Article published March 02, 2007
Priest who criticized bishop over parish shift is retiring
By DAVID YONKE
BLADE RELIGION EDITOR
A priest who criticized Bishop Leonard Blair publicly for the way his parish was sliced up when the diocese started a neighboring church is retiring rather than accept a reassignment.
The Rev. Thomas Leyland, pastor of the 8,100-member St. Rose Parish in Perrysburg, wrote a letter to parishioners last week saying the bishop believes "pastoring St. Rose is too burdensome for me personally" and plans to appoint a new pastor effective July 2.
"It would be misleading … to give the impression that I am happy with and/or agree with Bishop Blair's judgment in this matter," Father Leyland wrote in the letter, dated Feb. 23.
Given a choice between accepting a new assignment or retiring, Father Leyland said he will submit a request to the bishop for retirement, effective July 1.
Sally Oberski, director of communications for the diocese, said yesterday that Bishop Blair routinely announces new pastoral appointments this time of year.
She added that the St. Rose announcement has nothing to do with Father Leyland's public comments."The bishop's decision is not meant to be a negative reflection on Father Leyland, who has served St. Rose Parish faithfully and well," Ms. Oberski said.
"Nor is it simply a reaction to past criticism that he made regarding the creation of neighboring Blessed John XXIII Parish. On a personal level, Father Leyland and the bishop have enjoyed a good relationship."
Some parishioners said they hope Bishop Blair will change his mind.
"I know a lot of people are upset," Sharon Cowan said. "There's a group of us who would like to get a petition going. Father Leyland is a good man. He's the definition of what a good priest should be. When he has the courage to stand up and speak out on a business decision, it's almost like he's being thrown under the bus."
Belinda Costin, a St. Rose parishioner for 35 years, said she was "shocked" by the news and would like to see her pastor's term extended.
"Father Leyland is a fine spiritual leader and a fine priest," Mrs. Costin said. "We have such a problem today. There's so much sadness. We need to be kinder in the way we handle our priests."
Father Leyland, 68, was ordained in 1965 and has been pastor of St. Rose since July, 1999. He is the brother of Detroit Tigers Manager Jim Leyland.
The controversy began when the Toledo diocese announced in June, 2005, that new parish boundaries for Blessed John XXIII would cut deeply into St. Rose Parish, which was founded in 1862.
Father Leyland told The Blade at the time the realignment was "far worse" than expected and that the new parish was "taking over half of our territory." He said the bishop did not address concerns that Blessed John's boundaries could significantly affect the finances of St. Rose and its school, possibly resulting in cutbacks and layoffs. "We really weren't consulted sufficiently," Father Leyland said.
In September, 2006, when the diocese announced that Blessed John would build on property just four miles from St. Rose, Father Leyland was even more critical.
"The bishop has made some high-handed decisions with almost no collaboration with anyone," he told The Blade. "The bishop should have listened more to people involved in pastoral ministry instead of developers."
Blessed John XXIII now has 425 families and more than 1,200 members, according to its pastor, the Rev. Herb Weber.
Claudia Vercellotti, local co-coordinator of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said it was ironic that at a time when the Catholic Church is experiencing a priest shortage, the bishop is forcing into retirement a highly regarded priest who wants to stay in active ministry.
"We can't get priests who molest kids out of there fast enough. But when a priest with integrity stands up for what's right, he's expedited out the back door," Ms. Vercellotti said. "This sends a message to other priests to intimidate them from speaking out."
Father Leyland was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Contact David Yonke at:
dyonke@theblade.com
or 419-724-6154.
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