Webster County parishes to be featured on national news

April 14, 2005

FORT DODGE/MOORLAND - A national news crew out of Chicago from the Fox News Network was working on a story about the Webster Country Team Parishes in the Diocese of Sioux City on April 12.

The news network has not set the date for this segment to run. However, they anticipate that it will air the week of April 18 in conjunction with coverage of the papal conclave.

According to Father Ed Girres, a team pastor serving the eight Webster County Team Parishes, the crew taped a daily Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Moorland as well as a Mass at Holy Rosary Church in Fort Dodge.

"Our administrative team meets every Tuesday at 2 (p.m.), so they were there. Our opening agenda was on where we are at with long-range planning - an update," noted Father Girres, who added he was directly interviewed after the meeting.

They asked him questions about the team ministry concept as well as the long-range plan of the eight parishes.

Father Girres noted that Fox News originally had contacted him back in late January, but he felt that was too soon after the recommendations were presented by the long-range planning task force. The news network contacted him once again the week of April 4.

"They taped so much, that I don't know what slant they will give it when they finally produce it. I think they got the whole picture so to speak. I was honest that there is resistance to our plan, so we are listening and trying to do more work on it," he said. "They seemed to be fair in terms of trying to get the whole picture."

Fox News reporter Ruth Ravve also interviewed some of the OLGC parishioners following the Mass in Moorland. They also spoke with one of the co-chairs of the long-range planning task force, John Perkins, on the phone.