Archdiocese of Dubuque Releases Final Journey in Faith Pastorate Plan

Four Clayton County Catholic churches will no longer have weekend masses under the new restructuring.

Apr. 15, 2026 at 7:29pm

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A brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen print of an iconic Catholic church building repeated in a tight grid pattern, conceptually representing the reorganization of parishes in the Archdiocese of Dubuque.The Archdiocese of Dubuque's restructuring plan aims to address a priest shortage and declining attendance, but has sparked concerns from some parishioners about the future of their local churches.Dubuque Today

The Archdiocese of Dubuque has released its final Journey in Faith pastorate plan, which will reorganize Catholic parishes in northeast Iowa. The plan aims to address a priest shortage and declining attendance, but has faced some pushback from parishioners who feel their voices were not heard. The new structure will group parishes into 24 pastorates, each with a pastor and parochial vicar. Several churches in Clayton County will no longer hold weekend masses.

Why it matters

The Journey in Faith plan represents a significant shift in how the Archdiocese of Dubuque will operate its parishes moving forward. The changes are driven by demographic and financial realities, but have sparked concerns from some parishioners about the future of their local churches and communities.

The details

Under the new pastorate plan, four Catholic churches in Clayton County - Holy Name Parish in West Union, St. Joseph Parish in Elkader, St. Mary Parish in Guttenberg, and Sacred Heart Parish in Oelwein - will each have only one English mass per weekend. Several other churches in the area, including St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fayette, St. Patrick Parish in Colesburg, and St. Mary Parish in Strawberry Point, will have no weekend masses at all. The archdiocese says churches not used for weekend masses can still be used for other purposes like weekday worship, faith formation, and community service.

  • The final Journey in Faith pastorate plan was released by the Archdiocese of Dubuque on April 11, 2026.
  • The new pastorate structure will go into effect starting this fall.

The players

Archdiocese of Dubuque

The Catholic archdiocese that serves over 180,000 Catholics in 160 parishes across 30 northeast Iowa counties.

Archbishop Thomas Zinkula

The archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque who oversaw the Journey in Faith restructuring process.

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What they’re saying

“Journey in Faith is providing us with a plan for how our communities can work together more intentionally for the sake of the Gospel, in these three focus areas. I envision us not as separate parts, but as one body—stepping forward in courageous honesty. Demographic realities, the decline in the number of priests and religious, and the need for priests to serve more than one parish aren't signs of failure. They are signs of change. And change in the life of the church has always called the faithful to deeper trust.”

— Archbishop Thomas Zinkula, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque

“Although it will be a challenging task, I am confident that, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, this will be a time of renewal and growth for our archdiocese.”

— Archbishop Thomas Zinkula, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque

What’s next

The Archdiocese of Dubuque said each pastorate will go through a process this fall to discern how they can best work together as a unified and strengthened community under the new structure.

The takeaway

The Journey in Faith plan represents a significant restructuring of the Archdiocese of Dubuque's parishes, driven by demographic and financial realities. While the archdiocese sees it as a necessary change, some parishioners have expressed concerns about the loss of weekend masses in their local communities and feel their voices were not heard in the process.