(WARREN, MI) — St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church in Warren, Mich. announced a surprise decision last week by the parish advisory council to sell the church and its properties at a community meeting, indicating it will relocate to a new church northwest of Warren.
The meeting, which was held on Oct. 30 at the Tamer Hall, invited both regular and inactive parishioners, and affluent members of the Lebanese community to announce the decision.
“We have received a significant offer and it’s moving forward,” said Paul Fayad, chairman of the board of St. Sharbel.
According to an open letter sent to parishioners on Nov. 6, Fayad said Life Application Ministries — the church next door — and St. Sharbel have mutually agreed on a sale of $3,180,000. There is currently $600,000 in the church bank account, according to Fayad.
“After four days of negotiations, they signed a final purchase agreement on Friday, October 24, 2014,” Fayad wrote in the letter. “Bishop (Elias) Zaidan agreed with and signed the purchase agreement which was then submitted to Life Application Ministries.”
The open letter says the offer will be finalized by the end of the year, and Life Application Ministries will move in by the end of May.
A temporary location “within a few miles” will house weekend liturgies until a new church is built, according to Fayad.
The church is set to move out in May but will “keep all of the Stained Glass Windows, religious items, donated items and personal furniture.”
Fayad says a building committee will be formed to begin discussing potential property locations and construction planning.
“The area of focus is from 16 mile to 23 mile and from west of Hayes to east of Van Dyke,” he said. “We will be working with an architect and other professionals on the design of the new church and supporting buildings.”
Fayad said he welcomes emails from parishioners who may have questions or concerns.
“We’ll review (emails) and take your suggestions seriously,” he said.
A former parishioner, who prefers not to be identified, said he was disappointed with the announcement. He says the church should have checked with its congregation before signing any agreement.
“It is common business practice for an organization to check with its people before making a big decision,” he said. “It is especially important when this organization gets financial support from the people.”
Bishop Zaidan is reportedly ‘eager’ by this new decision and says he would “love to see more churches open in the future,” despite declining numbers of active Maronite parishioners.
Sources say St. Maron in Detroit would close its doors “in a heartbeat, if a seller comes forward.”
To view the open letter to parishioners, click here.
