Archdiocese completes 412 parish listening sessions; draft models for new pastorates now available online for public feedback
DETROIT — For the past two months, parishioners across the Archdiocese of Detroit have gotten their first look at what the future of the archdiocese’s 209 parishes might hold.
As the local Church grapples with shrinking congregations, aging buildings, and a critical looming shortage of priests, the archdiocese’s restructuring process — launched in November 2025 — reached an important milestone June 17 with the completion of 412 parish listening sessions across the archdiocese.
RELATED: Archbishop Weisenburger gives update on restructuring efforts (VIDEO)
More than 40,000 people attended the sessions, during which local Catholics were presented with information, demographics and proposals meant to address the significant challenges facing the local Church.
The proposals — which are now available for public viewing and feedback at restructuring.aod.org — contain several options for how each parish might be grouped into new “pastorates,” configurations in which one or multiple parish communities would be led by a single pastor, with or without the help of associate pastors.
In some cases, the proposals reflect painful realities, such as parishes where weekend Masses may no longer be able to be celebrated as a result of limited clergy or resources.
Across the archdiocese, 87 parishes would have no weekend Masses in at least one of the proposals. However, the final number is likely to be lower, once a single proposal is selected for each pastorate. Parishes that would no longer have a Sunday Mass would not automatically close, but a deliberate process to discern the future of those churches would take place after the pastorates begin in July 2027.
While the listening sessions are now complete, there is still time for local Catholics to give input on the proposals, via an online survey available until July 31.
The proposals — which are only drafts at this point — are intended to be a starting point for discussion, not the final outcome, said Fr. Mario Amore, director of the archdiocese’s Department of Parish Renewal.
“During the listening sessions, people were receiving this information for the first time and giving their initial reaction, but we understand people need more time to process this,” Fr. Amore said. “People have a deep connection to their parish community, and especially in those parishes that are proposed to have no weekend Masses, there’s a lot of emotion there, and rightly so.”
As part of the restructuring process, parishes have been grouped into 15 geographic planning areas. Parishioners can find the draft proposals involving their parish under their planning area on the restructuring website, as well as a link to the feedback survey. Financial, sacramental and demographic information for each parish is also available.
The purpose of the online survey is to give parishioners a chance to digest the information, pray with it, and offer feedback on what might or might not work.
Since 2011, Mass attendance across the archdiocese has declined by 40%, and the number of priests available to serve is projected to decline by 30% over the next decade. Four in 10 parishes face budget deficits. Many priests are caring for two, three or more parishes, with unsustainable burdens and ministry demands.
“There’s a sense that people generally understand we have to do something, but when it gets down to the local level, it’s going to affect all of us in one way or another,” Fr. Amore said.
Parishes that don't have a Sunday Mass in the future could be used for other purposes — such as weddings, funerals or ancillary ministry sites — but others may be closed down the line. In cases where a church building or property is closed or sold, proceeds would remain with the new, merged community, Fr. Amore said.
As the process unfolds, archdiocesan leaders have stressed that anywhere between 20-40% of the initial pastorate models may change as a parishioner feedback is received, based on similar processes that have played out in other dioceses.
Besides hard data, there are many intangibles to consider, Fr. Amore said — factors such as travel patterns, ethnic and language considerations, parish and community dynamics, ministry needs and other realities.
“Numbers alone don’t tell us the whole story,” Fr. Amore said. “The feedback helps us get a full picture of the parish and community to help us understand what refinements might need to be made.”
What comes next
After the feedback survey closes July 31, all of the feedback collected will be read, organized and considered — a thorough process the archdiocese takes seriously, Fr. Amore said.
Based upon that feedback, the proposals will then be refined before being re-presented to priests and key parish leaders in the fall for their final input.
Once close to their final form, the proposals will then be reviewed by key archdiocesan consultative bodies, including the Presbyteral Council — a body of priests canonically established to advise the archbishop — and the Archdiocesan Restructuring Commission, a representative group of clergy, laity and religious set up to advise the restructuring process.
After those groups have reviewed them, the proposals will be sent to Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger for his final discernment, with the archbishop expected to release the final plans in April 2027. The new pastorates would take effect July 1, 2027.
In addition to new pastorates, a majority of the archdiocese’s active priests will receive new assignments beginning in July 2027.
Earlier this year, nearly 200 priests completed a “priest leadership inventory,” a survey designed to identify areas of ministry and service where they may feel called to serve. Over the coming months, priests will meet with members of the archdiocese’s assignment board to explore potential assignment opportunities.
One rationale for the reassignment is to avoid situations in which a longtime pastor of a parish is forced to divide his attention between his current parish and a new one — which, even if done wisely, can lead to impressions of favoritism, Fr. Amore said.
