Diocese of Lansing to Announce Church Closings Monday ANN ARBOR (Michigan Radio) -


The Bishop of Lansing is expected to announce plans to close and merge Catholic churches and schools across central Michigan on Monday.

The Diocese of Lansing two years ago started a formal review process, assessing the best way to deal with a declining number of Catholic clergy and a population shift from urban centers to the suburbs. The result could be closing some parishes, consolidating others. How many of central Michigan diocese's 90 plus parishes will close will be announced on Monday.

One shoe has already dropped. In June, the Diocese merged four Flint parishes, and closed one Catholic school because of dwindling attendance.

Lansing is following in the steps of the Detroit Archdiocese, which announced its own consolidation plan in 2006.

The Lansing diocese covers a 10 county region. © Copyright 2009, Michigan Radio