Grandmother: Bishop's order had grandson and I barred from bringing food for poor into church

Letters to the Editor
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Jul 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Bob Vieth, who began attending mass at the Newman Center when he was in graduate school at Ohio State in 1978, attends mass on July 3, 2022. The Catholic diocese is being taken from the Paulist fathers, an order of Catholic priests, who have run it for 65 years. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
Jul 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Bob Vieth, who began attending mass at the Newman Center when he was in graduate school at Ohio State in 1978, attends mass on July 3, 2022. The Catholic diocese is being taken from the Paulist fathers, an order of Catholic priests, who have run it for 65 years. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

Patricia D. Balassone, Westerville

The Paulist priests were told to leave the St. Thomas More Newman Center by July 31 and have been told to vacate their residence by Aug. 31.

This includes Father Vinny McKiernan, a 91-year-old priest who has served the center since the early 1990s.

More: Letters: Faithful 91-year-old priest among those ousted from residence. Bishop out of step.

This directive is from the new bishop of Columbus who was installed on May 31, at an elaborate, exclusive, ticketed event  at St. Paul in Westerville. 

The day of the ceremony, my grandson and I were carrying a bag of food for the poor.

We were denied entry to the church, as there were barricades placed at each entrance to the parking lot.

More: Jardy: All no longer feel welcomed at LGBTQ-friendly parish. Bishop 'shutting that all down'

I ask in whose name does a young bishop, in office since May 31, exclude an old woman and child — carrying food for the poor — from the church?

In whose name does he tell three young priests to leave and an elderly man to find another place to live?

This business with the barricades cannot be the future of our church if it is to thrive as the Lord intended.

This is not what I teach my grandson, Cooper, about our faith.

Patricia D. Balassone, Westerville

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: St. Thomas More Newman Center members says it is wrong to make priest leave