The Diocese of Lansing proposed the restructuring plan of the 97 churches in the diocese three years ago. It is the only change that will be made locally, said Michael Diebold, director of communication at the diocese.

“Essentially, what’s going to happen is both parishes are going to remain open and there will be one pastor to be shared between the two sites,” Diebold said.

“Some programs will also be combined and that’s going to be up to the two parishes.”

Father Mark Inglot of St. John said he’s excited about the possibilities the change will bring about.

“We can eliminate a lot of the redundancies so that we’re cooperating and not competing,” he said.

The two parishes will continue to worship separately, but there will be fewer masses at both parishes. Inglot and two other priests will preside over the joint parishes.

“It’s going to provide us a level of cooperation and I think it’ll probably go a long way toward making it more of a sense of community between the two parishes,” Diebold said.

Father David Speicher of St. Thomas said he thinks the proposal will be good for the community. For the most part, the congregation is excited, Speicher said.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to have the ministries and the work of the Catholic community in East Lansing come together,” he said.

“I think the whole goal is to strengthen our ministries in the community and I think that’s what it’s going to do.”