Detroit: 90 Parishes Without Sunday Mass, and the Archbishop Abolishes the Traditional Mass

The Archdiocese of Detroit is considering ending Sunday Mass in up to 90 parishes. Paradoxically, Archbishop Weisenburger last year eliminated the Extraordinary Form Mass in 13 locations, known for attracting young people and families. Pierre-Antoine Vasseur analyzes what this decision reveals about the structural crisis of the Church in the United States.

The Fact

LifeSiteNews (June 23, 2026) reports that the Archdiocese of Detroit may discontinue Sunday Mass in up to 90 parishes due to a shortage of priests. Archbishop Weisenburger stated he wants "living parishes." However, the previous year, he had suppressed the Extraordinary Form of the Mass—the Tridentine Mass—in 13 diocesan sites, communities known for their appeal to young people and large families.

Our Analysis

The contradiction is striking. Data has been documented for years: communities attached to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass have, proportionally, more priestly vocations and larger families than the diocesan average. Suppressing these communities, then citing a lack of priests to close parishes, is cutting off the branch one is sitting on.

Canon law reminds us that the pastor is obliged to ensure the faithful are nourished by the celebration of the sacraments (CIC, can. 528 §2). The shortage of priests is real; it does not justify depriving communities of the Eucharist without exploring other solutions—particularly by calling on priests from traditional communities that the same archbishop himself has sidelined.

For Reflection

Christ promised to be with His Church "until the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). Pastoral decisions that restrict access to Sunday Eucharist deserve serious—and public—examination.