Harrison Township — Local Catholics are bracing themselves for big changes as the Archdiocese of Detroit’s massive restructuring process moves forward, with some praying their churches will be spared while others wonder how services will change if churches are grouped together for Masses.
At least 22 parishes across southeast Michigan could no longer hold weekend Masses in future years, according to potential models that the Archdiocese of Detroit has released as part of the restructuring plan.
Models for different planning areas, or geographic areas, in the archdiocese are being unveiled at listening sessions across the archdiocese this spring and early summer. Models have only been released for four of the archdiocese’s 15 planning areas online.
In parishes that could potentially stop having weekend Masses, some parishioners called it “sad” or “heartbreaking” to hear the news at the listening sessions.
St. Constance in Taylor, for example, would stop holding Sunday Mass under each of the draft models proposed by the archdiocese. Bernice Merchak, a St. Constance parishioner, said she would like her parish to have at least one weekend Mass.
“I know a lot of our parishioners hope and pray they do not close us,” said Merchak, 85.
The archdiocese’s models have different potential groupings of parishes, in which a grouping would share a pastor and potentially other priests.
The Rev. Mario Amore, executive director of parish renewal for the Archdiocese of Detroit, said that if a church stops holding Sunday Mass, parishioners are encouraged to worship at other churches in their “pastorate,” which is a grouping of parishes overseen by a pastor. Long-term, the church building could close, or other sacramental celebrations could take place there, such as weddings and baptisms, he said. The parish’s buildings could also be re-purposed for other uses, such as religious education classes.
Parishioner at Detroit parish shares her concerns
Cy Chauvin, a parishioner at St. Raymond-Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Detroit, attended a listening session and found it to be “a little impersonal and a little bit disturbing.” She said information was presented in videos without “any real representation from the archdiocese.”
Under one of three drafts models for Planning Area 3 in the archdiocese, St. Raymond-Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church would not hold a Saturday Vigil or Sunday Masses. Under that model, the only parish in her grouping that would still have Saturday Vigil or Sunday Mass would be Assumption Grotto. She said her parish and Assumption Grotto have different cultures.
“We have a very large Hmong population, members of our church, so we actually have a reading of the Gospel in Hmong,” said Chauvin, 72.
Assumption Grotto is traditional and conservative, she said.
Parishioner in Macomb County is hopeful
Jeanine Walker, a Mount Clemens resident, is the director of discipleship formation for a “family of parishes,” or grouping of parishes, in Macomb County. She said that she is in charge of faith formation for all the children in the family of parishes and in charge of discipleship formation.
She said she and other parishioners don’t know what the restructuring will do, but her family of parishes will be reconfigured in some way. She said she is praying about the restructuring and knows that this is “God’s church.”
“And the Church will prevail,” she said. “The Church will always prevail. So whatever happens, … this is Holy Spirit-driven. So wherever I end up, and whatever happens, it’s God’s plan, not mine.”
asnabes@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Local Catholics brace for change as archdiocese restruction models emerge
Reporting by Anne Snabes, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
