A polarized, historic year, 2024 was marked by a contentious election season and an ongoing war in Gaza — a test to many people’s faith. Yet, other once-in-a-lifetime events, like the total solar eclipse that darkened the afternoon skies of northwest Ohio in the spring, brought sparks of hope, awe, and light to an otherwise challenging year.
Middle East crisis
The ongoing war in Gaza continues to impact both the Jewish and Muslim communities.
Toledo Muslims toned down observances of their two major holidays this spring, recognizing those suffering overseas and renewing their commitment to effect change however they could. The Toledo chapter of American Muslims for Palestine held a Unified Eid for Gaza prayer and march downtown on Eid al-Fitr in April. Some felt that the fasting month of Ramadan was much-needed as they reflected on how their fasting from sunrise to sunset was nothing compared to those in Gaza who were without food.
The Jewish High Holidays marked the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ surprise on Israel. While the season was filled with an air of collective grief, Toledo Jews emphasized it was also an opportunity for hope and to reclaim their joy. The Oct. 7 anniversary fell in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The attack itself fell on the eve of Simchat Torah, another holiday that was celebrated, in a more muted way, on Oct. 24.
In observance of Hanukkah, Chabad House of Toledo maintained its usual public festivities to express pride in their Jewish identity and the Jewish Federation again hosted in December its Shine a Light on Anti-Semitism workshop.
Toledo’s Jewish community remains ever vigilant with anti-Semitism on the rise. It has held vigils to honor the memory of those lost and informational programs to educate people about the war and history of the region, and other efforts to support Israel.
AMP Toledo continues to hold protests at least weekly, calling for a ceasefire, as well as educational opportunities and other community-building events.
A handful of Toledo doctors have gone to Gaza on medical missions.
In light of the war, the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo decided to cancel this year's International Festival, which had been scheduled for the end of September. Organizers noted that it is a moment of mourning, not for celebration. At the end of October, however, the mosque held a fall dinner for the wider community. The Islamic Society of North West Ohio still held its annual Multicultural Community Day at the start of October.
Inclusion and acceptance
In their first year of ordained ministry, two local clergy members brought together 30 faith communities from nine denominations to celebrate LGBTQ inclusion through the Better Together: Faith Communities United for Pride initiative. The Revs. Megan Allen-Miller and Melanie Forrey wanted to see faith groups that usually participate in Toledo Pride come together, making the message stronger.
Members of the LGBTQ community reflected on their experiences with religion and finding safe spaces to live out their faith. The clergy acknowledged that finding one’s place in religion is still difficult for many to grapple with, and they encourage conversations about inclusion to be had with church leaders.
The United Methodist Church changed its teaching on homosexuality to be more inclusive during its General Conference in North Carolina in the spring.
Delegates voted overwhelmingly in favor of removing language from the United Methodist Book of Discipline stating that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. They also voted to remove the ban on ordination and appointment of openly LGBTQ clergy and forbid penalties for performing, or refraining from performing, same-sex marriages — thus allowing for differing opinions and giving congregations the right to determine their stance on the issue.
The decision comes after years of denomination-wide debate led to more than 7,500 U.S. congregations, many of them conservative, splitting from the UMC between 2019 and 2023.
The goal of love and acceptance was a major theme during the election season as well. Several faith communities organized programs to encourage both kindness and dialogue and discussing how to grapple, both spiritually and practically, with the polarization and tumult that led up to Election Day.
Across the region, bright green signs were seen in yards and outside houses of worship, serving as a reminder to love your neighbor. The Neighbor to Neighbor Toledo initiative, spearheaded by the Rev. Gayle Catinella, rector at St. Michael’s in the Hills Episcopal Church, invited people to seek peace and build relationships amid the election season. The effort also involved a number of community-wide events, which were supported by a number of multifaith and secular community partners
Dad’s Place
Though various courts have rejected its argument, a Williams County church continues to fight the city of Bryan on grounds of religious liberty.
Chris Avell, pastor at Dad’s Place in downtown Bryan, had his criminal trial in December, more than a year after the city first cited him for zoning and fire code violations. The pastor and his First Liberty Institute attorneys have since argued that the city is unfairly targeting the church, which keeps its doors open 24/7, allowing people, many of them unhoused, to stay overnight. He also leads worship services and Bible studies at the church.
A three-judge panel of the 6th District Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay in the county judge’s ruling that the church is not unduly burdened by the enforcement of fire codes and zoning regulations. The city is enforcing the installation of a sprinkler system. The church previously fixed other cited offenses the city claimed were fire and safety hazards to those staying at the church.
Pastor Avell denies that the church is being used as a residence and says part of his ministry is to provide emergency housing for those who cannot be accommodated at the county’s only homeless shelter. The closest shelters are in Toledo and Fort Wayne, Ind. — both an hour drive away.
Bryan Fire Chief Douglas Pool has a civil lawsuit pending in Williams County Common Pleas Court against both Dad’s Place and the owner of its premises. Meanwhile, Pastor Avell has a federal lawsuit pending against the city seeking to enjoin its enforcement of the zoning and fire codes against Dad's Place on First Amendment grounds.
