Open the doors, but where are all the people?

The continuation of a Catholic parish's fight to keep its church will depend on the charity of others.

Parishioners of the former St. James Parish in Kansas, left, are looking for funding to take their legal battle with the Catholic Diocese of Toledo to the Third District Court of Appeals. A 10-day fundraiser to raise $50,000 for legal fees will go through Tuesday.

In the lawsuit filed in June 2006, the St. James parishioners argue the church, its contents and the land the building sits on are the parishioners' property. The parishioners claim they are beneficiaries and therefore have equitable title.

Parishioners haven't been allowed in the church since March 6, 2006, when Bishop Leonard Blair ordered the doors to be padlocked. The parish closed in July 2005 as part of a larger restructuring effort. The diocese argued the parish as an entity owned the property and not the parishioners.

Seneca County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Kelbley states the plaintiffs have no claim to the property of the former parish in his judgement entry because it is undisputed the title of the parish is in Blair's name.

Anyone interested in donating to the St. James parishioners' cause should fill out a form on their Web site at http://www.stjameskansas.org by Tuesday, April 22.

~ Original story by Sandra