By RUSS ZIMMER

staff writer

An elderly woman was sent away in tears from St. James Catholic Church Monday by a Toledo Diocese representative who came to lock and bar the church doors shut.

Members of St. James, which has been a member parish since 1889, have been in a struggle with the diocese since Bishop Leonard Blair announced the Kansas church would be one of many parishes closed as part of a restructuring plan.

At least one person has been in the church every hour of every day since May 1, 2005, when members started a prayer vigil to ask for the bishop to reconsider his decision.

"Basically, we were just engaging in prayer hoping the Toledo Diocese would see the light," Steve Johnson, church member for nine years, said. "We need our church to maintain the integrity of our community."

The parishioners were operating under the assumption a directive from the bishop would be followed, parishioner Ginny Hull said outside the closed church Monday afternoon.

Sally Oberski, director of communications for the diocese, said in another publication that after the locks were changed at the church last summer, members were free to come and go from the church as they wanted -- though they would not be allowed back in if the doors should lock.

Previously, the diocese has issued statements reporting the reason for the closing was long-term financial issues and manpower concerns, specifically a shortage of priests, St. James members said.

The Toledo Diocese could not be reached for comment by press time today.

Monday afternoon, Marilyn Hamilton, the sister of a church member, was praying inside St. James when a man, who refused to identify himself, requested her to leave. Hull, who talked to the Hamiltons after the incident, said after Hamilton asked for credentials the man "got very nasty verbally."

Hamilton, scared by the confrontation, left the church and walked across the street to her sister's home, visibly shaken and upset, Hull said.

Church members were shocked by the news of the closing, marked on the doors of the church with a "Private Property No Trespassing" sign, but were especially disappointed with how it was carried out.

"I never thought I would see the day that any bishop would send an unknown person to accost someone out of praying," said Johnson, whose daughters were expecting to have their First Communion soon.

One positive aspect of this battle with the leadership, Johnson said, was it brought the congregation closer together. Wherever they go to worship, Johnson said, they hope to stay together.

The disillusioned Hull was not sure what her future holds.

"I'm not going to another Catholic church," she said, later adding that is how she felt in that moment. "It's not the religion, it's the leadership."

On the St. James Web site, a new update, "Lockdown," was on the main page with a scrolling bar across the top reading: "The Most Reverand Bishop Leonard Paul Blair would like to formally announce to all that God's house is the bishop's private personal property. All who attempt to worship God on His Excellency's private property will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Your pledges, however, are still welcome so keep them coming."

Observers outside the church said three sheriff's deputies were on the scene to enforce the no trespassing decree after the church was emptied.

Hull said she and several other people have their own personal property locked inside the church, items and musical instruments used in prayer, which she would like to retrieve.

All $80,000 in the church coffers, raised locally by the parish, and the deed to the church, though it was built and maintained by members of the town, all belong to the diocese, Johnson said, which to him was disconcerting.

"You don't learn about the stuff in fine print until they close your church down," Johnson said.

By MARIAH MERCER

Staff Writer

TIFFIN -- Centuries ago, St. Francis of Assisi wrote in his famous "Canticle of All Creatures" how the Lord is praised through the sun, the moon and stars, the wind and air, the water and fire and the earth which sustains and governs us.

Today the Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin continue that mission through the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center (FELC) and Seeds of Hope Farm, an environmental education center and demonstration facility designed to promote the appreciation of nature and encourage sustainable living practices.

The Sisters of Saint Francis own 500 acres on the south side of Tiffin. Founded in 1994, the FELC sits at the edge of their farm fields with approximately 385 acres of the land farmed conventionally. Sponsored by the FELC, the Seeds of Hope Farm is a small diversified farm dedicated to the production of quality, chemical-free vegetables and herbs.

The FELC hosts a number of programs for area schools, as well as troops of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, summer camps and other groups throughout the year. The programs emphasize hands-on environmental learning.

"Everything is hands on, activity-oriented," said Sister Rita Wienken, manager of the Seeds of Hope Farm and former director of the FELC. "Students get to see, feel, touch things in the natural world."

The most popular program is "A Year of Ohio Wildlife." Children take a hayride through the woods to observe Ohio plants and animals during different seasons and examine their behavior, appearance and food changes throughout the year.

Another popular program studies meteorology. Students learn to use an anemometer, barometer, thermometer and wind sock to measure and predict the weather; discover what types of weather accompany high and low pressure, warm and cold fronts, and discuss different types of clouds.

The facility also hosts bunnies, gerbils, hamsters and other critters for visitors to pet and hold, as well as winding trails through the woods and wetlands for them to explore.