Milestones and new beginnings
The year marked milestone anniversaries for a number of area churches, who gathered in worship and fellowship to honor their congregation’s history. Faith leaders also hit career milestones in 2024.
The Rev. Karen Do’on Weik Roshi received the final seal of authorization in Zen Buddhism in October, after decades of study. The rare Inka Shomei transmission is given to those who attain the same level of enlightenment as the Buddha had. The thriving Buddhist Temple of Toledo is now home to two senior teachers — Do’on Weik Roshi and the Rev. Jay Rinsen Weik Roshi — the husband-and-wife pair who founded the temple in the 2000s. Rinsen Weik received his dharma transmission in 2019.
Both the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo and the Masjid Saad Foundation welcomed new religious leaders this year, each of whom led their first prayer with their respective new community on Eid al-Adha in June. Sheikh Brahim Djema, originally from Algeria, officially came to ICGT in August, though he’d been a member of Toledo’s Muslim community for more than 20 years. The Perrysburg mosque had been without an imam for a few months following the sudden resignation of Imam Aly Lela, who had started on Eid the year before. Imam Ismail Elshikh, originally from Egypt, comes to the MSF in Sylvania after spending the last 22 years in Honolulu.
The Rev. Martin Billmeier retired at the end of June after 30 years as pastor of St. Lucas Lutheran Church in the Old South End. The Rev. Paul Myers has stepped in to lead the ministry-focused parish after previously serving in North Carolina. Pastor Billmeier for eight years chaired Equality Toledo’s Faith Leaders Committee. Pastor Myers hopes to continue the conversation of inclusion both locally and denomination-wide. In 1999, St. Lucas became the first “Reconciling in Christ” Lutheran church in Toledo, which means it has an open statement of welcome, which includes the LGBTQ community.
Bishop Daniel E. Thomas celebrated in October his 10th anniversary as shepherd of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo. He spent eight years as auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia until Toledo’s former bishop, Leonard Blair, was appointed archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Conn. Bishop Thomas was elected this year to serve as chairman of the Pro-Life Activities Committee for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
For the first time in the Diocese of Toledo’s 114-year history, a diocesan priest was appointed as bishop of another diocese. Bishop Dennis Walsh was installed in September in the Diocese of Davenport in Iowa. He most recently served as pastor of three parishes in northwest Ohio’s Allen County.
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung was appointed bishop of the Ohio Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church. Bishop Gregory Palmer, of the West Ohio Conference, retired in June. The West and East Ohio conferences of the UMC, for the first time, are now led by the same bishop. The decision was made in January, 2023, to reduce the number of episcopal areas in the North Central Jurisdiction from nine to seven by combining the East and West Ohio conferences and the Northern Illinois and Wisconsin conferences. Bishop Jung previously served as resident bishop for the Wisconsin Annual Conference.
Rebuilding churches — and ‘church’
The city of Toledo has gotten involved in the fate of two former Catholic churches: the historic Sacred Heart and St. Anthony buildings.
St. Anthony’s closed in 2005 and sat vacant for more than a decade before the Diocese of Toledo donated it to the Lucas County Land Bank. The land bank dialogued with community members about what a potential future use of the church building could look like and recently determined that a multipurpose recreation center would be the best option. Toledo City Council approved nearly $1 million in funding for the efforts. Once the building is restored, city leaders will leave it up to the community itself to decide exactly how they’ll use the space, such as for community movie nights, an art space, or farmer’s markets.
Sacred Heart closed in January, 2024, after the diocese announced its intent to raze the building. Just like in the Junction neighborhood, East Toledoans came together to call on the diocese to reconsider its plans, identifying the church as an anchor in the neighborhood. Ohio investor CJ Estel, who had grown up attending the parish, placed a $1 offer on the church with a commitment to restoring the building and giving it a new purpose. The diocese declined Estel’s offer in February, citing other situations in which properties were not taken care of as buyers had promised. He has since submitted a new offer addressing the diocese’s concerns.
Any plans for demolition were halted in July, however, when the Toledo City Council passed a one-year moratorium on demolition permits for buildings of historical community importance that are at least 75 years old. In response, the diocese called on council to rescind the ban and threatened to sue, calling the moratorium unconstitutional.
Meanwhile, Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral Parish in the Old West End, St. Joseph Parish in the Vistula neighborhood, and Ss. Adalbert and Hedwig Parish in the Lagrange neighborhood have been configured into a tri-parish grouping. While they’re all under the same two pastors, the parishes maintain their separate identities and finances. Mass times between the parishes took effect in July, and Ss. Adalbert and Hedwig now only offers its Saturday vigil Mass.
The decision was part of the diocesan Intentional Planning process which aims to strategically plan clergy and parish assignments in response to changing demographics, parish participation, and number of active priests. The diocese also reduced its deaneries, or a geographic grouping of churches to support pastoral care, from 15 to 12.
