Webster County task force takes next step

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
February 3, 2005

FORT DODGE - The Catholic Team Parishes of Webster County are announcing a milestone in their long-range planning efforts.

The Long Range Planning Task Force has completed a two year study on the future of the eight Catholic team parishes in Webster County and now has a recommendation ready for presentation to the bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City.

The eight Webster County Catholic parishes involved in the long-range planning include St. Joseph in Barnum, St. Matthew in Clare, Christ the King in Dayton, St. Joseph in Duncombe, Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Moorland and Sacred Heart, Holy Rosary and Corpus Christi, all in Fort Dodge.

The task force was formed and began its work in 2002. The Long Range Planning Task Force was created by members of the Webster County parishes to study the current and future needs of their Catholic community.

There are two reasons for the task force. First, there is a projected decline in the number of priests available to serve all parishes in the Sioux City Diocese. Second, the task of keeping the Catholic Church a vibrant faith community in Webster County.

Along with the Long Range Planning Task Force, consultants from Dubuque and Milwaukee, local clergy and parishioners participated in the study. The co-chairs for the Long Range Planning Task Force are John Perkins and Jim Augustine, both of Fort Dodge.

"It was a challenging experience because it is an important issue to a lot of people," said Perkins. "It was a lot of work, but we had a good task force. A lot of people were committing a lot of time and energy and thought into what we were trying to do. I appreciate the chance to work with a bunch of good people. I am proud of the effort that we all put into it."

The task force looked at three phases during the two-year study including gathering information, visioning and implementation.

"I think they are well thought out recommendations," said Father Ed Girres, a member of the team ministry serving the Webster County parishes. "Two years is a long time and people have worked hard over the two years. It is something that isn't necessarily going to be popular with everyone, but they are recommendations at this point. We are still getting feedback. We will have to present them to the bishop when we have one."

The major parts of the recommendation of the Long Range Planning Task Force that will be presented to the new bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City include:

- Becoming one parish by July 2005 and a in a new facility by 2010, closing all existing worship sites at that time.

- Creating one worship site, one place of education and formation - for young and old at the St. Edmond Catholic School Campus.

- Requesting that the number of priests is maintained and all worship sites remain open until the completion of the new site.

- Forming an Implementation Council/Committee.

Father Girres commented that the response of the parishioners varies. "There are quite a few that are against building a new church. I think that one is getting the most response. That isn't everyone though, either. There are some who are in favor of the single site church as well," he said.

Bishop Daniel N. DiNardo, former bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City, asked the Catholic churches of Fort Dodge, Barnum and Clare in Webster County to begin the process of uniting by becoming team parishes in Webster County in 2000. In 2003 the parishes of Duncombe, Moorland and Dayton became a part of the Team Parishes of Webster County.

"We did what we were charged by Bishop DiNardo to do and that was to make some recommendations," said Perkins. "Obviously, they are recommendations that because of the nature of the challenges are trying to bring eight good parishes together and respond to the changes in population and in priest numbers. Those are big challenges for everybody."

The Webster County parishes had eight priests in 2000 and they were down to four priests in 2004 who regularly serve over 2,700 households. Projections indicate only two priests will be available to serve the parishes in Webster County by 2010. Local parish leaders and clergy accepted the bishop's challenge and began a process to map out the future of the Webster County Team parishes.

"We tried to develop ownership among people," said Father Girres. "The idea was to engage people, to study and to try to build our recommendations. You can't look into the future perfectly but as best we can looking at demographics, finances and the number of buildings we have. We looked at all of those things and had people involved looking at that together. They can come to a better decision and take ownership of the future rather than just having it told to them."

Members of the eight parishes recently received a booklet in the mail summarizing the last two-plus years of work prepared by the Long Range Planning Task Force. The purpose of the booklet is to provide parishioners with a summary of the process used and the recommendation that will be presented to the new bishop.

Perkins explained that the task force was a good way to go about planning for the future "because we are a local group coming from each of the parishes. We brought a level of concern that reflected the facts of the parishes we came from to the task force but also a view toward the bigger picture of trying to have the Catholic faith remain strong and vigorous in Webster County as a whole."