The purpose of this communication is to formally announce, effective July 1st, the formation of the Genesis Vicariate Family 1 consisting of the following Parishes: Mother of Divine Mercy (Detroit); Our Lady Queen of Apostles (Hamtramck); St. Florian (Hamtramck); St. Hyacinth (Detroit); and St. John Paul II (Detroit).

Families of Parishes began to take shape on July 1, 2021 and by July 2022 all parishes of the Archdiocese will be part of their new Families.

What is a Family of Parishes? A Family of Parishes is a grouping of three or more parishes that collaborate in deeper and more intentional ways than parishes have before. Each parish in a Family will retain its own unique identity. This is not a parish cluster or merger as was done in the past. Rather, Families of Parishes share similarities to other models that have been successfully implemented in other dioceses in the United States and Canada. These new Families of Parishes will collaborate by sharing resources — including priests, deacons, and staffs across parish lines — to further advance the mission Christ has entrusted to his Church.

The parish pastors in a Family serve as what’s called ‘Priests in Solidum’ which means the pastors share the responsibilities for each parish in the Family. One of the Priests in Solidum is appointed Moderator and serves as a “first among equals” role. The Moderator for our Family of Parishes is Rev. Fr. Grzegorz (Greg) Tokarski, the pastor of Mother of Divine Mercy Parish. All priests serving as Family-Pastors will be responsible for the administration and ministry of the parishes to which they have been appointed by the Archbishop.

Each parish within a Family will remain solely responsible for its own financial viability. This includes establishing appropriate parish budgets, coordinating parish fundraising, and controlling parish costs. And each parish will be required to have its own Parish Financial Council comprised of parishioners, as it is true today.

A Family Pastoral Council, comprised of parishioners from each parish within the Family, is recommended to guide the overall missionary efforts of the Family.

In summary, the focus for this change to a Family of Parishes model is on the renewal of our parishes to align all resources to our mission of sharing Christ in southeast Michigan.