Most of the 483 current priests in the Archdiocese of Detroit will be reassigned to a new parish under the organization’s massive restructuring effort, officials with the archdiocese have confirmed.
The archdiocese is reconfiguring its parish structure as part of a long-term effort to adapt Catholic ministry to changing populations and declining numbers of priests. The project includes “a large-scale movement of priests, with limited exceptions,” Holly Fournier, associate director of communications for the Archdiocese of Detroit, told The Detroit News in a Sept. 24 email.
The notice came after one of the archdiocese’s parishes recently included a note about the priest reshuffling in their weekly bulletin. Church leaders have said that specific details about new priest assignments will be announced in April 2027 and take effect in July 2027.
Why are priests being reassigned?
The archdiocese explained the rationale behind the large-scale restructuring of its priests in a message recently sent to each parish, for inclusion in their weekly bulletins…