Bishop Nickless announces revised plan for parishes of western Plymouth County

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
March 8, 2007

LE MARS - In a letter to parishioners of the six parishes in western Plymouth County, Bishop R. Walker Nickless announced a revision in the original proposal to build one church in Le Mars that would serve them.

"You will recall that a number of months ago I wrote a letter to the pastors of the clustered parishes in western Plymouth County indicating my acceptance of the recommendation to build a new church in Le Mars that would serve the needs of that portion of the county," wrote the bishop in the letter dated Feb. 27. "That would have meant the eventual closure of the other parishes. I came to that decision after listening to input from all corners of the county including a 'town hall' meeting at St. Joseph's in Le Mars last August."

At that time, he noted, the prevailing attitude was that the parishioners were ready to embrace the concept of one church and one parish for western Plymouth County. That is why he had instructed the pastors to focus their efforts on the project.

"Since that meeting, it has become obvious to me that what was once a consensus has now turned into a less than enthusiastic reaction," wrote Bishop Nickless. "Because of that significant change in public perception, the pastors of the clustered parishes have approached me with their concerns about the viability of the project as originally proposed."

His revised plan consists of these key points:

* After taking into consideration the significant size of the two parishes in Le Mars, projections for population growth along with the perceived consensus of parishioners regarding the future, the bishop noted that he believes it is in the best interest of the long-term future of the Le Mars community to maintain both St. James and St. Joseph Parishes in Le Mars.

* St. Joseph's Church will build a new church as the present building is becoming unusable. It will be built with the understanding that at some point in the future, it may also become the primary place of worship for additional families coming from the rural parishes - Ellendale, Merrill, Neptune and Struble - if and when those parishes are determined to be no longer financially or demographically viable or when priests are no longer available to serve there.

* The four rural parishes will remain open, but the number of priests serving the six parishes will be reduced from four to three. One priest will be assigned to the four rural parishes, and each of the Le Mars parishes will have a pastor.

* All six parishes of the cluster are still mandated to work together wherever and whenever possible in the sharing of programs, resources, ministerial personnel, religious education and support of Gehlen Catholic Schools, etc., in order to work toward the establishment of a unified Catholic community in western Plymouth County.

The bishop stated that as a sign of unity and in recognition that the new St. Joseph Church may become the home of future generations living in rural areas of the county, the members of the clustered parishes will be encouraged to support through prayer and finances, the construction of the new St. Joseph's Church.

The pastor of two of the rural parishes - Struble and Ellendale, Father Dan Greving, was pleased with the revised plan.

"People love their churches and they want to do everything they can to keep their churches open, not just buildings but the community that surrounds that place of worship," he said. "Concerns came and they expressed them in a good way."

Father Greving noted that he brought those concerns to the forefront and in the end, the decision was made to keep the churches open at least for the time being.

While he has not spoken to many parishioners about this decision, he gets the sense that the decision has been well received and believes it is for the good of the community.

Father James Tigges, pastor at St. James Church in Le Mars, called the revised plan a positive change.

"I think it will help the people take the time to realize the importance of working together, of building faith together and working as one," he said. "It is an opportunity for people to remain in their parishes but at the same time work toward supporting a greater unity."

He mentioned that it is important for the people to feel a sense of parish identity but at the same time realize there will be changes down the line. This gives people time to prepare for future transitions.

Father Kevin Richter, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Le Mars, said he believes that the parishes will continue to work closely together.

He noted that last Sunday morning there was no Mass at St. James because Father Tigges was out-of-town. That gave Father Richter a chance to address parishioners from both St. Joseph and St. James Parishes, stressing the need to continue to grow together.

"While we have recognized there is a value in keeping both parishes in this community - for very practical reasons - we really want to foster within the community a spirit of cooperation and communion between the parishes which has been happening in recent years. The parishes have been working more and more closely together," said Father Richter.

He acknowledged that valid arguments could be made on both sides of this issue - for one unified parish or two parishes in Le Mars. Ultimately, he added, there was a lack of energy needed to create the one parish and in addition there were some practical reasons for the decision to keep two parishes open in Le Mars.

Even though there will continue to be two parishes in Le Mars, Father Richter said it is his hope that they continue to build one unified faith community.

"As your bishop, I acknowledge the frustrations many of us have felt as the project experienced so many starts and stops," wrote Bishop Nickless. "Your pastors have done an outstanding job in listening to your hopes and concerns. I respect their opinions and want to make sure I am being responsive to the needs of all the faithful in Plymouth County. I appreciate your support and understanding. May God continue to bless our efforts."