Rochester Parishes Not Affected by Catholic Church Closures, Mergers

Rochester-area Catholic parishes will be unaffected by closures and consolidations recommended Wednesday by the Archdiocese of Detroit in an effort to combat a shortage of priests and aid struggling parishes – at least for now.

The Pontiac-Area Vicariate group that includes , , and , "are to be commended for proactively developing" a strategic plan that addresses leadership, education and service, the Archdiocese Pastoral Council stated in a response to the group's executive report.

The 25-member council recommended to Archbishop Allen Vigernon the closure or consolidation of 48 parishes and worship sites across Metro Detroit.

Within five years, nine of the Archdiocese's 270 parishes are proposed to close and another 60 are proposed to be consolidated down to 21. According to the Detroit Free Press, Vigneron has said he will decide by February whether to implement some or all of the recommendations.

The Archdiocese of Detroit said Thursday at a news conference that officials are still gathering the names of the parishes across metro Detroit that may close.

In a report on strategic priorities from the Pontiac group that includes the four Rochester churches, the local parishes were commended.

"Reports from each of the parishes in the vicariate indicate they all feel they are viable at this time and thus clusters and mergers do not appear to be on the horizon," the report stated.

The full report is attached to this story.