Church mulls no weekend Mass for St. Cornelius
DRYDEN — Parishioners at St. Cornelius Catholic Church in Dryden are facing a future without weekend Mass as the Archdiocese of Detroit moves forward with a sweeping restructuring plan driven by a regional shortage of priests.
The Archdiocese of Detroit continues to plan for a restructuring of the Catholic Church that could lead to several local churches to not have Mass on the weekends. The Archdiocese first announced its intentions of restructuring in June, saying it will make a final decision in April 2027.
More than 40,000 parishioners across the Archdiocese of Detroit participated in parish listening sessions or completed the online restructuring survey earlier this year.
In an update to parishioners and others, the Rev. Mario Amore, executive director of Parish Renewal, shared what’s next in the archdiocesan restructuring process, including “how feedback will be prayerfully reviewed, the timeline for refining the proposed models and how attendees can continue participating through prayer and ongoing engagement.”
“As we move into this next stage of discernment, we ask you to continue praying for Archbishop Weisenburger, our priests, parish leaders, and all those involved in this important work,” Amore said.
Archdiocese officials say they have received thousands of emails, calls and letters with parishioners sharing their feelings.
“We truly appreciate everyone who has taken time to let us know their feelings,” Amore said in a video released by the Archdiocese of Detroit.
St. Cornelius in Lapeer County’s Dryden is listed in Planning Area 15 Model Options A, B and C as not having any weekend Mass while churches in Imlay City and Allenton would not be affected under the three proposals. According to a report from the Archdiocese in Detroit, the three churches have a combined attendance of 1,165.
One of two Catholic churches in North Branch, SS Peter and Paul, is not slated to have Mass on the weekends in all three options. St. Mary’s in Brown City is not listed as a parish that would be affected by the restructuring.
Meanwhile, in Planning Area 14, which includes much of St. Clair County, the restructuring options have Sacred Heart in Yale listed in all three “Model Options” as not having weekend Mass. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Emmett would continue to operate as normal.
Many parishioners at Sacred Heart in Yale were surprised, saying their buildings are in good shape and the church is financially stable.
The Archdiocese of Detroit has said it is to allow more effective use of a dwindling number of priests in the church.
Sacred Heart Parishioner Sharla Smeznik said attendees at the Yale church are not giving up.
“We still have some time to let them know what we do for the community and why they should keep us open. We have a Tuesday 9 a.m. Mass and Sundays at 9 a.m. We were cut back to one weekend Mass quite a few years ago when they merged us with Emmett.”
“These are the same options they listed earlier this year, nothing has changed,” said Sacred Heart parishioner Brenda Krzak. “There are around 196 families that attend Sacred Heart. As I understand it, even if we have no mass, we will still be able to have weddings and funerals and other special events, at least that first year after a plan is approved next April.”
St. Edwards on the Lake, in Burtchville Township, just north of Port Huron, historically draws a large number of parishioners. According to the restructuring plan, St. Edwards also would have no weekend Mass in Options A and B.
To learn more or review the proposed model options, visit restructuring.aod.org.
