Bishop had ‘heart for the poor,’ dies at 88
Retired Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Bishop Anthony Pilla “had a heart for the poor,” and was a caring and understanding boss and minister, say people who worked with him. He was also dedicated to uniting parishes of all socioeconomic backgrounds throughout the diocese.
Pilla died at his residence Tuesday morning.
The Most Reverend Edward C. Malesic, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, announced Pilla’s death.
“In my short time as the bishop of Cleveland I came to know Bishop Pilla as a very warm, kind-hearted and deeply faithful shepherd, always dedicated to the people of the diocese. He was generous with his time and sharing his knowledge and concern for the diocese with me,” Malesic said in a news release.
“As a leader in the national Church, Bishop Pilla was an inspiration and example to me throughout my priesthood and in my years as a bishop. I felt so welcomed by him when I came to the Diocese of Cleveland, a Church that he loved so much. As a leader in the community and a friend to so many, he will be greatly missed.”
Pilla, 88, was the diocese’s ninth bishop, serving from 1981 to 2006, when he retired.
He was succeeded by former Bishop Richard Lennon, who died in 2019.
Pilla had seemed to be in good health Sept. 12 when he visited Holy Family Parish in Stow for a baptism, said The Rev. Paul J. Rosing, parish pastor.
“At that time, he looked fine. He was in rare form, and that was just like a couple days ago,” Rosing said.
Rosing said Pilla was one of his instructors at Borromeo Seminary High School, shortly after Pilla was ordained as a priest in 1959. Pilla had taught history, economics and physics.
“Throughout my priesthood, he’s been a real guide,” he said.
Rosing said he continued to work with Pilla over the years, and was on the diocese’s leadership council when Pilla was named bishop in 1980 by Pope John Paul II.
“I was the pastor of The Annunciation [now called Visitation of Mary Parish] during the 80s and 90s, and at that time we were exploring the idea of affordable housing for the seniors and the elderly,” he said. “Bishop Pilla was very supportive of our efforts.”
The resulting Annunciation Terrace apartment building was built on Broad Street in Middlebury in 1999.
“He was very collaborative. He had a heart for the poor. I particularly worked with him on the Church in the City initiative,” Rosing said. “He was very much aware that our diocese was built in urban and suburban and rural areas, and that we should be working together. We should find ways to support each other.
“He was concerned about the fact that the economic realities of our region were causing a real disconnect between the urban areas of Cuyahoga County, Summit County and Lorain County, and the suburban and rural areas,” including Wayne and Geauga counties.
Pilla discussed his “The Church in the City” vision in a talk given to the City Club of Cleveland in 1996, the year after he was named president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. The talk is titled “The Moral Implications of Regional Sprawl.”
Pilla started his talk by discussing the disparities between communities within the diocese, saying public policies and subsidies have aggravated urban problems by encouraging urban sprawl.
A transcript of the talk is available at teachingcleveland.com.
“Many factors have fueled the complex phenomenon of outmigration,” Pilla said. “No doubt deep societal issues of color, class and culture have been and continue to be powerful influences. Surveys note the importance of fear of crime and concern about educational quality. For much of our national history moving up the socioeconomic ladder has meant moving out.”
Pilla called on church communities in the suburbs, urban and rural areas to work together.
“Whether people belong to an urban, suburban, exurban or rural parish we are all called to be one body with one mission. In the context of our faith, this call to unity is not an option. It is who we are as a Catholic Church. We are called to be a single faith community, respecting our diversity but united in solidarity with the whole human family. No matter where we live or who we are, we have gifts and talents to build upon and share with others,” Pilla said.
Sr. Rita Mary Haywood, former secretary for Parish Life and Development for the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, chaired The Church in the City implementation task force. She said the initiative inspired people from all over the diocese’s eight county region to participate.
“We had interfaith and ecumenical participation in Church in the City, we had civic participation, we had business people participating,” she said, adding colleges and universities across the diocese also held talks the diocese sponsored on subjects related to the initiative.
“It think it really touched a need and an interest in the region. It was just astounding. People got behind it and just really moved with it.”
Funeral arrangements are pending. Eric Marotta can be reached at 330541-9433, or emarotta@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Marottaeric.