The Archdiocese of Detroit announced on Dec. 9 that it is grouping its 216 parishes in southeastern Michigan into 51 “families of parishes” — each made up of three to eight parishes that will share priests, Detroit Catholic reported. By sharing priests and resources the hope is to avoid parish closures. The new groupings include all current 216 parishes, and no closures were announced. The changes have been approved by Archbishop Allen Vigneron, according to a statement released the morning of Dec. 9. The grouping will take place in June 2021 and July 2022. The archdiocese covers the counties of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Lapeer, Monroe, and St. Clair in southeast Michigan and has over 1 million Catholics. For a map, a list of the parishes and their new groupings, along with answers to frequently asked questions about the groupings, visit familiesofparishes.org. In his pastoral letter discussing the new families of parishes, entitled “Led by the Spirit on Mission,” Archbishop Vigneron wrote, “ As we prepare for Families of Parishes, seeking to cast away doubt and put off our bad habits, we have to beg for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit: 'Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful in the Archdiocese of Detroit and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created. And You shall renew Southeast Michigan.' “Our mission hasn’t changed, but how we approach that mission must shift in response to our circumstances," said Deacon Michael Houghton, missionary strategic planning director and Families of Parishes project manager. "We must move forward with greater collaboration and better stewardship of our resources. With this new model, our priests, deacons, religious and lay staff will be empowered to share their gifts and talents with the whole Family of Parishes, to the benefit of the entire community.” “We’ve got to find a way to continue proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and getting the message out no matter what obstacles we face,” Deacon Houghton said.