A Pittsburgh banker, referring to nearby Wheeling WV as a bedroom community for his city, warns Wheeling Jesuit University adherents:

The hiring of Mr. Richard Beyer, the fifth president at Wheeling Jesuit University in 10 years, deeply troubles me.  Besides the unresolved issue of the sacking of Jesuit Fr. Giulietti, there is the longstanding issue of the coming bankruptcy of this institution.

Does Mr. Beyer know that he was hired actually to close the school?  The banking community in this banking city is waiting for the opportunity to arrange the sale of the institution. The loss of students and faculty, the disappearance of alumni support and crushing debt cannot go on much longer.

There are scientific and other research institutions in this city that need to grow and expand and have the resources to do so. But land is tight here. Wheeling is a bedroom community to Pittsburgh. It is time to act.

The land-hungry institution commonly mentioned is the U. of Pittsburgh Medical Center, which has a Specialty Care Center (for Pediatric Otolaryngology) in Wheeling.

Are the Jesuits and the Wheeling bishop (part owner of WJU)  preparing to bail out?

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Later: That said, I’m into a little bit of buyer’s remorse, or at least uncertainty here, because I cannot discover a Leo Cleary in or near Pittsburgh, nor can others find him among WJU alumni.  White Pages dot com says there are seven Leo Clearys in the U.S.  Cities with one are:

1. Odell, IL (2)
2. Indianapolis, IN (1)
3. Greenwood, IN (1)
4. Gloucester, MA (1)
5. Lynnfield, MA (1)
6. Cherry Hill, NJ (1)

Wed. Journal editor Dan Haley disapproves:

The giant hammer of the Roman Catholic archdiocese has landed at Ascension Church in Oak Park. On the pastor.

How else to explain the odd apology in the Sunday bulletin from Rev. Larry McNally? This summer McNally got way out front on the third rail issue of ordaining women. He also criticized Rome’s inquiry into America’s female religious orders.

He spoke from the pulpit, wrote a letter to the Sun-Times, and allowed/encouraged a petition drive outside the church doors calling on the church to change its stance and allow women priests.

In my opinion, Haley betrays extreme discomfort at requirements.  Thing is, Fr. McNally ain’t nothin’ without Holy Mother Church, which has always had requirements.

He has a pulpit in a grand church building that preceded him by many decades, built by an organization that did so by many centuries.  The organization is picky about who gets called Father in its ranks.  That’s one of its longstanding requirements.  Tut, tut.

Years ago, as president of a book-authors’ organization, I heard one of us bemoan the idea that you had to be a book author to get in.  But it was one of our requirements.

Chicago Reader had a cover story many years ago in which the writer inveighed against standards — but had to abide by those of the editor.  So it goes.

Get real, all ye requirements-deniers, editors, writers, priests, whoever you are.  You ain’t nothin’ without ’em.

Later: At the same time, this forcing McNally to testify himself, as it seems to be, smacks of ecclesiastical hardball, prompting the question, Would Jesus have done it that way?