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I think the resistance to a merger among Steubenville diocese residents might have something to do with the decline of the city over the last few decades. There appears to be no renaissance there, as has happened or is developing in other rustbelt cities. Sometimes, for people looking for a win, the prospect of a further downgrade in regional status is just too much to bear.

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Maybe in part. But likely, I suspect, *only* in part.

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There is a Renaissance taking place in Steubenville over the last 2-3 years especially with young couples with children (but not entirely as older couples are also moving here). In our small block or two in Steubenville - couples have moved here from El Paso, California, Florida, Colorado, St. Louis. Housing is cheap especially if you want to renovate an old house, land is cheap if you want to farm or homestead. There are thriving TLM, NO, Byzantine, homeschooling and farm schooling communities all working together to form a new kind of Catholic community. It's all happening under the radar but Bishop Bradley was exposed to it and was converted. Viva Steubenville.

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I hear you, and it sounds like a beautiful thing. However, I suspect this "under the radar Catholic renaissance" still leaves a lot of people, including most diocese Catholics, adversely affected by the economic weakness, drug use, and crime that trouble the area.

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