July 12 marked the final Sunday Mass at 76 parishes in the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, as the archdiocese entered a new phase of restructuring in response to declining Mass attendance and a shortage of priests.

The restructuring, known as Journey in Faith, will see the archdiocese’s 160 parishes consolidated into 24 pastorates. Each pastorate is a group of parishes under the care of one pastor and will eventually become a single parish, according to the archdiocese’s website.

In a video message to the archdiocese, which covers 30 counties in north-east Iowa, Archbishop Thomas Zinkula acknowledged that the changes “can be painful”.

“Change of this magnitude naturally brings a wide range of emotions: hope, uncertainty, excitement, grief, curiosity and concern. Those feelings are understandable and should not be ignored or discounted,” he said.

With weekend Masses ending at many churches, “many parishioners will be attending Mass at a different church than they have in the past”, Archbishop Zinkula said.

While acknowledging that this may be a difficult adjustment, he urged Catholics “not to let grief have the final word”.

“Let’s also look with faith towards what God is doing among us and focus our hearts and energies on the mission Christ has entrusted to us,” he said.

Archbishop Zinkula encouraged Catholics to allow the Holy Spirit to guide them through the changes, to continue attending Mass and to become active members of their new pastorates.

“We need one another. Our communities need one another,” he said.

He also encouraged parishioners to reach out to those who have not attended Mass for some time or who are not Catholic, noting that Mass attendance in the archdiocese has fallen by 46 per cent over the past two decades.

“If your usual church will not host a weekend Mass, I personally invite you to attend another church in your pastorate. Come and worship with your brothers and sisters in Christ,” he said. “Introduce yourself to someone new. Build the relationships that will strengthen our archdiocesan Church and help carry the Faith forward for generations to come.”

The church buildings that will no longer host weekend Masses will, for the time being, remain available for weddings, funerals, faith formation, adoration and weekday Masses, the archdiocese said. In time, each pastorate will decide the future of those buildings.

Beginning in autumn 2026, the 24 pastorates will begin discerning how they will function as single parish communities, according to the archdiocese’s website.

“This new structure is intended to move beyond maintaining the status quo and instead build stronger, more vibrant communities of faith for the future,” the archdiocese said.