The Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, is working toward a major restructuring in 2027, which would include the consolidation of 161 parishes into about 28 ‘pastorates’’ — ending weekend Masses at 83 churches.
Some Catholic Iowans are objecting to the plan.
“We are real people, we matter,” Mark Tillman, a parishioner at one of the churches that might lose weekend Masses, said, according to KWWL, an NBC affiliate that serves eastern Iowa. “Our parishes matter. The people we serve in the communities matter, and these draconian cuts to the rural parishes will be morally and spiritually devastating to our parishes, and our communities will suffer.”
Some critics of the plan say that it has been developed too quickly and that most of the parishes slated to lose weekend Masses are in sound financial positions. According to KWWL, an NBC affiliate that serves eastern Iowa, only 14% of parishes in the archdiocese have any debt, and only 2% have more debt than cash assets, according to an emailed press release from Save 83 Parishes, a group that opposes the plan.
“Our church is financially stable,” Tillman said. “The parishes around us are financially stable.”
Despite individual parishes being in good financial shape, the archdiocese says it is facing many problems, most importantly a priest shortage. According to the archdiocese’s “Journey in Faith” website about the restructuring, there are currently only 85 priests in the archdiocese, and that number is projected to drop to just 59 in the next seven years.The website also notes that the only sacrament with growing demand is funerals.
“There have been dramatic shifts in population, culture, and finances within our archdiocese,” Archbishop Thomas Zinkula wrote in a letter to the faithful of the archdiocese. “We are using only 37% of our church capacities each weekend. Since 2006, Mass attendance is down 46% throughout the archdiocese. These are the facts we must confront so we can discern how to best carry forward our mission. If we are to build something lasting for our children, grandchildren, and generations to come, we must face these challenges with faith and courage.”
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