Detroit Archdiocese Reorganization Plan Finalized
By Oralandar Brand-Williams
Two Catholic churches are slated for closure while close to 31 others are expected to merge under a massive reorganization plan finalized by Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron. Another seven parishes will be merged into three between 2014 and 2016, according to the final plan. The archbishop scheduled a 4 p.m. news conference Monday to discuss the final plan involving the future of 267 parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit. The news conference is at the Blessed Pope John Paul II Parish, 5830 Simon K. St. The goal of the plan, says the archbishop and church leaders, is to address the issue of struggling parishes in debt and a priest shortage in the church. Under the plan, St. Donald Parish in Roseville and Our Lady Queen of Peace in Harper Woods will close. St. Donald will close in June following the retirement of its priest, Fr. Michael Donovan. Our Lady Queen of Peace's parish council planning group recommended closing and that its building is put up for sale in June. Priests and parishioners were mailed the final plan, which has a summarized breakdown in addition to a four-page pamphlet detailing the changes for their particular vicariate, or church region and an eight-page letter from Vigneron to parish priests, leaders and parishioners. "The life of the Church here in the Archdiocese of Detroit cannot simply continue without significant changes. Faith and prudence demand that we act now," wrote Vigneron in the newsletter. "The changes we need to make will surely involve moments of personal loss as some parishes are reconfigured into new worship communities, but we move forward always with the hope that God will raise us up and raise up for us new resources to do his work." At Catholic churches across the area, Sunday Mass was a mix of sadness and anxiety as parishioners who had not heard about the new plans wondered if they will still worship in the same building and with the same people. Some like Gloria Primus, a longtime St. Leo parishioner, is adamant about staying put in her parish. "I don't want this church to close," says Primus. "If they close this church, I'm not going to St. Cecilia." At other churches such as Good Shepherd Catholic Church, there was relief to learn that they would not be among those closing. "I was greatly relieved after going through both the pastoral letter and the accompanying document," said Fr. Michael Nkachukwu in a letter to this parishioners "Can anything be more uplifting than (the archbishop's) upbeat and proactive message?" For more information about the approved Archdiocese church plan, log on to aodonline.org for the complete list of the closings, mergers and clusters. Contact: bwilliams@detnews.com (313) 222-2027
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