Retired bishop Richard Lennon in prayers of local Catholics after his death at 72

Bishop Richard Lennon, who oversaw the eight-county Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, 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. Lennon became the 10th bishop of the diocese at a Mass of Installation at St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in Cleveland. Upon taking office in Cleveland, Lennon set out to visit all of the parishes and schools in the diocese. One of his visits included St. Francis Xavier School in Medina. "I enjoyed my time working with Bishop Lennon," said Deacon Paul Kipfstuhl from St. Francis Xavier in Medina. "What sticks out to me is how kind he was with children and with individuals with disabilities. He would always stop to shake their hand and chat with them. I really enjoyed seeing that." In 2009, Lennon presided at the installation of the Rev. Anthony F. Sejba. In his homily at the Sept. 5, 2009, Mass, the bishop stressed that each member of the parish community has a role in helping others experience God. "This is an important moment for this community, enriching the lives of those who are here and those we have to call back to life in the church," Lennon said at that time. "This is not something the pastor does alone." Lennon visited the school after it won a prestigious U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon in 2011 and surprised students and staff with a future day off school. Pastoral Minister Lisa Radey from St. Colette Catholic Church said she has fond memories of working with Lennon. "He loved going to the parishes," Radey said . "I'll tell you a little story. ... He went to a parish and he talked about his father. He was from Boston and his father was a fireman ... after mass this little boy came up to him and said he wanted to be a firefighter and he was really interested ... and do you know within two weeks he showed up at that little boys house with mementos from the Boston Fire Department to share with him. I feel very blessed because I got to see a side of him that many people did not." Radey and Kipfstuhl said that, when Lennon took over as bishop, he was tasked with carrying on work that had been set in motion by officials before him and that, because of this, he was misunderstood at times. No Medina County churches closed as a result of the inherited Vibrant Parish Plan, but the diocesewide impact was felt with the closing of 50 parishes and the establishment of 17 merged new parishes. It completely changed the face of the diocese, especially in more urban and ethnic communities that saw its parishes shrink in size over the years. "When he was assigned here as bishop, we were just in the initial stages of going through the consolidation process and I think there's a lot of misconception about what his intent was," Kipfstuhl said . While some may have had misconceptions of him in the beginning, many who worked with him got to know him and he grew on many within the church. "Honestly, we had been praying for him because they told us he was in Hospice," said Radey. "He was a nice man and he was funny and he was a good priest "We're all a little sad today." Contact reporter Alyssa Alfano at (330) 721-4063 or aalfano@medina-gazette.com.