Eastern Iowa Catholic parishes would consolidate under archdiocese proposal

DUBUQUE — Eastern Iowa Catholic parishes would consolidate under a proposal from the Archdiocese of Dubuque.

The Archdiocese this week released proposed models for future parish collaboration to tackle issues like falling participation in mass and the sacraments, and fewer priests. This marks a major step in the Archdiocese's ongoing “Journey in Faith” planning initiative to address its future.

“Journey in Faith is a pastoral and spiritual pilgrimage that we are walking together as an archdiocesan family,” Archbishop Thomas Zinkula said in a pre-recorded video announcement. “It is a spirit-led initiative to renewal, vitality and growth. It is an opportunity to build something enduring — not just for ourselves, but for generations to come. I envision a church that is alive with the joy of the gospel, where our parishes are not only sustainable but thriving centers of mission and encounter.”

Under the new proposals, the Archdiocese’s parishes would merge to form pastorates. Within each pastorate, one or more churches are designated as “recommended Sunday mass locations,” under the proposals. The remaining churches would not be entirely vacant, Zinkula told the Telegraph Herald, and could be used for sacraments.

“The liturgy is not as alive when the church is mostly empty (rather than) mostly full,” Zinkula said.

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Of the three proposals, in the Cedar Rapids area, Model A features Immaculate Conception, St. Wenceslaus and All Saints within a pastorate, with St. Matthew in Cedar Rapids no longer serving as a Sunday mass location. St. Jude and St. Ludmila and St. Patrick's would be in a second pastorate, with St. Patricks' no longer with Sunday mass. St. Pius and St. Elizabeth would be blended in a pastorate with Vinton and Urbana, and both St. Pius and St. Elizabeth would continue to have Sunday mass.

In Model B, St. Jude's would be a pastorate with St. Ludmila and St. John XXIII, with St. John's no longer hosting Sunday mass. St. Pius and St. Matthew's would be in a pastorate with All Saints, with All Saints no longer hosting Sunday mass. Immaculate Conception, St. Patrick's and St. Wenceslaus would be in a pastorate. St. Joseph's would blend with Mount Vernon, and Central City to form a pastorate and all would host Sunday mass.

In Model C, St. John XXIII and St. Jude's would be in a pastorate with parishes in Benton County and both would host Sunday mass. St. Patrick's, Immaculate Conception, St. Wenceslaus and St. Ludmila would form a pastorate, with St. Ludmila no longer hosting Sunday mass. St. Pius, St. Matthew, All Saints, St. Joseph would form a pastorate, and St. Matthew and All Saints would no longer host Sunday mass. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, which would be in a pastorate with churches to the north, would not host Sunday mass in this model.

With some exceptions, Models A, B and C generally differ not in which churches host Sunday mass, but in the geographic boundaries of the pastorates.

The maps, and other resources related to the proposals, are available at dbqjourneyinfaith.org/pastorate-models.

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Number of marriages, baptisms, church attendance down

The proposed consolidations are necessary due to declining church participation, Rev. Dennis Quint, pastor at the Cathedral of St. Raphael and St. Patrick Parish, said in another pre-recorded video.

"In the past several decades, we've seen a shift in our culture where secularism has pulled many away from regular church worship," Quint said.

Within the Archdiocese, since 2006, Catholic marriages are down 57 percent, mass attendance is down 46 percent, and infant baptisms are down 22 percent, per Archdiocese data.

Funerals are the only growing sacrament, which have increased by 3 percent in the same time frame.

Currently, there are 85 priests serving in active ministry in the Archdiocese — about one priest per 1.88 parishes. By 2040, the number of priests is projected to drop to 55.

About a quarter of active priests are international priests, which the Archdiocese has come to rely on, something Zinkula said was “not ideal.“ Often, he said, the length of their stay in the country is uncertain.

Decision will come next year, mergers to begin in 2027

Zinkula emphasizes the proposals are not final, but serve as a start for archdiocesan Catholics to ask questions and offer feedback. While he will make the final decision on pastorate groupings and which churches offer weekend mass, he said he is eager to take input from Archdiocese members.

“These models are not decisions,” he said. “They are starting points designed to elicit reactions and perspectives. I want to hear your honest feedback.”

The Archdiocese will hold regional information sessions at 34 parishes from Sept. 6 through Sept. 29. In October and November, parishes will hold their own meetings to gather input from parishioners.

Zinkula said he expects the final pastorate map, based on public feedback, to look different from the three current proposals.

Quint said a final decision would be made in the spring.

“In the spring of 2026, (Zinkula) plans to make decisions about which parishes are in the newly formed pastorates,” Quint said. “At that time, he also plans to announce who the pastors and parochial vicars are for each pastorate.”

After an extensive process of building relationships between members of newly formed pastorates, official mergers will begin in 2027.

Zinkula told the Telegraph Herald he was optimistic that members of the Archdiocese will eventually accept and support the changes.

“I think, over time, on the other end of things … they’ll say, “You know, this was really hard, but it was really worth it. I’m glad we did this. We’re stronger now’,” Zinkula said.