(WXYZ) — A massive restructuring effort is in the works for the Archdiocese of Detroit as a response to a growing shortage of priests and financial challenges on the rise.
The Archdiocese has been hosting listening sessions for parishioners across metro Detroit as a key step in shaping their future.
After hosting hundreds of those listening sessions, the Archdiocese will soon implement the restructuring plan.
At the sessions, those like Debbie and John Perkovich, who've spent many years attending the same church, came to listen to videos from the archbishop and others while also giving their feedback.
“They were explaining to the people that attended why this is happening, the need and they just made us feel like it’s going to be OK," Debbie said.
“What sort of feelings do you have about changes that are going to be happening and some of the unknown that remains?” I asked John.
“It’s a hard reality to deal with, but I think they are taking an approach which will best suit for what’s needed," John said.
On the same day, I sat down with Father Mario Amore from the Archdiocese of Detroit, and I also visited Father Christopher Maus from St. Thomas a'Becket in Canton. Fr. Maus is among those waiting to learn the future of his beloved parish.
“One scenario is we stay independent like we are now with one priest. Another scenario ... they add a priest. So we’d have two," he said. "The third scenario, we would go with St. John Newman and Resurrection, which are the other two Canton churches.”
Watch below: Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger speaks on his first year leading the Archdiocese
“Have listening sessions helped as you go through this process?" I asked Maus.
“I wish we had more priests. That’s the bottom line. I think if we had more priests, we would get more parishioners," he said.
A shortage of priests is a topic the Archdiocese of Detroit agreed to talk about. Fr. Amore told me that while some states are seeing their churches grow, the estimations in metro Detroit show the opposite.
“As we look ahead about 10 years, we estimate that we’ll have about 40% fewer priests," Fr. Amore said.
When I asked for specific numbers, Fr. Amore told me they're projecting going from 224 active priests to around 130 by 2034.
“Why do you anticipate there being fewer priests?" I asked.
"As we look at just retirement, so the age of men currently serving in our parishes, and then as we look at the number of men entering seminary," he said.
As for attendance at mass, he said reorganization would seek to have churches filled with 200-300 or even 400 people at Sunday mass instead of 20 or 30 spread out across more than 200 churches.
“There are so many things in our world today that compete for our attention, and obviously we profess and believe our God is a loving god and merciful god. He’s also a God that wants to be in a relationship with us. Part of that relationship is our gathering together in worship," Amore said.
Apart from staffing, I also asked about financial struggles.
“We have about $94 million in unfunded maintenance, building maintenance across the Archdiocese, and then I believe it's about $18 million just in budget deficits," Amore said.
“How can a reorganization help navigate those types of numbers?" I asked.
“Part of the restructuring will mean some buildings will close," Amore said.
Watch below: Past coverage on Archdiocese of Detroit restructuring plan
Fr. Amore said after listening sessions end on Thursday, there will be another six-week period for online surveys to be read, going through July 31.
The feedback will include responses from 40,000 people who registered, and each comment will be read by a team including restructuring experts.
“As we look back to the 50s, 60s and 70s, we went from about 1.5 million Catholics in Detroit to now 900,000 Catholics. The big number is those that are actually practicing," Amore said. "If we are overextending ourselves with so many buildings when actually we could be stronger together, that’s a phrase we hear often in the world. It’s true."
He said there are months of more in-depth, layered analysis before developing a series of plans that will ultimately be approved by the archbishop.
“We anticipate a large-scale movement of our priests, so that we are setting all of our pastorates up, our priests up, our people up just with the best foundation that we can," Fr. Amore said.
“How soon do you anticipate people see a clear picture of what’s going to happen?" I asked.
“In September, we’ll move into a refinement phase, where we bring in representatives from each of those areas to talk about what we heard and what refinements might be made," Fr. Amore said.
Watch below: Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger speaks about restructuring effort
Amore said the three pillars of this process include vibrant parish communities, flourishing priests and mission readiness. Yet, he stresses current models impacting Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Lapeer, Monroe and St. Clair counties are still fluid.
“These models very much could change based on feedback that we’re getting from parishioners across the Archdiocese," he said.
Back in Canton, I asked Fr. Maus to best describe the spirit of his church and what he hopes to preserve.
“What do you feel has made this parish so special to your parishioners that you hope can continue?" I asked.
“It’s welcoming. We have greeters. People if they sit next to somebody that’s unfamiliar at a mass, they’ll ask them is this your first weekend? You know," he said.
“I think everybody has a little bit of fear their church might close, I’m sure some people fear that more than others," Debbie said.
The Archdiocese expects to have a final plan in place in April of next year.
