What's next for the Archdiocese of Detroit's Mass stoppage proposals

Anne Snabes, The Detroit News on Jun 19, 2026

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Now that the Archdiocese of Detroit has targeted as many as 90 parishes for the possible stoppage of weekend Masses, church officials are seeking to get feedback from parishioners before making final decisions on where the Masses will be halted.

The Rev. Mario Amore, executive director of parish renewal for the Archdiocese of Detroit, has emphasized that the models with the proposed stoppages are drafts.

The region's Catholics already can share their feedback after the listening sessions and the map rollouts through an online survey that will be available through July 31.

"We do not want to assume our draft models are what’s best for every parish in the Archdiocese," said Holly Fournier, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Detroit. "The purpose of sharing them was to generate the kind of feedback and dialogue that will help shape the final outcome."

In similar restructuring processes conducted in dioceses across the country, between 20% and 40% of the models changed based on the feedback from parishioners, Amore said.

"Just because … a parish community might not have Saturday or Sunday Masses in these proposed models does not mean that that … can't change in the refinement process," he said.

The archdiocese's restructuring plan, announced last fall, comes as parishes are facing declining attendance. About two-thirds of its parishes have fewer than 600 weekly Mass attendees, according to the archdiocese. In the next five years, more than three-quarters of its parishes are projected to shrink.

Sacraments such as baptism and First Communion have also experienced a dramatic decline in the past 25 years, according to the archdiocese, which serves roughly 900,000 area Catholics.

Amore said the Archdiocese of Detroit is projecting it will have about 90 fewer priests in 10 years.

"And so we simply can't continue to serve the 209 parishes with the number of priests … that we'll have," he said.

When asked if some church buildings in the archdiocese will have to close, Amore said yes.

"I think it's just the reality that we're facing right now," he said. "We simply can't continue to fund all of the different maintenance needs of … some of these buildings."

Fournier said the archdiocese is receiving, reviewing and considering all feedback, alternative proposals and additional data submitted by parishes and individual parishioners. The feedback will help to "refine the proposed models as we move into the fall," she said.

The archdiocese's plan will go to the Archdiocesan Restructuring Commission and then an advisory body of priests, which would have to sign off on it. Changes can be made during these steps.

It will then go to Weisenburger for his final approval, Amore said.

The archdiocese is planning to announce the final plans in April 2027, and the implementation of the plans is expected to begin on July 1 of that year.

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