Two Farmington Hills Catholic Churches Affected by Restructuring

Unless they can come up with a plan to repay debt owed to the Archdiocese of Detroit, The Servant Church of St. Alexander and St. Clare of Assissi Catholic churches in Farmington Hills may be forced to merge or close. 

The Detroit Free Press reported this afternoon that the two parishes are included in a restructuring of more than 260 Catholic parishes in the metro Detroit area. Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch learned letters were read during Sunday mass informing parishioners of their church's fate.

Both have until June 30, 2012 to come up with a repayment schedule. 

According to the South Oakland action plan, posted on the Archdiocese of Detroit website, even parishes not affected by the threat of merger or closure have some work to do. 

Church of the Transfiguration in Southfield and Farmington/Farmington Hills churches Our Lady of Sorrows, St. Alexander, St. Clare of Assisi, St. Colman, St. Fabian, and St. Gerald are all required to develop merger/cluster partnership plans for use in the event a pastor is no longer available or a church moves into a "net operating deficit" financial position. 

St. Andrew Kim, which serves the Korean community, must consider ways to welcome other Koreans throughout the Archdiocese. 

Those documents all have to be submitted by June 30, 2012 as well.

No specific information was provided about the future of Catholic schools; Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Fabian both maintain K-8 schools.

This is a developing story.