Roseville — Under a plan proposed by a special task force of St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parish in Roseville, one of the parish’s three churches will be closed and sold, a second will remain open in the interim as a worship site, and the third, remaining church will eventually become the main campus of the parish.

Fr. Greg Rozborski, St. Pio’s pastor, announced to parishioners the weekend of May 2-3 that the task force unanimously recommended making St. Athanasius Church on 13 Mile Road the parish’s main campus and closing Our Lady Queen of All Saints Church in Fraser. The parish’s third church, Sacred Heart in Roseville, would be maintained as a worship site and temporarily house parish offices while renovations and structural concerns are addressed at the St. Athanasius site.

“This task force was charged with researching the possible configurations of our parish given the current state of each campus,” Fr. Rozborski told parishioners. “This task force began with the Together in Faith data and conducted a series of campus walk-throughs, building assessments, and researched each site’s strengths and weaknesses.

“After considering the unanimous recommendation of the task force and the finance council, and the support of the parish council, and after thoughtful prayer and reflection, I have decided to accept this recommendation,” Fr. Rozborski said.

The proposal was submitted to Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, who issued a decree May 22 that will close the 57-year-old Our Lady Queen of All Saints effective July 1.

While Our Lady Queen of All Saints will likely be offered for sale, the proposal calls for Sacred Heart, the oldest of the three churches, to house parish offices while renovations are under way at St. Athanasius. The future of Sacred Heart would then be determined at a later date after further consultations.

The cemetery at Sacred Heart will not be affected by the changes.

St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parish was formed in 2014 after a merger of the three churches. Sacred Heart was founded in 1861 and is one of the oldest suburban churches in the Archdiocese of Detroit. St. Athanasius and Our Lady Queen of All Saints were both founded in 1958.

Fr. Rozborski expressed sadness at the necessity of the decision, but added “we knew this change was coming” and said the focus would remain on strengthening the parish.

“We the Catholic community of St. Pio, inspired by the Holy Spirit, celebrate the Eucharist with hope, to share our faith, love, and the Good News of Jesus Christ through outreach and fellowship,” he said. “This is our parish’s mission statement and one that we need to focus on as we begin yet another new chapter at St. Pio.”