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

Adam Jardy is the Ohio State men's basketball beat writer for the Columbus Dispatch. He has been a parishioner at St. Thomas More Newman Center for more than 20 years. 

We were five days removed from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 when I first crossed Lane Avenue in search of, well, something.

It was the start of my freshman year at Ohio State University, and my parents had advised me to seek out the St. Thomas More Newman Center as I struck out on my own.

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Twenty-one years have passed, and I can still remember walking into the building – no pews? – and seating myself among strangers only to immediately feel welcomed.

Seriously, the first song – which I’ve learned is a staple there – that we sang was titled, “All Are Welcome.”

Those words are displayed on the side of the building and are, I would come to learn, at the very core of what the Newman Center community is about.

Led by the Paulist Fathers, who were appointed by the diocese to run the church in 1956, the Newman Center has been a vibrant place of inclusivity, openness and acceptance. Those aren’t just my impressions: as my colleague Danae King wrote, we are one of two parishes within the Diocese of Columbus rated as an LGBTQ-friendly parish by New Ways Ministry, a Catholic outreach group that advocates for the inclusion of LGBTQ people within the church.

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Now, one month after taking charge of the Columbus diocese, Bishop Earl Fernandes is shutting that all down.

The building will remain open with a new executive director, mission and outlook, but the new vision will be overwhelmingly student-focused with a priority on increasing vocations to the priesthood. That is a pretty precise category that seems to unnaturally winnow down the list of those whose presence is desired.

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Are we really going to be welcomed any longer?

Because absent any communication from the Bishop, who has never set foot in the building since being appointed to the position or engaged in dialogue with any of us, that is how this change is being perceived by the members of the Newman Center community, and that is devastating.

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Emails to the Bishop have gone unanswered and phone calls are directed to a kind communications director. A Tuesday visit to the Chancery to request an in-person meeting revealed that the Bishop is out of town until July 18 – six days after the new executive director takes over.

If all are truly welcome, as Jesus would teach, then why aren’t the Paulist Fathers welcome in Columbus?

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What harm is there in assigning Frs. Vinny McKiernan, Ed Nowak, Evan Cummings and Jimmy Hsu to another church in Columbus and allowing all who appreciate their welcoming approach to remain part of the Diocese of Columbus? Fr. Vinny, who recently turned 91, has spent the most recent 32 of his 65 years in the priesthood at the Newman Center, and he is being shown the door.

It’s a stinging rebuke to so many of us who often attended the Newman Center as undergrads, went into the real world and remained drawn to the place that brought such a youthful vibrancy to mass. We’re adults now, with children of our own, and together with the student community, we inhabit a congregation that uplifts and supports those who are in their formative faith years.

We skew significantly younger than your average Catholic church, and we love Jesus passionately in how we celebrate mass. We have significant student outreach programs and a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program for children, and the Paulists are active in their evangelical efforts.

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There were very few dry eyes at Sunday’s 10 a.m. mass, the first of its kind since last week’s announcement, and it wasn’t just me openly weeping: This was a community celebrating its dwindling time together while mourning its impending loss.

Bishop Fernandes, please allow the Paulists to remain in service at the Newman Center or another building.

Those who wish for Latin masses and more orthodox mass celebrations are absolutely entitled to them and have bountiful options. We will happily go to our church, all under God’s guidance, and help to bring about His kingdom on earth.

As it states on the “Catholic Faith” portion of the Diocese of Columbus’ official website: “We are made up of people from all walks of life, called to different vocations, but with a simple mission: to love God and to love others.”

All are welcome.

Please let "all" include the Paulists who have contributed generations of support to this community we call our home.

Adam Jardy is the Ohio State men's basketball beat writer for the Columbus Dispatch. He has been a parishioner at St. Thomas More Newman Center for more than 20 years.