DETROIT – Hundreds of parishioners gathered Sunday morning for a final mass at Our Lady Queen of Heaven in Detroit, as the Archdiocese of Detroit’s ongoing restructuring plan claims another historic parish.
A community says goodbye
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For many longtime members, the church is more than a building — it’s home.
“It’s sad, so sad. A lot of memories,” said Paul Cerankowski, a parishioner.
Our Lady Queen of Heaven has a rich history, and parishioners were reluctant to let it go.
“Beautiful, peaceful and wonderful,” said Tamika Greer, a parishioner, describing what it felt like to sit in the sanctuary one last time.
What comes next
The Archdiocese of Detroit says that starting July 1, the building will no longer be used as a Catholic worship space. The parish, however, will continue — with St. Raymond serving as the main parish church and St. Jude handling certain liturgies.
For some, the closure felt inevitable given dwindling attendance in recent months.
“There’s not much you can do when you don’t have more than 20 people coming here on a Sunday, 15 on a Saturday. I mean it was already over a month ago we quit Saturday mass,” said Cerankowski.
Part of a broader restructuring
The closure is part of a two-year restructuring plan the Archdiocese first announced last November — a process the archdiocese says will reduce the number of parishes across Southeast Michigan. Our Lady Queen of Heaven is one of several parishes affected.