Archdiocese of Detroit posts updated parish restructuring models; 108 churches could lose weekend Mass

The Archdiocese of Detroit released updated draft models Oct. 19 for its two-year parish restructuring process, proposing to stop weekend Masses at 108 churches while sparing others that had faced closures in earlier drafts.

A total of 61 churches would not hold Saturday Vigil or Sunday Mass in all models for a specific planning area, the archdiocese said. Another 47 churches would lose weekend Mass under only one of the two models. The updated models were posted on the archdiocese's website.

Archbishop Edward Weisenburger said in a letter that the archdiocese incorporated parishioner feedback into a second round of drafts. The archdiocese now has two models for each of its 15 planning areas. Some models may be revised, some may be entirely new, and others may remain unchanged from the first round.

"Once again, these are still draft models," Weisenburger said. "The pastorate groupings are not final. Rather, these models are an opportunity to see how your feedback is helping to shape this important process."

Among the churches no longer proposed to lose weekend Mass are St. Moses the Black in Detroit and Most Holy Trinity in Corktown. Some churches that had been unaffected under earlier drafts are now proposed to lose weekend Mass in at least one model, including St. Aloysius in Detroit and Sacred Heart in Grosse Ile.

In June, the archdiocese finished releasing draft models for how its 209 parishes could be grouped under a "pastorate" structure. At that stage, three to four draft models were published for each planning area. Ninety parishes, more than 40% of the total, would have lost Saturday Vigil or Sunday Mass under at least one of those proposals.

The latest round follows 412 listening sessions held from April through the summer. The archdiocese said approximately 40,000 people attended the sessions. The Rev. Mario Amore, executive director of parish renewal, said in an Oct. 19 statement that the updated models reflect feedback from those sessions and from 17,000 responses to an online survey over the summer.

Weisenburger also said in the letter that all parish priests would receive new assignments next summer, with only a few exceptions. The archdiocese has 483 priests. The restructuring is meant to respond to changing population patterns and a decline in the number of priests.

The final plan is scheduled for April 2027. After the new pastorates begin operating in July 2027, Amore said, parish communities will start deciding how to move forward together.

Amore said churches identified as losing weekend Masses are expected to eventually merge with another parish or with parishes in the same pastorate to form one parish community. He added that it is likely some of those church buildings will eventually close, depending on the needs of the pastorate.

The archdiocese covers Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, St. Clair, and Lapeer counties.