By Katie Hetrick
The News-Herald
December 2, 2011
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Most area Catholic churches recommended for closing or consolidation Thursday were not surprised to see their names on the list given to Allen Vigneron, archbishop of Detroit.
"We've been talking about this for a number of years," said Evelyn Mannino, business and financial manager of St. Albert Catholic Church in Dearborn Heights.
The church has long worked with nearby St. John the Baptist in Dearborn Heights, sharing classes, activities and even bulletin items.
"We're partner parishes," Mannino said. "We share a lot of activities."
However, she was under the impression that the churches would eventually share a priest when the one at St. John the Baptist left, but the Archdiocese of Detroit's report instead recommended consolidating and closing one of the facilities.
Mannino, though, stressed those are only recommendations to Vigneron. He is expected to announce his decisions on the recommendations in early February.
The Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, a group of mostly lay people, developed the recommendations. Parishes offered their input through their Together In
Faith committees.
Pam Bomba, office manager and bookkeeper for St. Elizabeth and St. Patrick
parishes in Wyandotte, also said she expected news of a closing.
"They've been pretty straight that this is going to happen," she said.
The two parishes, along with St. Joseph in Wyandotte, have been sharing a priest for a year and a half and slowly consolidating everything from classes to
Christian outreach to staff.
"Do we like it? No. But it is what it is," Bomba said.
She has been at St.
Elizabeth for 30 years. She was married in the parish, and her children were
baptized there. She has worked for the parish for nearly 15 years, but now St. Elizabeth is recommended for closing.
"It's my life," Bomba said.
The recommendations call for merging St. Elizabeth and St. Joseph and
closing St. Elizabeth. The new church would then merge with St. Patrick, all
by 2013. If a merger cannot be arranged, St. Elizabeth is recommended for closing in June and its assets assigned to St. Joseph.
While she is saddened, Bomba said, she understands the need. There simply are not enough priests. They are being run ragged trying to cover all the responsibilities at all the parishes, she said.
Wyandotte might be hit especially hard because it had so many parishes, and
now the Catholic population is declining, Bomba said.
The report also recommends merging and then closing either Our Lady of Mount Carmel or St. Stanislaus Kostka by 2016.
The shrinking number of priests and Catholics attending church, along with financial woes, have driven the archdiocese's efforts to consolidate.
The number of Catholics fell about 6 percent between 2000 and 2009 to 1.43 million, including those not registered, the archdiocese said. Attendance each week is only about 30 percent to 40 percent of those registered at a church.
Similarly, the number of schools in the archdiocese stands at 97, down from 171 in 2000 and 321 in 1970.
Recommendations call for closing nine parishes within five years, and
another 39 might be lost to mergers. The archdiocese has 270 parishes. Many other parishes will be joined in "clusters" that could eventually lead to mergers or closings.
The Rev. Terrance Kerner of St. Martha and St. Joseph parishes in Dearborn said parishes might merge but still keep both worship sites. That is the plan for his churches.
In that case, merging means consolidating services including parish council,
staff and even custodians to simplify management. Kerner sat on the committee that made the recommendations. He said anyone who paid attention to church announcements or read the bulletin would not be surprised at the changes
being recommended to Vigneron.
"There are several issues involved" in deciding how to consolidate or close
parishes, he said.
Committees and Vigneron had to consider attendance, seating potential, vibrancy, outreach programs, ministry and other matters.
Attendance is climbing at both St. Martha and St. Joseph, Kerner said.
"They are both just very, very excellent parishes," he said.
Having already been "clustered," the two parishes shared everything from
staff to printing one Sunday bulletin.
"A lot of people are looking at it as a benefit," Kerner said. Two churches give them more choices for Mass times and activities. The report also recommends that St. Joseph work more closely with Sacred Heart in Dearborn.
"What it basically comes down to is, looking down the road, how can we work
together?" Kerner said.
He, too, noted that the recommendations are not final and even the proposed
closings would not happen immediately. Vigneron will consider the recommendations very carefully, he said.
"Nothing is ever carved in stone," Kerner said.
The consolidations were needed, he said.
"I think it's good, and I think it's better to try not to burn out our priests," he said.
Contact: katie_hetrick@hotmail.com
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