St. Emeric Catholic Church to reopen for Mass November 4, pastor announced

CLEVELAND - Mass will again be held at St. Emeric Catholic Church beginning Nov. 4, and the pastor of the parish has just been announced.

The Cleveland Catholic Diocese said Rev. Sandor Siklodi has been appointed, effective Oct. 19.

Parishioners said Mass will again take place beginning Nov. 4 at noon. St Emeric's feast day is set for Nov. 5.

"Please join me in rejoicing with our brothers and sisters in faith during this blessed moment and pray for the success of this parish in its mission to bring greater glory to God," said Bishop Richard Lennon in a news release.

St. Emeric and 10 other churches were among 50 that were closed in 2009 by Bishop Lennon. Parishioners, many of them second- and third-generation members of the churches, challenged some of the closings, staged sit-ins and other protests and even created a breakaway congregation.

In April, Lennon announced the area Roman catholic churches would reopen. The decision came after March's extraordinary Vatican decision to overrule his closing of the parishes, a rare instance in which Rome reversed a U.S. bishop on the shut down of churches. The Vatican said Lennon failed to follow Canon Law and procedures when he closed them.