By Audrey Posten
Four Clayton County Catholic churches will no longer have weekend masses, according to the final Journey in Faith pastorate plan released by the Archdiocese of Dubuque on April 11.
The announcement was the culmination of a months-long process to restructure Catholic parishes within the archdiocese, which serves over 180,000 Catholics in 160 parishes across 30 northeast Iowa counties.
The Archdiocese of Dubuque said its Journey in Faith plan aimed to address a priest shortage and declining attendance. In a statement released Saturday, Archbishop Thomas Zinkula said the need for evangelization, leadership formation and pastoral planning was evident.
“Journey in Faith is providing us with a plan for how our communities can work together more intentionally for the sake of the Gospel, in these three focus areas. I envision us not as separate parts, but as one body—stepping forward in courageous honesty. Demographic realities, the decline in the number of priests and religious, and the need for priests to serve more than one parish aren’t signs of failure. They are signs of change. And change in the life of the church has always called the faithful to deeper trust,” Zinkula said.
But some area parishioners have spoken out against the Journey in Faith plan, claiming voices were not being heard through the process—and that the Journey in Faith proposal will spiritually harm not only parishes, but whole communities in northeast Iowa.
On April 11, Zinkula expressed both gratitude and hope in the “fruits of discernment that have emerged through the Journey in Faith process in the Archdiocese of Dubuque.”
“Over the past year, so many participated in this journey, praying, listening, sharing hopes and concerns and offering thoughtful feedback about the future of our parishes and archdiocese. I am deeply grateful for the engagement, for the love our parishioners have for the Church, and for the shared hope that we might walk together in unity through this process,” Zinkula said.
The archbishop said thousands have shared their voices through parish meetings, regional gatherings, written feedback and conversations.
“Their voices, their stories and their commitment to their parishes have shaped this process in meaningful ways and strengthened our sense that we belong to one another. We have also gathered and reviewed extensive data from every parish, including demographic, sacramental and financial information,” Zinkula added.
Moving forward, the Archdiocese of Dubuque will be organized into 24 pastorates. A pastorate is a group of parishes that will work together more closely, sharing pastoral leadership, ministries and resources in order to strengthen the mission of the church in their communities. Each pastorate has been assigned a pastor and a parochial vicar or vicars.
“Beginning this fall, each pastorate will be guided through a process to discern how they can best work together as a unified and strengthened community,” according to Zinkula.
The pastorate plan includes much of Clayton County in the Oelwein Area Pastorate, which stretches west through Fayette County and into northeast Bremer County. Within this pastorate, Holy Name Parish in West Union, St. Joseph Parish in Elkader, St. Mary Parish in Guttenberg and Sacred Heart Parish in Oelwein will each have one English mass per weekend, while St. Mark Parish in Edgewood will have two.
St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fayette, St. Patrick Parish in Colesburg, Immaculate Conception Parish in Sumner, St. Peter Parish in Clermont, Sacred Heart Parish in Volga, St. Joseph Parish in Garnavillo and St. Mary Parish in Strawberry Point will have no weekend masses.
Archdiocese data said the grouping includes 5,381 total parishioners, who will be served by Rev. Henry Huber as pastor and Revs. Gabriel Anderson and Isaac Boadu as parochial vicars.
Northern Clayton County falls within the Waukon Area Pastorate, which also includes all of Allamakee County, the southeast corner of Winneshiek County and the northeast corner of Fayette County. There are 3,892 parishioners within the area.
St. Patrick Parish in Monona and Immaculate Conception Church in Lansing, part of Holy Family of the Bluffs Parish, will both hold two weekend masses in English. St. Patrick Parish in Waukon will hold two weekend masses in English and one in Spanish.
There will be no weekend masses at St. Joseph Church in New Albin, St. Mary Parish in Hanover, Immaculate Conception Church in Wexford, St. Bridget Parish in Postville, St. Mary Parish in McGregor, St. Ann-St. Joseph Church in Harpers Ferry or St. Mary Parish in Dorchester.
Rev. Joseph Sevcik will serve as pastor and Revs. Philip Agvei and Benjamin Valentine will be parochial vicars.
The archdiocese said churches not used as weekend mass sites can be used for weekday worship, faith formation, adoration, service to the community, weddings, funerals and more.
“Whenever possible, the goal is to ensure these spaces continue to serve the mission of the church in meaningful ways,” the archdiocese continued.
Zinkula acknowledged change can be difficult. He warned against voices and concerns that risk dividing people, particularly around Sunday mass in some communities.
“At the same time, our mission calls us to look beyond what is comfortable and familiar and ask how we can best proclaim the Gospel in the years ahead,” he said. “Although it will be a challenging task, I am confident that, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, this will be a time of renewal and growth for our archdiocese.”
More information is available at www.dbqjourneyinfaith.org/final-pastorate-plan.
