REDFORD — A pair of Redford parishes became a new, joined community of faith July 2 named after a newly minted saint of the Church, and a third Wayne County parish closed June 11.

St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, at 27101 W. Chicago, and St. John Bosco Parish, at 12100 Beech Daly, became St. John XXIII Parish after a decree was issued May 29 by Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron merging the two communities. Earlier in the month, the archbishop issued a decree ceasing operations of Holy Family Parish in Inkster.

The closure of Holy Family Parish, founded in 1945, was in part due to declining population trends in western Wayne County, according to the decree. The number of people living within the parish’s territory has dropped by 50 percent in the past 16 years, exacerbating operational deficits experienced by the parish. The canonical territory that formerly encompassed Holy Family Parish was redrawn as part of St. Mary Parish in Wayne.

The marriage of the two Redford parish communities coincides with the retirements of the parishes’ two long-serving pastors — Fr. Richard Osebold of St. John Bosco and Fr. Richard Leliaert of St. Robert Bellarmine — each of whom was granted senior status July 1. Bishop Walter Hurley, bishop-emeritus of Grand Rapids and a former Detroit auxiliary bishop, will serve as administrator of the new parish, with Fr. Gregory Piatt as associate pastor.

Parishioners of both parishes were asked for their input on the parish’s new name, and a team that included members of both parishes helped guide the transition process.

Fr. Osebold, 84, who has served at St. John Bosco since 1984, expressed his hope that the new community would continue the strong tradition of faith in the Redford area under the patronage of St. John, the Church’s 261st pope, who was canonized in 2014. Pope St. John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council in 1962.

“I pray that all will worship and work together as a family of faith and provide for the many spiritual needs of our community so that the new parish will grow and prosper,” Fr. Osebold said July 1 in the first bulletin for the new parish.

St. Robert Bellarmine Parish was founded in 1953, and St. John Bosco was founded in 1956. In 2012, the two parishes clustered with St. Hilary Parish, which closed in 2014.

Masses will continue to be celebrated at both the St. Robert Bellarmine and St. John Bosco sites.