DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Archdiocese of Detroit continued discussions about restructuring as Catholic attendance continues to decline across southeast Michigan.
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Restructuring the Archdiocese of Detroit
About 50 years ago, the archdiocese served 1.5 million Catholics. Today, that number is about 900,000, but regular Mass attendance is around 150,000.
More than 175 priests gathered Wednesday at Sacred Heart Major Seminary for a three-day session to discuss the restructuring process. Father Mario Amore, Executive Director of Parish Renewal, called it “Step 1”.
“To restructure the Archdiocese for us really means…that we are taking a look at all of our 209 parishes across the Archdiocese of Detroit and taking a look at some statistical and demographic information as well,” Amore said.
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According to the Archdiocese of Detroit, almost 70% of parishes have fewer than 600 attendees every week. The number of priests is also projected to decline about 40% in the next 10 years.
“We need to be honest and say through a process, some of our buildings will merge, and some of them will close,” Amore said. “What’s important to know is this is a process, and it’s a process that has to begin somewhere, and we’re beginning with the priests. The priests are the ones that are managing day-to-day parish life.”
The archdiocese, which includes all six counties of southeast Michigan, will have priests discuss how parishes should be configured. They’ll come up with several proposals to present to parishioners later this year.
Father Edward Zaorski, a priest of over 30 years at St. James Catholic Church in Novi, attended the session and called it a sign of hope.
“I’m excited for the process. I’ve been through a lot of changes at my previous parishes, and I’ve always seen a positive outcome,” Zaorski said.
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Wendy Miller-Bueche, a parishioner at Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington Hills, understands the necessity of the changes.
“I understand that churches are going to close, and there’s a lot of memories of things that have happened there, but if we think of the faith community in Detroit, it presents an opportunity for priests to do their good works,” Miller-Bueche said.
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By spring, each parish will host listening sessions, where parishioners will be able to share their input as part of the restructuring process.
“Based on different processes that have happened in other parts of the country, we see that anywhere between 20% and 40% of the models that emerge from these sessions with the priests change because of the feedback from parishioners,” said Father Amore. “So, really, although these meetings are just for the priests, it doesn’t mean that only the priests have input into what ultimately will result.”
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