'A Slow Death' or New Life? Grand Rapids Diocese Restructuring Plan Questioned by Some in Church
By Heidi Fenton
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- In the weeks since the Diocese of Grand Rapids announced a dramatic restructuring plan affecting churches across West Michigan, parishioners have shared mixed reactions of hope, surprise and sadness. For many, the neighborhood churches are part of the very fabric of their lives. Memories of weddings, baptisms and funerals are tied to them. The familiar walls have been a shelter for Sunday morning greetings between friends and celebrations of newborn children. It's hard to imagine those things happening anywhere else than their long-time church home, many say. They fear what could happen if that aspect of shared familiarity is gone. The diocese's long-terms plan calls for a list of parish mergers or "clustering." Three area churches are slated to close. "When you take the heart and the main organs of anybody, what happens?" St. Mary's parishioner Mercedes Toohey asked. "It's a slow death." And there, in that thought, a larger question has emerged within the broader Catholic church this month — Is the plan really about a death, or about life? The thoughts of Toohey and others stand in stark contrast to the vision of church leaders. They see the "Our Faith, Our Future" restructuring plan as a way to stir growth. Bishop Walter Hurley, in an interview with MLive earlier this month, shared his thoughts on focusing resources on mission and pastoral care rather than on unnecessary administrative costs. "It's not so much about downsizing, because the church has continued to grow," he said. "If we want to preserve our rich heritage, then we have to look at things in some new ways." The plan calls for a dramatic restructuring of churches from Muskegon, south to Grand Rapids, and from Ionia to the Lakeshore. There's no set timeline for the changes — that will depend on when existing priests retire or can no longer serve. This could be several years into the future. Some churches will merge with others and form a single parish, with one administrative staff and one priest. Others will cluster and share a priest, but move forward still with two separate staffs and leadership groups. Church buildings will remain open in most situations. Three Grand Rapids churches are the exception: Our Lady of Sorrows in the city, St. Anthony in Robinson Township and St. Dominic in Wyoming. Each of these will merge with other churches and move out of their current places of worship. The Basilica of St. Adalbert, near downtown Grand Rapids, will become somewhat of a gathering place for the Catholic community as a Central West Side parish. Before the end of 2012, the Basilica will merge completely with St. James Church and will someday expand its reach to include mergers with SS Peter and Paul and also, with St. Mary's. For parishioners at St. Mary's, this announcement came as a surprise. That church, with its iconic narrow steeple that can be seen from the city's S-curve, recently underwent a significant renovation, funded by more than $1 million in donations from parishioners. That renovation this week was recognized by the city, which announced it will offer St. Mary's — and The Basilica— historic preservation awards in May. The St. Mary's Hispanic population continues to grow, in part because of a bilingual Mass that is unique downtown, parish leaders say. At this time of growth, they say it doesn't make sense to implement a dramatic change. A parish meeting in April drew more than 100 members. Out of that came a note of appeal to the restructuring plan, which recently was sent to Bishop Hurley and to Catholic church leaders in Washington, D.C. "If it has to be clustered, that's fine," said St. Mary's member Jerri Schmidt. "We can handle this and we can share a priest … But keep it open, keep our staff there so we can minister." Bishop Hurley offered his response on Thursday, a reminder that the plan is just that — a plan, a pastoral document. There is no order for immediate change or a timeline, he wrote, but rather something that "creates a renewed vision and energy that will enable us to look to the future with hope and confidence." Diocese officials, among many things in creating the plan, looked at financial information and demographic data for areas surrounding each parish. Merging parishes will continue to hold Masses at two churches for awhile, though it is not clear for how long. At St. Dominic in Wyoming, which is slated to close, a parish leader said the change, though upsetting, did not come as a surprise. Still, it won't happen for quite some time, he said. For Msgr. Louis Stasker, pastor at the Basilica, and now also of St. James Church, the next few years will be hold many changes. Stasker already is pastoring both churches, with assistance from a retired priest who steps in to help with weekend Masses. He acknowledges that times are changing. But Stasker looks at the surrounding neighborhoods with hope. It shows on his face as he speaks of the possibility of reaching out to neighborhoods surrounding the Basilica. What once was a cluster of rental units with high turnover rates has become an area now increasingly home to families moving closer to the city. Stasker hopes to walk the streets with parish leaders as the Basilica expands in size and offer a greeting to those in surrounding neighborhoods. The Basilica is moving forward with plans to expand into nearby space to accommodate its growing size over the next several years. Stasker speaks of these expansions with a vision, imagining the Basilica as a "destination place." He speaks of expanding the church's youth ministry this fall in what once was the Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center. The building sits on Basilica property. The current Basilica staff offices, in a building across the street, will be leveled possibly as soon as this fall to create an open area for additional parking and a gathering place for those who come to visit. Stasker is in the process of requesting that a section of Davis Avenue NW, between the Basilica and what is now the parish office building, be closed off for added space. He's meeting with city officials this week to discuss that idea. Stasker considers how much downtown parishes are able to accomplish in ministry on their own and imagines how much greater that could be as a joint effort — with the resources and a facility to reach out to a broader community. "The buildings are not nearly as important as the ministry that goes on," he said. "Five years from now, I think what we'll accomplish will be so much appreciated that they'll say, 'Why didn't we do it sooner?'" Contact: hfenton@mlive.com
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