“In these new pastorate groupings, we’ve heard from other dioceses that it’s best when it’s a fresh start for both priests and parishioners,” Fr. Amore said. “If Father has served a certain parish community for many years, the perspective of the other parishes might be, ‘Well, Father favors that parish because that’s been his community for years.’ On the other hand, he might be tempted to give more attention to his other parishes to counter that assumption, at the expense of his current community.”
In addition to a clean slate, it’s also an opportunity to support priests by placing them in situations where their gifts and charisms will help them and their communities thrive, Fr. Amore added.
For instance, one priest might feel particularly called to ministry in a parish with a school, while another might thrive in an assignment with a robust social justice ministry, or in a particular geographic area.
“Just like anyone else, there are some parts of ministry that priests really find life-giving, and others that might be draining,” Fr. Amore said. “Once we have a better idea of what the pastorates will look like, the idea is to match the priest to a particular pastorate based on his skills and abilities and desires. It’s not about randomly assigning guys, but allowing priests to give input into where they might flourish in their ministry.”
Listening and accompaniment
At Christ the King Parish in Detroit, pastoral associate Angela Thomas-Weldon said turnout was high for the parish’s two listening sessions May 11 and 13, with emotions ranging as parishioners learned of the proposals involving the northwest Detroit parish, with many recalling past mergers.
One of the three drafts models proposes no weekend Masses at Christ the King, while other proposals show fewer priests available to serve the parish, Thomas-Weldon said.
“People were concerned, but they shared their thoughts, and it was a good thing,” Thomas-Weldon said. “A lot of people came very prepared for the discussion. Many people aren’t used to being asked for their feedback.”
Parishioners at Christ the King Parish, which recently merged with nearby St. Charles Lwanga Parish, have been through changes before, and talk of more change is stressful, she admitted.
Thomas-Weldon said parish leaders and staff are doing their best to keep parishioners informed, and to accompany those who are skeptical or worried.
“We try to be available for questions, but not push people, either,” Thomas-Weldon said. “If someone asks me a question, I try to be honest with them.”
At St. Mary Parish in Royal Oak, more than 150 people attended two parish listening sessions May 12 and May 14, said Fr. Paul Snyder, who serves the parish community along with St. Justin-St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Hazel Park, which held its listening sessions May 2 and May 9.
As a priest serving two very different parish communities, Fr. Snyder said he's witnessed a wide spectrum of emotions and reactions to the proposals.
While St. Mary in Royal Oak would retain weekend Masses in each of the proposals, two of the four proposals for Planning Area 9 showed St. Justin-St. Mary Magdalen without a weekend Mass.
“I would say there was a wide variety of emotions, from anger to sadness to questioning and maybe even a hopefulness for how a new parish grouping might strengthen a parish,” said Fr. Snyder, who also serves on the core planning team for the restructuring effort. “The different perspectives were really representative of the two different situations between the parishes.”
As a priest — especially one serving multiple communities — Fr. Snyder sees the need for restructuring, but also understands how difficult the process is for priests and parishioners alike.
Fr. Snyder said he hopes the end result will strengthen parishes and reduce administrative burdens on overtaxed priests, paving the way for more intentional ministry.
“The way I approach it is that the Holy Spirit will guide the Church, and the Spirit will guide the archbishop as he makes decisions,” said Fr. Snyder. “No time is apart from God’s grace. If we look at it from that lens, we’re going to be directed to where we need to go, and the Lord is going to heal any kind of loss or sadness or anger.”
Thomas-Weldon said it will be critical for all Catholics — but especially those whose parishes will retain Sunday Masses — to reach out to those most affected and invite them into new relationships and communities.
"There was a time when parishes worked together, people knew each other, and I am hoping that as we learn about each other, relationships can be built again," Thomas-Weldon said. "How can we better support our priests? How can we train our laity for mission? I just want us to be down-to-earth Catholics. That's the best evangelization I know.
"Jesus ministered in simplicity, and so can we," Thomas-Weldon added.
As hard conversations continue, Fr. Amore said it's imperative that prayer remains at the heart of the restructuring, and that the good of souls is the primary focus.
"In the midst of these particularly challenging conversations, I am especially grateful to our over 300 intercessors across the Archdiocese of Detroit who have committed to intentionally praying for our restructuring efforts," Fr. Amore said. "I invite every Catholic in the six counties of southeast Michigan to join their efforts as we seek the Lord's will as we move forward together."
Give your feedback
Although parish listening sessions have concluded, draft proposals for each of the Archdiocese of Detroit's 209 parishes are available for viewing and public feedback at restructuring.aod.org. Parishioners are invited to review the draft models for their parish and submit input via an online survey, which will be available until July 31.
