Letters: Faithful 91-year-old priest among those ousted from residence. Bishop out of step.

Letters to the Editor

Rev. Earl K. Fernandes, center, is pictured during his ordination and installation as the thirteenth Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Westerville, Ohio, on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Fred Squillante-The Columbus Dispatch

We've been barricaded from our faith

The Paulist priests were told to leave the St. Thomas More Newman Center by July 31 and have been told to vacate their residence by Aug. 31.

This includes Father Vinny McKiernan, a 91-year-old priest who has served the center since the early 1990s.

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

This directive is from the new bishop of Columbus who was installed on May 31, at an elaborate, exclusive, ticketed event at St. Paul in Westerville. The day of the ceremony, my grandson and I were carrying a bag of food for the poor.

More:'God's plan': Fernandes takes over Columbus Diocese with ceremony at Westerville parish

We were denied entry to the church, as there were barricades placed at each entrance to the parking lot.

I ask in whose name does a young bishop, in office since May 31, exclude an old woman and child — carrying food for the poor — from the church?

In whose name does he tell three young priests to leave and an elderly man to find another place to live?

This business with the barricades cannot be the future of our church if it is to thrive as the Lord intended.

This is not what I teach my grandson, Cooper, about our faith.

Patricia D. Balassone, Westerville

Bishop Fernandes must experience the Newman Center

As a parishioner of the St. Thomas More Newman Center for 26 years, I’m writing to explain my view of the proposed changes in leadership.

More:Ohio State's Catholic student ministry to get new leadership at Newman Center

We moved to Columbus in 1996 so that I could obtain a Ph.D. at The Ohio State University.

We initially visited several churches before realizing that the OSU Newman Center would be the perfect place.

Father Vinny McKiernan celebrated Mass that first visit, and has since been moved by all the Paulists’ homilies. Our packed seats attest to the value we resident parishioners and our student population put on the Paulists. The spirit and vibrancy of the Mass with the Paulists bring an incredible, unique sense of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Jul 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Rev. Rene Costanza delivers a video taped message at the Newman Center, the parish and student ministry at Ohio State, letting parishioners know that the diocese is being taken from the Paulist fathers during Catholic mass on July 3, 2022. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

More:'Here I am, Lord': Next Catholic bishop of Columbus felt call to priesthood early

I invite you, Bishop Earl Fernandes, to please celebrate Mass with us to experience for yourself the uniqueness that is the Newman Center as led by our Paulist priests.

Further, I beg of you to prayerfully reconsider allowing the Paulists to remain in leadership at Newman.

Our world desperately needs this special home for the students of Ohio State University to experience the love of God, of faith and of one another.

Dr. Angela Beumer Johnson, Hilliard

More:How to submit a letter to the editor for The Columbus Dispatch

New bishop 'out of step'

Praise greeted Bishop Earl Fernandes' coming as Catholic bishop of Columbus. Now I am having second thoughts.

Last week, Bishop Fernandes abruptly expelled the Paulist Fathers from their OSU campus ministry. The Paulists had faithfully served students since the 1960s. No scandals, and nothing in their ministry was inconsistent with core Catholic beliefs. They brought only the Gospel to many people, myself included.

More:5 things to know: Columbus Catholic bishop-elect Earl Fernandes

Bishop Fernandes' action contradicted the diocese's stated intention of "spreading the joy of the Gospel in central Ohio." Instead, it has brought pain, suffering, and confusion to many faithful Catholic people.

More:Photos: Newman Center learns of new Catholic leadership

In his moves, Bishop Fernandes seems out of step in living the Gospel he professes to teach and live by.

Robert Kohan, Columbus

Will Clarence Thomas overturn interracial marriage?

All of the letters to the editor appearing in the Sunday, July 3, Dispatch were thoughtful, well-written opinions giving the reader much to think about.

More:Letters: Court gave babies, adoptive parents win in abortion ruling. It is not that simple

I'm just wondering, since the Supreme Court wants to take us back to the “good ol' days,” how will Justice Clarence Thomas vote when it comes to making interracial marriage illegal again?

Deborah M. Manofsky, Columbus

After birth, we are 'cannon fodder'

My mind is reeling at the smarmy hypocrisy of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, flying the flags at half-mast for more innocent lives destroyed by "legal" assault rifles by "legal" purchasers in Illinois.

