The Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque announced the results this weekend of its plans to reorganize.
Archbishop Thomas Zinkula says in a statement that the Archdiocese will reorganize its 160 parishes serving 180,000 Catholics into 24 pastorates beginning July 14, 2026. “A pastorate is a group of parishes that will work together more closely, sharing pastoral leadership, ministries, and resources in order to strengthen the mission of the Church in their communities. Each pastorate has been assigned a pastor and a parochial vicar or vicars,” he says.
The Archbishop sent individual letters to the 160 parishes explaining what will happen to them, with nearly half will no longer holding weekend masses. The decision comes after what the Archbishop calls a yearlong “Journey in Faith” discernment process. Archbishop Dinkla says the sobering reality is the number of faithful attending Mass has declined by 46% in 20 years and the number of priests available for ministry has been decreasing.
He says the changes are not a sign of failure. “They are signs of change. And change in the life of the Church has always called the faithful to deeper trust. 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,” Zinkula says.
Zinkula says there are voices and concerns that risk dividing the church, particularly around Sunday Mass in some communities. But he says he is confident that as they 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.”