For adults, the FELC offers two programs: its on-site farmer's market and the Community Support Agriculture (CSA) program.

The market opened last year and sold organic produce, including lettuce, spinach, peas, beans, onions, carrots, beets, tomatoes, peppers, squash, sweet corn, potatoes, pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn every Thursday at a stand near the Earth Literacy Center. This year they will add eggs from free-range chickens to the offerings.

"We got people out here from the community, but we also had the seniors at the villas volunteer to run it," Wienken said. "They were excited about running the stand. People would call me and ask why I didn't call them to work the stand that week and it was because it was already filled up."

It was such a success that they will open the market every day but Sunday this summer. The market will kick off in mid-May.

In the center's other adult program, Community Supported Agriculture, families can purchase a share in the Seeds of Hope farmland.

Participants can either purchase working shares -- families sign up to work 10 three-hour shifts through the growing season-- or nonworking shares for a higher cost. Each share produces fresh food for a four-person family, available once a week. Couples can also join together in a share.

Last year Seeds of Hope Farm offered six full shares, and hope to offer 18 this year. Four families, three of which are working shares, have already signed up.

This form of agriculture started in Switzerland in the 1960s or 70s, according to Wienken. It was intended to keep small, diversified farms going and to produce local produce for the community.

"This is really about relationships," explained Wienken. "It's intended to show that farmers and communities need each other. It provides help for the farmer -- growing vegetables is a lot of hands-on work. And it also gives people a chance to see where their food comes from."

One of her best workers was a 6-year-old who came to work on a share with his mother.

"He loved being out here," she recalled. "I told him that when I retired I would train him to be the farmer and he said, 'yes, then I can tell you what to do.'"

Much of the produce available in grocery stores travels more than 2,000 miles, according to Wienken. A loss of transportation or bad weather elsewhere in the world would affect how we feed ourselves, she explained.

Originally founded in 1869 by Father Joseph Bihn and Elizabeth Schaefer to care for the orphans and the elderly, the ministry was designed to be self-sufficient and has long farmed its property.

In 1994, the Sisters of St. Francis approved a 10-year plan to implement St. Francis's concern for creation in areas such as spirituality, water resources, land resources, food preparation and wildlife.

They opened an earth literacy office that Weinken headed. Community experts and interested parties, including organic farmers, educators and staff from the center were invited to discuss the implementation of the program.

Among the goals were the study and implementation of alternative energy systems, construction of a solar greenhouse, and the continued restoration of the wetland areas.

The building that houses the literacy center is designed to work most effectively with the natural world, rather than "battling" it.

"It simulates the way Mother Nature works," said Weinken. "We recognize our oneness with the natural world. We want people to think about our relationship with natural world. We are conscious of the natural world, look at how what we are doing affects the world we live in."

Previously a milking barn and storage facility, today the building is an example for visitors and community members of how to use environmentally-friendly building techniques.

To keep the building warm, radiant floor heat was added to the building. The solar greenhouse attached to the south side of the building also generates plenty of warm air. On a recent cold, dry winter's day, the center was lush -- both warm and even a little humid.

In 1998, the FELC received an award from the state of Ohio for the best use of recycled material in a building project.

The building has no air conditioning and does not use a traditional heating system. To keep the building cool in the summer, there are large windows on the north wall to let in air and a row of fans on the ceiling to pull warm air out of the two large cuppolas on either side of the building.

"Up front the cost is a little higher than normal but the benefits in the long term outweigh the costs," said Weinken.

"The natural world will be here long after we're gone and we want this to be an education piece so people can see we can work with nature."

Silent auction to support FELC

The Franciscan Earth Literacy Center will host its seventh annual silent auction March 31.

It will take place from 6-9 p.m. at Camden Falls Conference Center. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the meal will be served at 7 p.m.

The event will include a cash bar and buffet. The menu features carved glazed ham, bowtie pasta with sauces, peeled shrimp, a chocolate fountain, and vegetable, cheese and fruit trays. Music will be provided by a four-piece jazz orchestra group.

Both a live auction and a silent auction are planned. Up for bid in the live auction is a 35-bottle wine cooler, a pair of Cleveland Indians tickets, Ohio State University tickets and a flat screen T.V. The silent auction will include theme baskets, travel packages around the Ohio, artwork and original wood carvings and gift certificate.

An Argosy casino wheel will offer the chance to spin and win an overnight package to Argosy Casino in Lawrenceberg, Ind. Guests can also participate in a 50/50 raffle and take a chance to guess which cookie jar has $60 hidden inside.

