Catholics from affected parishes across the Archdiocese of Dubuque are urging public scrutiny of the archdiocese’s restructuring plan announced April 11, 2026, warning that the reorganization of approximately 160 parishes into 24 pastorates will deprive 84 churches of a regular weekend Mass and destabilizing parish life beginning July 14. The faithful raising these concerns say the public announcement highlighted structural change, while a related decree reshaping parish pastoral and finance council governance received far less direct notice despite its profound implications for how parishes are governed and how decisions may be made about their future.

The faithful challenging the decree argue that it does not merely adjust administration; they say it restructures Catholic parish life in ways that conflict with canon law, weaken the authority proper to pastors and parishes and place enduring local communities at greater risk of marginalization or eventual closure.

1. The decree assigns pastoral leadership at the pastorate level rather than clearly preserving the canonical structure of a pastor appointed to a parish.
2. The archdiocese is said to be centralizing control over weekend Mass scheduling in ways the appellants believe exceed proper authority.
3. The archdiocese is said to be centralizing decisions about the use of parish churches, raising concerns about parish identity and local governance.
4. The creation of a pastorate-level finance structure is described by appellants as a shadow finance council that may conflict with the distinct role of parish finance councils.

The restructuring process has involved outside consulting support from Catholic Leadership Institute. Dan Cellucci, CEO of Catholic Leadership Institute, continues to lead an organization that assists with the coordination and implementation of mergers and closures even while acknowledging that, by his own account, 40 percent stop attending rather than continue elsewhere when church buildings close or local worship life is dismantled. Concerned Catholics argue that proceeding with mergers and closures despite understanding those consequences makes the loss of weekend Mass at local churches a matter of grave pastoral and moral responsibility, not merely administrative strategy.

According to the appellants, parishes representing roughly 20% of the archdiocese submitted appeals to Archbishop Thomas Zinkula and received no response. Those appeals have now been directed to the Dicastery for the Clergy in Rome. With assistance from the St. Joseph Foundation, the faithful involved say they are seeking urgent intervention before the restructuring causes deeper spiritual, canonical and communal harm across the archdiocese.

“Faithful Catholics are appealing to Rome because they believe the law of the Church exists to protect souls, preserve parish life and prevent the top-down dismantling of local communities under the guise of restructuring.”

Save Our Churches, Save Our Communities is an advocacy effort made up of faithful Catholics and supporters committed to preserving parish life, defending the rights of the faithful under canon law and protecting local Catholic communities from unjust closures, mergers and the loss of regular sacramental life. The group works to raise public awareness, support affected parishioners and encourage accountable, lawful and pastorally responsible decision-making within the church.