(The above photo is St. John Bosco Catholic Church in Redford, Michigan where I received my First Holy Communion and Confirmation in the 1960's)
Many Churches in Detroit and Metropolitan Detroit have received notices from the Archdiocese of Detroit that they must pay off their debt by specific deadlines, merge, or be shut down.
The Archdiocese leadership had just visited with the Pope in Rome earlier this month, and many had prayed that some solution would be found for saving the older Detroit Churches. The article in today's Detroit Free Press indicates that the solution is to shut down Churches that are not profitable (monetarily). This is devastating to the parishes in Detroit and Metro Detroit. But it is also due to the lack of young people interested in the Catholic Church (according to the article), yet suburban mega-churches (non-Catholic) are thriving in the area.
When I grew up in suburban Detroit, the '60's, the Catholic Churches were full, vibrant and growing. So much has changed in the last fifty years. The term "reform of the reform" is becoming much more prevalent in current Catholic discussions. Maybe this is what must happen to change this declining trend in the Catholic Churches today...especially in Detroit.
And the New Evangelization must be vigorously implemented to bring in new, lapsed and young Catholics. Beginning NOW.
Catholic Archbishop Orders 38 Parishes Merged into 18
These changes may all be due simply to the declining population trends in the Detroit metro area, people are leaving . ...
Because as the next post shows, in other areas, Catholic Colleges are thriving!
So... there is still hope!
Archdiocese of Detroit Parish Action Plans
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