Bishop Jeffrey Walsh announced a massive restructuring of the Gaylord Diocese today, titled Pastoral Plan 2026, with 22 parishes scheduled to be closed this year. The Pastoral Plan lists only 2 parishes closing, but 20 parishes are listed as “limited-use churches”, which is a distinction without a real difference – limited-use churches will only be available for funerals and special occasions; regular Masses and church activities will no longer be allowed in these churches. This essentially closes these parishes as they end up being mothballed (and possibly quietly closed for good at some time in the future).
The following parishes are on the closure (limited-use/closed) list. Some of these parishes may already have been noted to be on the chopping block or have been closed. Others have been in a situation of limited use already. The parishes are listed with the city/village where they are located:
St. Thomas Aquinas, Elmira
Holy Redeemer, Vanderbilt
St. John Nepomucene, Praga
St. Theresa, Manton
St. Edward, Harrietta
Guardian Angel, Manistee
St. Raphael, Copemish
St. Francis Solanus, Petoskey
St. Ignatius, Good Hart
St. Monica, Afton
St. Dominic, Metz
St. Bernard, Alpena
St. Mary, Alpena
St. John/School, Alpena
St. Gabriel, Black River
St. Rita and St Joseph, Maple City
St. Gertrude, Northport
St. Wenceslaus, Gill’s Pier
St. Raphael, Mikado
St. Helen, St Helen
St. Mary, Burt Lake
Jesus the Good Shepherd, Atlanta
The above list represents a 28% decrease in the number of listed parishes in the Diocese of Gaylord. Also, some parishes that aren’t closing will be “clustered”, with one or two priests serving a group of parishes. This has already been the case in many parts of the Diocese.
With regard to the Diocesan Leadership, Sister Sue Gardner will be returning to her religious community. This is a welcome move for those who have heard her speak about issues in the Church. Her opinions were often simply not Catholic. A civilian, Julie Erhardt, remains in the Diocesan leadership as Chief of Staff. Faithful Catholics are confused that a lay person would hold such a position without being a member of the clergy. Others have questioned the need for the numerous “leadership” personnel in a Diocese this small. Could the time and resources dedicated to the numerous meetings and bureaucracy of these positions better be suited to serve other purposes?
The Pastoral Plan also lists projected priestly ordinations: one per year. This won’t keep up with projected priestly retirements.
Gaylord Diocesan Watch will continue to monitor this situation. The full brunt of these changes are scheduled to be in effect this coming July.