While some church communities have declined or are no longer, others are on the rise, requiring new spaces to carry out their ministries.
Five Lakes Church in Sylvania opened its new facility on Mitchaw Road in August. Groundbreaking was made in spring of 2022 on the 15-acre plot. The new space will enhance the church’s outreach opportunities and worship experience, which welcomes more than 1,100 people each week. The nondenominational church was founded in 1965, originally known as the McCord Road Christian Church until 2020.
St. George Coptic Orthodox Church broke ground in November for its Service Building project, an expansion of its Monclova Township property. The three-phase, $3 million initiative will expand the 44-acre campus to include offices, classrooms, a coffee shop, commercial kitchen, and community hall — and eventually a larger sanctuary. The congregation formed from about five families in the late 1990s and has grown to about 50 families.
Members of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral processed in candlelight toward their church at midnight on Orthodox Easter to celebrate the Pascha liturgy in the newly renovated sanctuary. This was the fourth renovation for the church, which was built in 1920 — a half-million-dollar project that began a few months prior. With fresh carpeting and paint, and new icons painted in Greece, the church was made brighter while contractors also reinforced the structure for the coming generations.
St. Joseph Catholic Church in Maumee completed an expansion to its school and purchased a building to serve as its ministry center just down the street from the church. Zoar Lutheran Church in Perrysburg continued restorations to its century-old stained glass windows. The Historic Church of St. Patrick in Toledo did maintenance work on its steeple, which included illuminating more of the church to welcome those driving in and out of downtown.
Central-city churches are finding their identity as destination churches rather than neighborhood churches, though their location uniquely tailors their ministries to serve immediate neighbors. Despite the growing population of young people living downtown, the congregations still lean older. Other downtown congregations, many of them just getting started, meet in non-traditional spaces for worship, like inside a coffee shop or in event spaces.
Clergy sex abuse
Michael Zacharias, former priest at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish in Findlay, was formally dismissed from the clerical state in March by the Vatican, returning him to the lay state.
He was sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge in November, 2023, for his convictions on five federal sex trafficking counts for grooming and sexually assaulting three teenage boys and coercive relationships into their adulthood.
In line with church law, the diocese then requested Pope Francis impose the penalty of direct dismissal from the priesthood.
The names of two additional Catholic clergy members were placed this year on the Diocese of Toledo’s clergy status report, acknowledging credible allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.
The diocesan Pastoral Center downtown was named for Msgr. Michael J. Doyle in 2002. The deceased priest’s name was removed from the building in November — something advocates had long been fighting for. In 2002, the diocese settled with a victim who had been at the former Saint Anthony Villa orphanage, where the priest served as chaplain from 1935 until his retirement in 1977. He continued to reside at the orphanage until 1980 and died in 1987. The diocese said a first allegation was made against Monsignor Doyle in 2020 but that was not substantiated. A second allegation resulted in the priest’s updated status and removal of the name Monsignor Doyle Hall.
Father Michael Madden, who served the diocese from 1963 to 1997 and died in 2007, was announced in October as credibly accused. The allegation dates back more than 40 years, according to the diocese. The priest had served at several perishes across the diocese.
To report any sexual abuse of a minor by diocesan personnel, individuals may call the Diocese of Toledo's victim assistance coordinator at 419-244-6711, ext. 4880.
In the Vatican
From the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, 2024 was a big year for Catholics.
October saw the completion of Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality. During the third and final year, clergy, religious, lay people, activists, and scholars met in Rome to envision the future of the church. The final report made no changes to official church doctrine and special committees were formed to further study controversial topics like women’s role in the church and LGBTQ acceptance.
Pope Francis, 88, met twice in 2024 with transgender and intersex Catholics who asked him to reconsider his stance on gender-affirming care. Though seen as a progressive pope, the Pontiff reinforced church teaching on women as deacons, surrogacy, and gender theory. In his 11th year, Pope Francis continued to be highly criticized by conservative bishops, removing some of his opponents from their leadership positions or from some of their privileges and selecting 21 new cardinals, a move that adds more electors chosen by him who will vote for his successor.
About 300 Catholics from the Toledo diocese joined the 60,000 pilgrims who attended the National Eucharistic Congress in July, which is part of the ongoing three-year National Eucharistic Revival. U.S. bishops launched the movement in 2022 in response to the oft-cited Pew Research finding that only one-third of U.S. Catholics believe in the church’s teaching that Jesus is present in the Eucharist. A more recent report out of Georgetown University found that nearly two-thirds of Catholics believe in the real presence.
The summer also marked the 2024 Olympic Games, of which the opening ceremony sparked worldwide controversy. It featured drag queens and gay icons in a perceived re-enactment of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Religious leaders deemed it a mockery of Christianity.
Catholics look ahead to the April canonization of the first millennial and digital saint, Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006 at age 15 from leukemia. He was devoted to the Eucharist and educating others about it.
The church also looks ahead to the jubilee year in 2025, which Pope Francis hopes people will live as a year of hope.
First Published January 2, 2025, 12:00 p.m.