More:Gov. Mike DeWine signs law eliminating requirement for conceal carry gun permits

Any unhinged person can carry a gun with no license and no training in Ohio, with a knife or switchblade thrown in for good measure, thanks to his spineless kowtowing to the NRA powers that be in our gerrymandered legislature.

More:Hamlar: Right to life vs. right to live: Banning weapons, not abortion, saves kids' lives.

For shame, Mike. Where is the right to life? Oh, I understand, it's only for the unborn, not for the actual people that are living and breathing right now! After birth, cannon fodder.

Miriam Utter, Worthington

'US semiconductor industry cannot wait'

The June 25 article, "Intel pushes Congress to pass $52B in aid," is much more than symbolic, as this article identifies it, and instead represents the real loss semiconductor companies face when manufacturing in the U.S. without federal incentives.

It currently costs 25-50% more to build and maintain a fab in the U.S. than it does overseas, due primarily to the incentives global competitors offer.

More:CHIPS Act would 'unleash the power' of manufacturing industry in Ohio |Opinion

The global demand for semiconductors is only growing, and our economic prosperity, tech leadership and national security are dependent on a strong domestic semiconductor supply chain.

Congress needs to act now to pass competitiveness legislation that includes both CHIPS Act funding and a Facilitating American-Built Semiconductors (FABS) Act investment tax credit for domestic semiconductor manufacturing and design.

More:Commerce Secretary warns that delays on semiconductor aid could limit Intel's Ohio project

Fortifying the U.S. semiconductor industry cannot wait, and I urge Congress to act quickly to ensure America’s future.

John Neuffer, Semiconductor Industry Association CEO and President, Washington, DC

Let's save more than food

When it enters a landfill, food waste creates enormous amounts of smelly methane gas, a potent greenhouse gas that accelerates global warming.

Each day, more than 1 million pounds of food enters the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill, the biggest component of trash by weight, according to the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio.

More:Gahanna launches food-waste composting partnership with GoZERO, SWACO

Each of us can shrink our personal carbon footprint by reducing, reusing, rescuing, and recycling household food waste. We are fortunate that there are efforts underway by several proactive communities to recycle food waste through the establishment of food waste drop off locations.

Michael Little, a compost operator with GoZERO Accessible Food Waste Services, picks up discarded food scraps to be converted to compost March 2 at Sunny 95 Park. Upper Arlington has three food waste drop-off sites and launched a curbside food waste collections program in April. The pilot program will serve up to 700 households through September 2023.

These communities include Gahanna, Grandview Heights, Hilliard, Upper Arlington, Westerville, Whitehall, and Worthington. Bexley has gone a step further by implementing a curbside pick-up program for food waste. There are also local private companies that will collect food waste for a fee and process it to create nutrient-rich compost.

More:New Albany launches composting initiative with GoZERO for food waste

The Save More Than Food website (www.SaveMoreThanFood.org) managed by the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio offers tools for teachers and other residents who want to learn how they can address the problems and opportunities created by food waste.

If you are looking for a way to help the environment, reducing food waste is a great place to start.

Brian Will, Grandview Heights

Children attend school with fear

John and Abigail Adams and Shootings by Jeff Koterba

It is heartbreaking to see where our legislators (both Ohio and national) stand on "sensible gun control" laws. They cry “the Second Amendment” – don’t take away our “freedom to bear arms.” The Founding Fathers did not envision these types of weapons when they framed the Constitution.

More:Column: Commissioners in some Ohio counties have misplaced priorities: guns

Meanwhile, our “freedoms” and rights are disappearing. We are not free to go to the grocery store, church, doctor’s office, gas station, mall, recreation center, theater, concert, and a Fourth of July parade without wondering if there is a real possibility that someone might come in with an AR-15 (or some other high-powered gun) and spray people with bullets, maiming or killing them.

More:Column: The Second Amendment right to bear arms is not absolute

Our children do not have the “freedom” to go to school without fear. The children who have died by gunfire did not have the “freedom” to grow up and live their lives. The students, who experienced these school shootings, have been traumatized.

Are people okay with this? I guess the important thing is people can still have their guns, without permits, proper training, solid background checks, waiting period, etc.

We need legislators who value children and the people they represent. Consider where your legislators stand and where they get their funding (like the NRA) in the upcoming elections!

Debra Britton, Columbus