Retired Catholic bishop Richard Lennon dies at 72

Bishop Richard Lennon, who oversaw the eight-county Diocese of Cleveland for a decade, has died. The diocese announced his death in a statement Tuesday morning. Lennon, who retired due to health concerns at the end of 2016, was 72. "In his service to the diocese, Bishop Lennon showed a deep dedication to the faithful governance of the diocese and a tremendous love of the Church and the people he shepherded," said Nelson Perez, who succeeded Lennon as bishop. "May the Lord grant him eternal rest." Lennon, a native of the Boston area, was appointed bishop of the diocese, which serves more than 692,000 Catholics, by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006. He immediately set out to visit every parish in the diocese, including celebrating Mass at Elyria Catholic High School. Father Frank Kosem, retired priest of the St. Jude Church in Elyria, said Lennon is "in peace now." Kosem said Lennon was a man that loved the church, and worked very hard, maybe too hard, Kosem said. At the time of Lennon's appointment, the diocese, facing declining population and — like most dioceses — a shortage of priests, was reconfiguring parishes. Ultimately, 50 parishes were closed — 12 of which were overturned by the Vatican — and 17 new merged parishes were formed. Kosem said Lennon did the best he could in the time that he was bishop. "His heart was in the right place," Kosem said. "He had to make some hard decisions; he did what he thought he had to." Father John Retar, pastor at St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Catholic Parish in Lorain, said Lennon was a kind man, although gruff at times and a little shy. "He definitely cared," Retar said. "He was very kind. ... He was charged with a job and he did it. Some of it had to be done, and he saw there was a need to do it." Lennon also prioritized audits for local churches and schools and embarked on a capital campaign. The Rooted in Faith campaign raised about $170 million for a variety of causes, including retired priests, Catholic schools and the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist on East 9th Street in Cleveland. "He did not want the limelight," Retar said. "He just wanted to be a regular priest. He enjoyed his quiet time; he enjoyed his studies." Lennon was ordained a priest in 1973 in his native Massachusetts, where he served as a parish priest, rector and chaplain for the fire department. He was named auxiliary bishop in Boston in 2001, and served as apostolic administrator following the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law amid the scandal of sexual misconduct by priests. Lennon served in that role until Sean O'Malley was appointed bishop. Contact Vince Guerrieri at (440) 329-7124 or vguerrieri@chroniclet.com and Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com.