The Archdiocese of Detroit said it plans to restructure and close buildings.

On Saturday, Archbishop Edward Weisenburger wrote a letter to parishioners announcing the two-year plan. He cited a drop in church membership and participation. In recent years, the Catholic church has also reported a priest shortage.

"We have been struggling to maintain buildings, ministries and strand parish structures that were designed for a much larger Church," he wrote in the letter.

"When we have a church that seats a thousand and there's 60 people showing up for Sunday, they're going to have a hard time meeting their insurance bill," Weisenburger told news media at press conference on Monday.

He said while the Archdiocese of Detroit has nearly 900,000 members, only a small fraction are active.

"Our st

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