. If you have concerns about your parish or parish family, please register for this meeting by following the link below, find the St. Joseph's meeting and register there. Please be prepared to not only listen, but to respectively express your thoughts.

https://catholicaoc.org/synod-2027/conversations-in-the-spirit

06/11/2026

And this is what's happening across the US - so heartbreaking.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1545436623897938

03/04/2026

Please take the survey for Parish Vitality and let Archbishop Casey know how you feel about Beacons of Light in our St. Henry Family of Parishes. The survey link can be found at the bottom of the page.

In our lives as Catholic Christians, the parish holds a special role. It is our spiritual home, a place where we experience Christ’s presence profoundly in Word and Sacrament. A parish is its people, strengthened by Communion and sent forth to proclaim Christ to the world. This Parish Vitality Rep...

02/10/2026

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

02/10/2026

To better illustrate the discrepancy on the Archdiocese of Cincinnati October Count Sheets, we checked the attendance numbers published in our weekly bulletins for October:

Oct. 5 - 1218
Oct. 12 - 1198
Oct. 19 - 1187
Oct. 26- 1308

Total attendance in October was 4911 for an average of 1228 per week.

Actual average attendance vs. reported average attendance on count sheets:

2024 avg. - 1325

2025 Actual - 1228 - a loss of 97 people since October counts in 2024. This is a LOSS of over 7% since last year.

2025 Reported - 1511 - a gain of 186 people since October counts in 2024. This shows a GAIN of 14% since October 2024.

Which do you think is correct? The weekly average they show of 1511 is more people than we had attend on any single Sunday in October, so it can't possibly be the average!

Archdiocese of Cincinnati - will you please correct this error?

02/10/2026

What a great idea!

After 18 months of conversations, consultations, and a few confrontations, I have decided on a couple of changes that I believe will positively affect how this Family of Parishes functions, and they both involve decentralization. The first item is regarding Parish Pastoral Councils and the Unified Pastoral Council. Fifteen years of pastoring stand alone parishes and nearly six years of pastoring multiple parishes, has led me to the conclusion that most circumstances that require consultation occur at the parish level and not at the Family of Parishes level. Therefore, Parish Pastoral Councils will be re-established at the parish level. St. Michael, Holy Angels, and Sacred Heart will each have 6 members, 3 men and 3 women. The terms will last 3 years, with those rotating off after serving 3 years. Each year there will be 2 newly elected members and 4 members will remain. This ensures continuity as well as freshness each year. Current representatives to the Unified Pastoral Council from Sts. Peter & Paul recommended to have 4 members instead of 6. Each Parish Pastoral Council, along with a member from Finance Council and a member from the Buildings and Grounds Committee, will meet with me 3 times a year. Unified Pastoral Council meetings will occur twice a year and consist of the 3rd year members of the four Parish Pastoral Councils. Nominations and elections of Parish Pastoral Council members will soon be communicated to all parishes.

The other change involves the parish offices. While some things are more efficient at the Family level, e.g. bookkeeping, payroll, scheduling of weddings, funerals, baptisms, and priests, etc., other things can happen more conveniently for parishioners at the parish level, e.g. Mass intentions, signed and sealed sponsor forms, liturgical ministries scheduling, etc. The target date for re-opening the offices at St. Michael /Sts. Peter & Paul and Sacred Heart is July 1st of this year. As the date approaches, more detailed information will be communicated on what items will be handled at the parish level and what items will be handled at the Family level.

These last 3-1/2 years of Beacons of Light have not been easy for any of us, parishioner and priest alike. However, it has forced us to look at our preconceived ideas and biases, our values and beliefs, our hopes and dreams. We will come through this stronger as a community of believers who allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, encourage us, and empower us to truly live as disciples of Jesus Christ, who sends us out into the world as apostles to preach, teach, heal, cast out demons, and raise the dead. All done in His Name!

May God bless us in His mercy,
Fr. John W. Tonkin

"Make this proclamation: The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons." Matthew 10:7-8

02/09/2026

Some have wondered why we continue to post on this page, even though our appeal process is finished, and we've lost 4 of our beloved parishes to extinction. We continue to post to keep our neighboring parishes aware of what can (and likely will) happen to them when they receive their decrees. We want you to BE PREPARED! Start compiling all the documentation you'll need to appeal! It's our understanding that the Vatican is starting to give more consideration to your appeals and more parishes are actually beginning to succeed in their efforts. Hopefully no more just passing it through the channels. They've seen a huge increase in the number of appeals from across the US and beyond. Hopefully, their eyes are being opened to the dire consequences of these cookie-cutter restructuring plans. Prayers for all parishes who are currently appealing the process - and for those parishes about to be confronted with this difficult task. 🙏🏼

02/07/2026

"So let those who want to pray be allowed to pray in what they consider their Church. Please, let no Christian Church be abolished directly or indirectly. Churches are not to be touched!” -Pope Francis

Doesn't it seem defiant for our religious leaders to proceed with all the restructuring plans (such as Beacons of Light, Real Presence, Real Future, Renew My Church, Partners in the Gospel - PIG, Road to Renewal, etc., when our pope made this remark in the midst of all their planning and implementation? Who or what is behind all this madness?!