The Archdiocese of Dubuque is halting weekend Masses at more than 80 parishes across northeastern Iowa this summer as part of a reorganization plan.
The reorganization, which began in September 2024 in response to declining numbers of priests and churchgoers, is now in its third and final phase. The archdiocese will be organized into 24 "pastorates," or groups of parishes that work closely together and share resources and ministries. Merged parishes will not yet be closed and may still be used for liturgical celebrations such as funerals, weddings, and weekday Masses.
The archdiocese, in which there are about 182,000 Catholics, has only one priest for every two parishes. The reorganization plan is designed to prevent burnout among the 85 priests actively serving in the archdiocese, a number that is expected to continue to decline.
Many dioceses across the United States have taken similar steps to reorganize parishes in recent years, including the archdioceses of St. Louis, Detroit, and Seattle.
'Stepping forward in courageous honesty'
Archbishop Thomas Zinkula said the new plan was based on "extensive data" from every parish, according to a statement shared with EWTN News.
Mass attendance is down by almost half as of 2006, according to the archdiocese's numbers. Catholic marriages are down more than 50% over the same time period, while infant baptisms are down by 22%.
"Like many dioceses across the country, we are facing sobering realities," the archbishop said. "The number of faithful attending Mass has declined by 46% in 20 years and the number of priests available for ministry has been decreasing."
"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," Zinkula said. "And change in the life of the Church has always called the faithful to deeper trust."
According to the pastorate website, when parishes merge, the assets will transfer to the new parish where the affected parishioners are assigned.
"I envision us not as separate parts, but as one body — stepping forward in courageous honesty," the archbishop said.
'In a state of shock'
Zinkula described the archdiocese as "a vast and diverse Church."
"Our priests and parish communities serve both rural towns and large cities — each with its own history and traditions, yet all united in the one mission of Christ," he said.
One of the Catholic parishes that will no longer hold weekend Masses come summer is Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Founded in 1958, Immaculate Conception was the first Catholic parish in the city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Father Aaron Junge, pastor of Immaculate Conception, told EWTN News: "I am choosing to focus on being with my people in their grief."
"My people are still in a state of shock, as well as grief, but I have also seen signs of hope and a willingness to consider what new realities God may be inviting us to," Junge said.
"This weekend, we heard about Jesus meeting the grief and doubt of St. Thomas with access to his wounds, and so it is to those wounds that I am doing my best to point my people with their own," he said.
Junge said he hopes parishioners in the merger can bring Christ to the downtown area of the city of Cedar Rapids.
"Ultimately, my hope for the future is that the people of Immaculate Conception will join with the other people of our new pastorate to form a community that is greater than the sum of its constitutive parts and be focused on the worship of Our Lord in the sacraments and witnessing to him," Junge concluded.
Continuing the Gospel mission
Zinkula acknowledged the difficulty of the coming changes while urging parishioners to think of this as a continuation of the Gospel mission.
"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," Zinkula said.
"Every parish church is a place where Christ is made present in the Eucharist. A place filled with memories — baptisms, weddings, funerals, and generations of family faith," he said. "Every Catholic school has sent forth generations of graduates formed in the faith."
"The sacrifice of those who built these institutions — the immigrant families who gave from what little they had to lay a cornerstone, the priests who served faithfully in small rural parishes, the sisters who formed generations in the classroom — isn't diminished when a building is used infrequently or not at all," Zinkula continued. "Their sacrifice lives on in the mission we now carry forward."
The archbishop urged parishioners to remain united throughout the change.
"There are voices and concerns that risk dividing us, particularly around Sunday Mass in some communities," he said. "Even so, I am confident that, as we remain united in the Holy Spirit and grounded in the Eucharist — wherever we gather for worship — the Lord will bring this process to a good and grace-filled outcome."
"And so I ask you to continue walking this journey with me — and with one another — with courage and trust," Zinkula continued. "May we be worthy of the sacrifices of those who have gone before us, by carrying it forward, together, in faith and in mission."
