The Diocese of Crookston has announced that seven parishes will cease celebrating Sunday Mass in the coming months as it embarks on a reorganisation prompted by declining Mass attendance, demographic change and a shortage of priests.

“The decision to cease celebrating Sunday Mass at a church is among the most difficult decisions a bishop must make,” Bishop Andrew Cozzens said in a July 18 statement announcing the changes affecting the diocese's north-west deanery.

Three parishes in the north-west deanery will celebrate their final Sunday Masses in October, while four parishes in the north-east deanery will celebrate their final Sunday Masses in August and September.

“These churches,” Cozzens said, “are not simply buildings.”

“They are sacred places where generations have gathered to celebrate the Eucharist, the source and summit of our life. They are places where families have celebrated central moments in their lives like baptisms, weddings, confirmations, funerals, anniversaries and countless Sundays gathered to hear his Word and to share in his Life.”

However, the bishop said “much has changed” in the Diocese of Crookston since many of the parishes were founded.

Population has declined across the diocese, he said, noting that “schools have been combined, and civic resources are being shared throughout”.

Cozzens said there was little indication that this trend would reverse in the coming decades, adding that “some of these small parishes have no young people in religious formation, or at least very few”, while others “rely on only a few dedicated people to keep the parish going”.

The bishop also pointed to a shortage of priests. The Diocese of Crookston last ordained a priest in 2023, its first priestly ordination since 2019. In 2024, the diocese entered into an agreement with the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis, which began sending sending missionary priests to assist neighbouring Crookston.

“While our priests serve generously, there are limits to the number and locations of Masses they can celebrate on any given weekend,” Cozzens said. “We must ensure that they can provide sustainable pastoral care and remain true spiritual fathers to the communities entrusted to them.”

Reflecting on the restructuring process, Cozzens said he had “often reflected on Jesus' words in John 15 about pruning”.

“Pruning is difficult, but if it is done well, more fruit is produced,” he said. “While these decisions are painful, they are intended to help position our parishes for a hopeful and fruitful future.”

The Church's mission, the bishop said, “is not simply to preserve structures, but to build communities capable of evangelization, discipleship, outreach, and growth”.

The reorganisation, he added, can “strengthen parish life and create vibrant communities that will serve future generations”.