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Neptune parish to celebrate final Mass

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
(Email Renee)

A final Eucharistic liturgy will be celebrated at 11 a.m. June 5 at St. Joseph Parish in Neptune. As stated in the diocesan decree that appeared in the April 28 edition of The Catholic Globe, from that point on the parish will be closed.

According to Father Daniel Greving, pastor, this closure has been planned for more than a year.

“It all started in the context of the five-year strategic plan - we would be going to church building status,” Father Greving said. “We talked about it as a council and looked at the different options that we had.”

In the end, they opted to forgo the church building status and go with closure. That decision came about for various reasons, noted the pastor. For instance, even with church building status the parish would have school assessments for the Gehlen Catholic School Corporation of Le Mars. Given there would be no weekend Mass and therefore no regular collections, commitments of school support and other upkeep of the building would eventually become difficult.

“The council was in agreement that we would be better off for closure despite how difficult that was and certainly there was some reluctance,” he said.

Shortly thereafter, the recommendation for closure was presented to the parish and they held an all-parish meeting to allow parishioners to ask questions and voice their concerns. That meeting was held in March of 2010.

Father Greving mentioned that some wanted to close the parish fairly quickly, as early as last fall. Others wanted to go through another year, celebrating a final Christmas and Easter.

“I think it was good for people to have a little more time to go through the process because it is a process and in a sense it is a dying process,” he said. “Some of these people have been affiliated with this parish for many, many years.”

Alice Ruhland, a parishioner of St. Joseph’s for almost 39 years, pointed out that her husband Glenn’s ancestors were instrumental in building the church and many generations have followed as members. The Ruhlands son and his family are also present members of the parish.

“Our family has volunteered their time on various committees,” she said. “By being a member of St. Joseph’s Church, it gave us and our children the foundation to build our Catholic faith.”

Ruhland has volunteered at the parish in various capacities: money counter, Altar Society, Eucharistic Minister and member of the parish finance council.

Through the years, the parish life has yielded many “wonderful memories” of activities ranging from chicken suppers, fish suppers, Children’s Christmas Programs, Christmas Mass and she added that the men are sure to miss the annual Neptune Stag.

“It is hard to believe that our church is closing. St. Joseph’s Neptune has always been a close-knit family,” Ruhland said. “It will be a very emotional day.”

Bob Bohnenkamp, a 33-year member of the Neptune parish with his wife Jeanne, said the hardest part about the closure of the parish is seeing the parish family split in many directions.

“St. Joseph Neptune is so important to me because it is a part of me,” he said. “My children have received most of their sacraments here.  I know all the parishioners and saw their families grow up.”

For Bohnenkamp, fond memories of the parish include Sunday Mass and the Midnight Christmas Mass “with the church decorated so nicely and full of people.  I have had the honor of working closely with all the priests throughout the years, and I will miss that.  I can't forget walking my daughters down the aisle. And then the memory of mice running across the high altar among the fall harvest decorations one year brings a smile.”

In the parish, he has served as a lay director, a parish council member, a parish finance council member, Neptune school bus driver and Mass server.

“It will be sad to go by the church knowing that a Mass will never be said here again.  I feel sorry for the people who have been members of St. Joseph for all their lives.  For some it is close to nine decades,” Bohnenkamp said. “They received all their sacraments here as well as watching all of their children and some of their grandchildren receive here.” 

Father Greving said that while parishioners were saddened by the closure, most did understand the rationale behind the decision.

“We just don’t have the numbers that we once had. There are large farms and smaller families, smaller attendance and fewer priests,” he said. “It was more of a visionary looking to the future in the context of the entire diocese and what would be best in that context.”

Presently, the Neptune parish has just over 60 families. The diocesan decree stated that parishioners were to register at neighboring parishes of their choice.

Bishop Nickless, in the decree, stated that the land and property of St. Joseph’s would become the property of Our Lady of Assumption in Merrill to be maintained, administered, sold or otherwise disposed of “in accordance with civil and canon law.” Funds of St. Joseph’s that had been previously designated as “restricted,” including funds separately maintained for the care of the parish cemetery shall be maintained for those purposes, administered by Assumption.

After payment of debts, any remaining unrestricted funds will follow each household, on a pro-rated basis, to parishioners’ new parishes.

While the process of closing has been difficult for both parishioners and for him as a pastor, Father Greving said there is comfort in knowing how much the parish means to its members.

“You just can't beat a small rural church,” said Bohnenkamp, who plans to join St. Joseph Parish in Le Mars. “Everyone knows everyone; there's a closeness.  When our children are home, there are always parishioners who come up to them and want to know what is happening in their lives.  It is not uncommon to see people visiting after Mass 20 minutes later.  I will miss just the peacefulness of the location with the fields around you.  Everyone should experience it.”

Father Greving commended the parishioners for their strong faith.
“They have faith and that faith continues,” he said. “It will continue on even after the parish is closed. They will not abandon their faith.”

The gathering
Present and past parishioners are welcome to attend the final Mass at Neptune on June 5.

Former pastors and priests who are native sons of St. Joseph’s have been invited to concelebrate the liturgy.

Father Dan Greving, pastor, said a catered meal will be served after Mass.

“We plan to set up a tent to accommodate folks,” he said.