Nine 'partner parishes' complete missionary strategic plans; bishop lauds focus on family-led evangelization

Listen to an interview with Bishop Battersby

DETROIT — For Auxiliary Bishop Gerard Battersby, facing the realities of the modern Church requires a bold, innovative approach to ministry. 

And that's what the Church will find when it completes its multi-year, parish-based evangelization initiative, “Sent on Mission,” in the months and years ahead, he said.

Bishop Battersby, who chairs the Archdiocese of Detroit's Unleash the Gospel Council, recently sat down with Detroit Catholic to talk about how parishes across the archdiocese are being challenged to step outside their comfort zones through the creation of “missionary strategic plans.” 

Over the summer, nine “partner parishes” served as trailblazers for the process, designing measurable, actionable plans to tackle the challenges of 21st century evangelization. The Unleash the Gospel Council, which reviewed and approved each of the plans, found in each plan a strong desire to foster real, family-focused discipleship, Bishop Battersby said. 

“In every one of these plans, there is such a desire to minister to families. To minister to the realities that our families have to face every day,” Bishop Battersby told Detroit Catholic. “I think it's very brave of these nine parishes to be the speartip of Unleash the Gospel.” 

In the months ahead, the partner parishes will work to raise support for the missionary strategic plans, as Our Lady Star of the Sea in Grosse Pointe Woods, St. Roch in Flat Rock, St. Michael the Archangel in Monroe, St. Jane Frances de Chantal in Sterling Heights, St. Lawrence in Utica, St. Clare of Montefalco in Grosse Pointe Park, Holy Name in Birmingham, St. Mary in Royal Oak and the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit lead the way for the archdiocese's 209 other parishes.

To hear more of the bishop's interview about “Sent on Mission,” including what's ahead for the archdiocese's other 209 parishes, listen below.