Dubuque Catholic Diocese Propose Changes for Parishes

The Archdiocese of Dubuque is in the midst of a major planning initiative to reshape how the Catholic Church meets the needs of parishioners. 

Archbishop Thomas Zinkula says they surveyed parishioners last fall and then brought in a consultant to set up some models of possible changes.

Zinkula says the changes in the demographics of northeast Iowa is one of the factors that led to the effort.

Zinkula says they also don’t have as many priests as they used to have to cover all the parishes. He says they’ve talked about these issues for years and now are moving ahead to make changes to adapt.

Zinkula says it’s the type of review that many organizations have to do.

Zinkula says they will hold listening sessions this fall to gather input on the proposed models for the parishes.

Zinkula says they will make a decision on what models to use by the spring.

Zinkula says they will not be closing any parishes with the decision. They will make changes and decide later on if there needs to be parishes closed. You can find out more about the process and how to give your input the Our Journey in Faith website at dbqjourneyinfaith.org.

image courtesy of Archdiocese of Dubuque