Archdiocese of Dubuque announces plan to merge parishes

DUBUQUE — Archbishop Thomas Zinkula has announced a plan to merge parishes across the Archdiocese of Dubuque, which includes most of north-central Iowa, impacting thousands of Catholics who attend weekend mass.

Zinkula says the number of people attending mass across the archdiocese has decreased 47% since 2006, and the priests available to lead those services are also declining.

Zinkula says the archdiocese needs restructuring to carry out its mission, with his solution being to merge parishes to form pastorates. It would allow parishes to effectively share human and material resources and develop new relationships.

Information and listening sessions for the proposed pastorate models will be held across different regions of the archdiocese to allow participants to ask questions and offer opinions on the plan.

You can find out more about the process and how to give your input the Our Journey in Faith website at dbgjourneyinfaith.org.