Archdiocese of Dubuque to Announce Final Pastorate Plan Later This Spring

The Archdiocese of Dubuque will be announcing its final pastorate plan later this spring.

Over the past several months, the Archdiocese has been gathering input from parishioners on its Journey in Faith process. This initiative is in response to challenges the Archdiocese and its parishes are experiencing, such as fewer priests, declining mass attendance, shifting populations, and a changing culture. The Archdiocese has presented several options moving forward, which could realign the current parishes and potentially change when and where Masses are held as well.

The announcement of the final pastorate plan later this spring will include which parishes will be working together as a pastorate, which priests will serve in that pastorate, where weekend Masses will be located, and how many weekend Masses will be celebrated at each church. An interim Mass schedule will be created by the outgoing and incoming pastors and will be used from July 15, 2026 through January 15, 2027.⁣

Beginning this month, all parishes started doing weekly Mass counts. The Archdiocese says Mass counts will be used to help create an interim Mass schedule, to evaluate how the interim Mass schedule is working, and to assist in making changes to the Mass schedule after January 15, 2027, if needed. The Mass counts will not impact the final pastorate plan and they will continue to be performed weekly after the final Mass schedules are implemented in 2027.

image courtesy of Archdiocese of Dubuque