Over the weekend, parishioners at 76 churches across 30 counties in northeast Iowa attended the final Eucharistic Masses with their community parish — at least for the foreseeable future. The rite is the central act of worship in the faith and an obligation for observant Catholics.
Many will now have to travel outside their communities to receive Sunday communion as the Archdiocese of Dubuque embarks on a restructuring process, which will consolidate its 160 parishes into 24 pastorates, defined on the archdiocese’s website as parish groupings, which are expected to merge over time.
The reorganization, known as Journey in Faith, takes effect July 14 with an interim Mass schedule expected to last six months. At that point, the archdiocese will assess the plan and may make adjustments.
A broader trend
Mass attendance in the archdiocese has fallen 46% in the last 20 years, and Catholic marriages have declined 57%. In addition to reducing Mass locations, the plan aims to reduce the number of priests in the archdiocese from 85 currently serving to 55 by 2040…