Ticket are required and cost $25 per person.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call (419) 448-7485.

On the Net: www.earthliteracy.org

By NICOLE DELISIO

Staff Writer

Postcards, yard signs and letters to the editor are all mechanisms Hopewell-Loudon school officials are considering using to pass a 6.4-mill emergency levy on the May 2 ballot.

On a night when H-L hosted several school-related activities, 14 board members, staff and parents convened Monday to discuss ways to get the levy message out to voters.

The district's 5.85-mill levy, approved in 2003, expires in December. Ohio legislation requires county auditors to collect at least 20 mills from each district, and, minus the 5.85-mills, H-L only has 17.54 effective mills.

"Replacement or renewal (levies) would've generated just that 5.85-mill increase we went with," Superintendent Geoff Palmer said.

Fred Smith, an H-L parent, recommended postcards be used to break the levy down for voters and inform them why the district is seeking increased millage.

"I think either postcards or something like that, that has some of that pertinent information on it (should be) sent out to people," Smith said. "Because I know it's hard to get door-to-door in a campaign like this, but postcards, if you can generate the money, is about the easiest way."

Palmer added the idea of posting levy information on a Web site, which would include a set of answers for both simple and difficult questions. The link for such a site could be listed on distributed postcards.

Yard signs were also discussed at length, and those attending Monday's meeting expressed interest in purchasing a couple hundred of these to encourage voters.

A committee will be organized to handle the postcards, newspaper letters and any other communication mechanisms.

Another idea being considered is using local television stations to inform voters, which is something Hopewell-Loudon did in 2003.

Dave Burns, who acted as treasurer of the 2003 levy campaign, was selected to do the same this year. To raise funds, the group discussed contacting entities that do business with H-L.

Hopewell-Loudon's school board announced in February that it will seek the 6.4-mill emergency levy to replace the 5.85-mill levy. Board Treasurer Veronica Reinhart distributed information Monday clarifying the term "emergency levy" does not mean the district is in a financial crisis. An emergency levy is a term the state uses to define a levy that asks for a specific dollar amount, and is not counted when the county auditor calculates how many effective mills collected.

This levy, if passed, will cost the owner of an $80,000 home approximately $85 more per year, and the owner of a $100,000 home $106 additional. For the owner of the $80,000 home this translates into an additional 23 cents per day, while it would mean another 29 cents daily for the latter.

Palmer explained, and Reinhart verified, that a 6.4-mill levy will generate almost the same total money as the 5.85-mills.

Home valuations have increased, but the district lost a lot of personal property valuations.

"So, before this re-valuation a mill in our district was worth about $94,000," Reinhart said. "Now it's worth $86,000. So even though our property values went up, we dropped a bunch of personal property tax off our roll. So it actually takes more mills now to generate the same amount of money."

Hopewell-Loudon will host another levy meeting March 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Fostoria

accidents

Monday:

"¢ Julie Young, 18, 558 N. Poplar St., was cited for failure to maintain assured clear distance ahead at about 5:40 p.m. on West Lytle Street when she rear-ended the stopped vehicle of Kimberly R. Sorg, 43, 1021 Rock Drive.

citations

Tuesday:

"¢ Marion D. Deline, 36, 12400 W. Axline St., OMVI.

"¢ Monica R. Rodriguez, 34, 939 Buckley St., speeding.

"¢ Jude L. Dube, 33, Findlay, expired license, failure to reinstate.

Monday:

"¢ Michelle R. Tyson, 39, Risingsun, red light violation.

"¢ Rachel L. Barchos, 27, 327 Columbus Ave., suspended license.

thefts

Monday:

"¢ An Oak Park Drive male reported his vehicle was stolen.

"¢ A Palmer Street female reported her son-in-law was removing items from her residence.

"¢ An Eastern Avenue male reported getting a check for $100,000 and notification claiming he won the Canadian lottery.

vandalism

Tuesday:

"¢ A Williston Avenue female reported someone shot a paint gun at her garage door.

Monday:

"¢ Tires were slashed on a vehicle on Francis Avenue.

"¢ A vehicle on North Union Street was painted blue and the tires were flattened.

miscellaneous

Monday:

"¢ A female reported her soon-to-be ex-husband will not allow her to get her items from his South Union Street residence. The male advised of getting harassing calls, two of which came from the female in question while an officer was at the South Union Street location.

"¢ A female reported her ex-boyfriend threatened her.

"¢ A bike was found on Jackson Street and impounded.

"¢ The dog warden was notified of an aggressive canine that almost dragged a male off a bike on Columbus Avenue.