4 dozen Catholic parishes targeted to close, merge in Detroit, suburbs

[jcole]

Actually, if you look at the proposals for the church closures, they will be merging and closing even in the out-lying suburbs. They can't just piecemeal close the Detroit parishes and expect the parishioners to drive 50 miles to go to mass. When I said deepest pockets, I was referring to among the proposed groupings i.e St. Jude/St. Matthew. St. Jude has more debt but St. Matt has the bigger campus and therefor the larger upkeep, so, in the documents posted on aodonline.org the Council's opinion is that St. Jude will be the likely worship site.
The excuse they are using for the parishes merging [[i.e.closing) is the lack of priests, citing that the merger of some parishes in Hazel Park, Madison Hts and RO will save "2.5 priests".
I call bullshit on that; whoever can feather the Archdiocese nest a little better than the other guy will get to be the church that stays open among the merged group and houses the parishioners from the closed parishes.

[ghettopalmetto]

The excuse they are using for the parishes merging [[i.e.closing) is the lack of priests, citing that the merger of some parishes in Hazel Park, Madison Hts and RO will save "2.5 priests".

I call bullshit on that; whoever can feather the Archdiocese nest a little better than the other guy will get to be the church that stays open among the merged group and houses the parishioners from the closed parishes.

I agree. Bishop Lennon of the Diocese of Cleveland made the same excuse. Well, if the Diocese hadn't built so many NEW churches in an area of stagnant population growth, there wouldn't be such a shortage now, would there?

[[Does anyone else see the connection between this situation and the overall situation in Metropolitan Detroit over the course of the past 60 years? Or am I just crazy?)

[antongast]

The excuse they are using for the parishes merging [[i.e.closing) is the lack of priests, citing that the merger of some parishes in Hazel Park, Madison Hts and RO will save "2.5 priests".
I call bullshit on that; whoever can feather the Archdiocese nest a little better than the other guy will get to be the church that stays open among the merged group and houses the parishioners from the closed parishes.

A lot of these parishes already share priests, don't they? I don't see how taking a 3-parish group that already shares a priest and closing one of the physical buildings reduces the need for priests.

[rjk]

A lot of these parishes already share priests, don't they? I don't see how taking a 3-parish group that already shares a priest and closing one of the physical buildings reduces the need for priests.

The last three priests that have been in charge of the Sweetest Heart/St Josephat/St Joes cluster all have been very young for priests, all in their 40's/50's. That's not a coincidence in that being in charge of three parishes can be very draining. Word has it that the first two priests requested a transfer because they were mentally and physically exhausted.