Detroit — While the revised pastoral plan for the Archdiocese of Detroit will result in the eventual clustering or merging of some parishes, with the closure of some worship sites, no announcement of imminent closures should be expected when the plan is released next week.

Archbishop Allen Vigneron’s decisions on the pastoral plan developed through Phase II of the Together in Faith planning process will be mailed Feb. 15 to families registered in parishes in the archdiocese, with each family receiving details regarding their own parish and those nearby.

The full report will be made available on the archdiocesan website, www.aodonline.org, on Feb. 20. Archbishop Vigneron will also release a pastoral letter and speak with media representatives that day concerning the pastoral plan.

The plan seeks to encourage the optimal stewardship of available resources to best serve the needs of area Catholics and enable the Church to pursue its mission, said Bill Blaul, acommunications coordinator for the archdiocese. Blaul said the continuing priest shortage has also played a role.

Among the foremost considerations, he said, is how the Church can position itself to evangelize — “to bring people back to the faith and to introduce others to the faith.”

Many of the decisions will call for two or three nearby parishes to develop a plan in the event of the death or retirement or reassignment of one of their pastors, assuming no priest is available to replace him.

Such plans might involve the clustering or merging of parishes or the closure of worship sites.

Other plans will direct parishes to develop strategies for better managing their finances and paying down debts, while others will encourage cooperation among parishes in various ministries.

Blaul said some decisions will call for completion of plans by the end of June, while others will have deadlines later this year or into next year.