Detroit — Two worship sites of St. Moses the Black Parish in Detroit, the former churches of St. Benedict in Highland Park and St. Gregory the Great in northwest Detroit, were officially closed Nov. 3.

A decree issued by Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron that relegates the two churches to “profane but not sordid use” means the parish may now offer the former church buildings for sale, said Msgr. Michael LeFevre, pastor of St. Moses the Black, in the parish’s Nov. 9 bulletin.

St. Benedict and St. Gregory the Great were merged in July 2013 with Detroit’s Church of the Madonna to form St. Moses the Black Parish, which also shares many ministries with the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. In conjunction with Together in Faith, the archdiocese’s long-term parish reorganization blueprint, the plan was for the new community to operate out of two of the four sites, one of which being the cathedral.

Since the merger, weekly Masses have not been held at St. Benedict or St. Gregory the Great, but they had been available for weddings and other private events until now.

In his letter to parishioners, Msgr. LeFevre wrote that “decades of faith-filled parishioners are associated with St. Gregory the Great and St. Benedict,” each with fond memories.

“Tens of thousands of worshippers flowed through the doors of these historic communities; and all have stories attached to these communities,” he said. “As we close the doors of these churches we offer the following prayer: St. Gregory the Great and St. Benedict, pray for us.”

St. Benedict was founded in 1915, and St. Gregory the Great was founded in 1923.

In May 2014, St. Moses the Black Parish and the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament were also clustered with Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Detroit, of which Msgr. LeFevre also serves as administrator. Fr. Gregory Deters serves as associate pastor of the clustered parishes.