As parishes grapple with difficult realities, lay volunteers walk with their communities in faith through uncertainty and change
DETROIT — As the Archdiocese of Detroit continues its two-year restructuring process, parishioners across southeast Michigan are navigating questions about the future of their communities.
For some, the process has brought uncertainty or concern. For others, it has offered an opportunity to better understand the realities facing the Church and to consider how their parish communities can continue to thrive in the years ahead.
While priests have been at the forefront of the restructuring efforts, key parish leaders — individuals in each parish designated by their priest to serve as collaborators in the restructuring effort — have seen the process from both sides, walking alongside their fellow parishioners, listening to their concerns, helping them navigate the process and encouraging them to remain engaged.
For Carlos Folino, a longtime parishioner at St. Ephrem Parish in Sterling Heights, the experience has allowed him to see the Archdiocese of Detroit from a much broader perspective.
Folino has been involved at his parish for about 40 years and served as a facilitator for listening sessions at several parishes during the restructuring process. Visiting communities from downtown Detroit to more suburban areas, he saw firsthand the different experiences and perspectives that exist throughout the archdiocese.
“I was so used to my parish St. Ephrem that I didn't realize there was another world out there,” Folino said.
What struck him most was the willingness of parishioners to participate. At one listening session, approximately 200 people attended. At another, Holy Redeemer Parish in Detroit, Folino recalled that about 150 people participated, many of whom were Spanish-speaking parishioners.
“The attendance showed me that people are interested,” Folino said. “Whether it was positive or negative, they were interested in expressing their opinion. Everybody's still active and everybody wants to be part of fixing the problem.”
Listening, even when it is difficult
The listening sessions were not without difficult conversations.
At Our Lady on the River Parish in Marine City, where Shelly Vavro has been involved as a listening session facilitator, parishioners came with questions, concerns and emotions about what the future could hold.
Vavro understands those emotions personally. Our Lady on the River Parish has three worship sites, including St. Mark's Chapel on Harsens Island, where she attends Mass. Because the island community has a larger seasonal population, Vavro has wondered whether Mass will continue to be offered there in the future.
At the same time, her faith has helped her approach the uncertainty with trust.
“Our fear is whether or not we'll be able to continue to have a Mass out here on the island,” Vavro said. “If you put it into God's hands and you trust that it's going to work out the way that He wants it, that might not be exactly what I want.”
That trust does not mean the questions disappear. Instead, Vavro said she hopes parishioners understand that their voices are part of the process.
“I think what I want them to know and what I hope is that our input and feedback is being considered and will be factored into the final decisions that are made,” she said.
In recent weeks, archdiocesan and parish leaders have begun to incorporate the feedback received during the listening sessions and a subsequent online survey into a second round of draft pastorate models, which will be shared with the public in late October.
Understanding why change is necessary
At St. Scholastica Parish in Detroit, the listening sessions also brought difficult conversations. Jason Smith, a leadership team member who facilitates Bible studies and other parish programs at St. Scholastica, said parishioners had concerns about what the future could look like and how potential changes could affect their community.
But he said the process has also helped people confront the realities facing the Church. For the key parish leaders, it has also meant gaining a deeper understanding of why restructuring is taking place.
Smith pointed to the declining number of priests, the changing demographics of the archdiocese and shifts in where people live and work as factors that need to be considered when looking at the future of parish life.
“The most important thing to know is God really does have a plan for his Church, as difficult as this process may be,” Smith said.
The realities can be difficult to consider, but for Smith, it's also about remembering that the Church's mission extends beyond any individual parish building. At the same time, Smith understands why parishioners feel deeply connected to their churches — places where people were baptized, married, raised their families and celebrated important moments throughout their lives.
But for Smith, those attachments can coexist with a broader understanding of the Church's mission.
“If we're gonna be here as a parish, that's a great thing, but it doesn't matter if we're in this building or another,” Smith said. “The mission really needs to continue on. This isn't about buildings as much so as saving souls.”
Being present for one another
For parish leaders like Smith, Folino and Vavro, accompanying parishioners through the process does not necessarily mean having every answer.
Sometimes it means helping someone submit feedback. Other times it means answering a question. And sometimes it simply means being available to listen.
Vavro has helped older parishioners navigate the technology needed to provide feedback during the process, while also encouraging parishioners to participate in discussions and reminding them that final decisions have not yet been made.
For Folino, that support often happens through simple, personal conversations. After Mass, he often stays to talk with parishioners, welcomes people who return after an absence and encourages others to become involved in parish life.
“I try to be part of the community and make the community feel like, if you’ve got any questions, I’m here,” Folino said.
He hopes to be someone parishioners can approach if they have questions about the restructuring process or simply need someone to talk to, sharing information from parish leadership while keeping the focus on the mission of the Church.
Looking toward what comes next
While the future of individual parishes remains part of the ongoing discernment process, Smith, Vavro and Folino said their hopes extend beyond what happens to their own communities.
Once decisions are made, Vavro hopes parishes will be prepared to help people navigate the emotions that come with change. But she also hopes communities will be able to look ahead quickly.
“If we're spread so thin right now that we can't really focus on growth and how we attract young people, and how we attract families, and how we attract priests, then we're never going to really accomplish anything,” Vavro said.
She hopes to see younger people and families become more involved, priests serving in more vibrant communities and more parishioners willing to volunteer and take part in parish life. A successful restructuring, each of the parish leaders said, will create opportunities to invest more deeply in young adults and youth ministry, while reaching Catholics who may have become disconnected from the Church and people who are curious about the Catholic faith.
For Vavro, that means creating communities that are welcoming and willing to embrace a new chapter.
“How do we move forward in a positive way, and not stay stuck in where we are right now?” Vavro said.
Across their varied experiences, each of the parish leaders expressed a desire to navigate the uncertainty facing the Church with faith, trust and a willingness to look to the future — even if they don't have all the answers right now.
But they are listening, participating, praying and walking with their communities as the Archdiocese continues to discern the future.
