But there is no crisis in the church...
Just to let my readers know, the bridge I have for sale on oceanfront property -- in Arizona -- is still available.
Any takers??
(This is what happens when modernists reject Tradition and the perennial teachings of the real Catholic Church. Also, remember Pope SAINT -- a real saint! -- Pius X condemned modernism as the synthesis of all heresies!)
From lifesitenews.com, and written by Emily Mangiaracina Thu Apr 16, 2026 - 5:03 pm EDT: Iowa archdiocese canceling Sunday Mass at 75+ parishes as part of consolidation - LifeSite
"(LifeSiteNews) — The Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, will be canceling Sunday Mass at over 75 parishes as part of its “Journey in Faith” consolidation plan.
The archdiocese shared on Saturday the final phase of a plan to organize Dubuque’s Catholic churches into 24 “pastorates,” groups of parishes that will share “leadership, ministries, and resources,” according to the plan’s FAQ.
Only 84 of the archdiocese’s 160 parishes will hold Sunday Masses once the final stage of consolidation goes into effect on July 14. The remaining churches will stay open, at least for the time being, for weekday Mass, Adoration, faith formation, weddings, funerals, and other uses.
In a message to his flock, Archbishop Thomas Zinkula cited declining Mass attendance as well as lack of priests as reasons for the consolidation plan. Mass attendance in the archdiocese has dropped by 46 percent over the past 20 years, Catholic marriages have fallen by over 50 percent, and infant baptisms are down 22 percent.
The archdiocese currently has 85 priests, one for every two parishes, and predicts a further decline in the number of active priests – as few as 55 by 2040.
“There are voices and concerns that risk dividing us, particularly around Sunday Mass in some communities,” Zinkula told his flock. “Even so, I am confident that, as we 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.”
“We’ve been following a synodal path, walking together, listening to one another, not as isolated communities, but as one church,” the bishop said in his video message.
The decision to hold Sunday Mass at only 84 particular parishes was “guided by a range of pastoral and practical considerations, including the proximity of church buildings to one another, seating capacity, overall facility condition, concentrations of Mass attendees, and reasonable driving distances for parishioners,” according to the archdiocese.
Groups of faithful at some churches with Sunday Masses axed by the “Journey in Faith” plan are preparing to appeal the decision, including parishioners of Dubuque St. Anthony, which will lose its weekend Mass under the new plan.
“What we’re looking for is a thoughtful reconsideration of the decision rendered by the archbishop, and we are going to respectfully appeal this through canon law,” Pat Johnson, longtime member of St. Anthony Parish and procurator of the appeal, told the Telegraph Herald.
The appeal states that signatories oppose the “neglect, de facto closure, relegation, demolition and/or sale” of St. Anthony as well as the reduction of its Masses to less than two a month.
St. Anthony parishioner Nick Fisch said those appealing the decision are not asking the archdiocese to keep up its current schedule of three Masses a weekend at St. Anthony but rather at least one Mass a weekend “to keep a level of life going in this parish.”
“I know the numbers (of Mass attendees) are down. I know we’re losing priests. We’re not asking for things to remain the same in perpetuity because we understand that changes need to be made,” he said. “But when our parish has consistently been one of the healthiest financially, and we have a vibrant community here … it seems to me like the (decision) was made based on packing people into buildings versus what’s actually best for parish life.”
The consolidation plan could eventually see mass closures of churches. The “Journey in Faith” FAQ states, “As new pastorates begin to merge into single parishes during 2027 and beyond, local leadership at the newly formed parishes will need to continually assess their worship and ministry space needs along with their financial ability to support and maintain multiple churches.”
“We all kind of feel betrayed right now as a Catholic in this area,” said Kevin Goedken, a member of St. Paul Parish in Worthington, which will have its weekend Mass canceled.
“It’s kind of like the rug got torn out from underneath us,” he added.
Goedken, a farmer, argued that axing Sunday Masses and consolidating parishes ignores the root of the problem: a languishing Church.
If he ordinarily fills two grain bins during a harvest but one year found that both were half empty, he would look into the source of the lack, investigating whether it came from bad weather or fertilizer problems, for example.
“I’m not just going to take one bin down so I can fill the other one and be happy that I’ve got a full bin,” he said. “Rather than getting to the root of the problem and trying to increase (Mass) attendance, we’re just trying to make it look like we somehow still have full churches, and that doesn’t fix anything.”
Goedken said he hopes the archdiocese will reconsider the plan, but he fears “irreversible damage” has already been done.
“I’ve heard people that have been in church every weekend who have said if this goes through, they probably won’t be attending Mass anymore. That hits hard,” he said. “(The archdiocese) just made people mad, and sometimes when you do that once, you don’t get a second chance.”'
End of very revealing and disturbing article...
Pray for the defeat of these modernist monsters -- and for their conversion!!
Pray too for strengh and honor!
Viva Cristo Rey! Bl. Fr. Miguel Pro, Fr. Emil Kapaun, and Fr. Vincent Capodanno, pray for us...
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle...
St. Joseph, pray for us!!
Gene DeLalla
