Church Closings

Population shift. White flight. Suburban sprawl. Low enrollment. Restructuring.

Whatever reason is given to why a parish must close, it is undoubtedly one of the saddest experiences a community can go through. Here in Michigan we know a thing or two about hard economic times. I joke that every weekend there seems to be a going away party for someone who hopes to find a better situation elsewhere.

During the first part of the 20th century, Detroit's population grew, with many immigrant populations coming from traditionally Catholic areas. Polish, Germans, Hungarians, Mexicans and Blacks migrating from the South came to Detroit for the great economy and settled into neighborhoods, each with their own flavor and a church or two.

While some of these neighborhoods now resemble post-apocalypse ruin, the churches still stand. However, for myriad reasons, the Archdiocese made the painful decision to close 31 parishes in 1989 and another few dozen city and suburban parishes were closed or clustered in 2006. With population decline and no relief on the horizon for the economy, things don't look so rosy for the future. The restructuring of 2006 designated some churches to be closed as soon as the current priest leaves. What a depressing though, to go to a church you know will likely not be open in 5-10 years. One of these is St. Anthony Lithuanian church on Vernor and I-75. I feel the need to visit this church as soon as possible for obvious reasons.

The Archdiocese of Cleveland is going through a similar restructuring. They have recently closed 50(!) churches. Parishioners from St. Emeric, a Hungarian parish, staged a sit in to protest the closing. They were threatened by police to evacuate, but no one was arrested. They are appealing to the Vatican to stay open but in the meantime the Archdiocese will empty the building. To read about what happens to a church after it's closed, read this article about the Archdiocese of Cleveland.

There are no simple answers to most questions about how and why the Detroit area got into such a bad rut, but if I could wave a magic wand I would make all these churches full of devoted worshippers with no threat of closing.