Pastoral Planning

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Q. Why are we using three Masses per weekend as a design parameter?

A. Three weekend Masses often translates into six key sacramental obligations for most priests on a weekend. Confessions, a wedding and a funeral are typical. In addition, as pastors have responsibility for more than one church, there is a need for both travel time, and more importantly, time with parishioners after liturgies.

The Code of Canon Law states that as a general rule a priest is not to celebrate more than one Mass a day. If there is a shortage of priests and a just cause, a priest may celebrate Mass twice on weekdays and up to three times on Sundays. Even though there is a shortage of priests, because of the low attendance at most Sunday Masses, the bishop and the Pastoral Planning Board have not seen the just reason to burden the priests with extra Masses on Sundays.

By not adding a regular third Mass on Sunday, the priest is often able to add special Masses, like confirmation or other yearly celebrations. Funerals and weddings on Saturdays are a common occurrence, so priests are already celebrating two Masses.

One of the goals of pastoral planning is to increase Sunday Mass attendance. This will include making sure the Masses we celebrate are done with care and proper planning, including preaching, sacred music and other important liturgical elements that inspire people to come to Mass. By limiting the number of Masses, it allows the priest to celebrate those Masses with energy and devotion.

Q. Is there a policy that offers guidance on the use and care of church buildings?

A.  A policy was developed for the use and care of church buildings in consultation with the diocesan Presybteral Council and Bishop Nickless. That policy offers clear guidelines about how church buildings are administered. For more information, contact the Office of Pastoral Planning at (712) 233-7536 or [email protected].

Q. How will parish administration know what to do with the finances of a church building or a parish grouping?

A. The diocesan Office of Pastoral Planning and the Office of Parish Accounting have created a set of guidelines to provide direction to handle finances. This will also offer some guidance on parish councils, finance councils and other parish organization and administration. 

Q: What criteria were used to determine the recommended status changes for parishes?

A. The criteria for parish restructuring were based on demographics compiled by TeamWorks International, the Diocese of Sioux City, a survey of diocesan priests and multiple meetings and correspondence with both pastors and parishioners who provided feedback to the consultants, the Office of Pastoral Planning and Bishop Walker Nickless. That data has been updated and the pastoral planning committee has reviewed it and met with Bishop Nickless on multiple occasions providing ongoing recommendations.

Q. Why can’t we have a Communion service instead of not having weekend Masses at our proposed church building site?

A. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. As Catholics, we have an obligation to assist at Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation. A Communion service cannot take the place of a Sunday Mass when Mass is readily available. In the Diocese of Sioux City, it has been our longstanding practice to only allow Communion services in hospitals, nursing homes and other institutions, because of their true impossibility to attend Mass.

One of the criteria use by the Office of Pastoral Planning is that Mass still be accessible throughout the diocese without requiring travel more than 20-25 minutes to get to a church.

Q. Why can’t we simply bring in priests from foreign countries to solve our priest shortage?

A. The Diocese of Sioux City has over 20 percent of our active priests serving our faithful who are foreign-born. The issue of bringing priests from other countries is complex and more difficult than one might initially consider.

In addition, it is a myth that there are large numbers of foreign priests wishing to come to the Sioux City Diocese. A diocese should foster native clergy for its own health and vitality. The Diocesan Office of Vocations works on this issue non-stop.


 

Q. Why can’t the diocese look for priests from other parts of the country to serve in the Sioux City Diocese?

A. The Diocesan Office of Vocations, while working non-stop to foster and recruit young men from our own diocese to serve as priests, also reviews opportunities in other parts of our country. The belief that there are large numbers of available priests in our nation is simply inaccurate as numbers of priests nationally in active ministry is down by just under 50 percent.

In addition, if a priest does signal a willingness to serve in our diocese, the vetting process often is lengthy and complicated. It is dictated by canon law.

Q. Can parishes use deacons, lay staff and volunteers to offset some of the work of the pastor?

A. Yes and this practice is encouraged.  However, deacons and laity cannot replace the pastor for certain duties within a parish grouping and ultimately the pastor is responsible for the operation of the parish and all its components.  In some cases, parish groupings have hired parish support staff to assist the pastor, and this is clearly the future of our church.  In cases where smaller parish groupings may not be able to afford such a staff person it is also accepted and encouraged to share paid staff between multiple parish groupings in order to assist the pastor(s).

Q. Why doesn’t the diocese allow rotating Mass schedules between churches in a parish grouping?

A. Although there are no completed studies on the good and the bad of rotating Mass schedules the U.S. Bishops’ Conference has articulated to our diocese that this practice is not recommended. Priests who work in that type of scheduling in other dioceses have responded that it doesn’t work, and it doesn’t foster a good solid sense of what a parish is.  

Anecdotal information suggests that in many cases the faithful will only attend Mass on Sunday when it occurs in their particular community. That is not what being active in one’s faith is and does not follow the teachings of the church. Our diocese is attempting to bring parish groupings together to build vitality and energy with the parish grouping over time and just not maintain a building for liturgies out of convenience.

Q. Is it true that Bishop Nickless does not allow retired priests to assist in parish groupings?

A. This is absolutely not true.  Bishop Nickless on multiple occasions has encouraged the pastors to use our retired priests as often as possible and as often as the retired priests are willing and capable. Our retired priests are an invaluable source of assistance and service to our diocese and weekly cover Masses and other sacraments when our priests in active ministry are sick or otherwise away from the parishes. 

If not for our retired priests, our pastors and associate pastors would rarely ever get away for vacation, training or other reasons as there are no “extra” priests in active ministry to cover those vacancies.

A retired priest can’t be used in a planning formula because they are in fact “retired” and not bound by the same regulations as a priest in active ministry, it is translated that they are not welcomed to continue to serve based on the needs of the pastor. That is false and a misinterpretation of the truth.

Q. Is pastoral planning a money grab?

A. No. In the pastoral planning process that has occurred incrementally across our diocese for better than 30 years, the focus has always been on building strong parish structures, adapting to shifting demographics, building our vocations and ministries and trying to do business more efficiently. It is true that when parish mergers occur there is a financial component to it and finances need to be arranged accordingly. But particular financial standings of a parish are not considered in the pastoral planning process.

Q. Is the Diocese still pursuing Ministry 2025 as part of pastoral planning?

A. No.  Although the Ministry 2025 study provided a large amount of demographic data which is reviewed for historical perspectives, the reality is that so many changes have continued to occur in the diocese as it relates to demographics, parish activity, etc., that Ministry 2025 is obsolete and the process of continued planning and work within our diocese is only referred to as pastoral planning.




 

Q. Can parishes within a parish grouping share a finance council?

A. No. According to canon law, all parishes must have separate finance councils. If one parish is merged or assumed by another, then a single finance council is used.

Q. Do church buildings have a finance council or trustees?

A. No. Church buildings are not parishes and thus do not have a finance council, pastoral council or trustees. The finances used for maintaining a church building will be managed by the finance council of the receiving parish (with representation from parishioners of the now-church building).

Q. Can members of a parish becoming a church building have a say in the future of the church building?

A: Yes. Once a parish becomes a church building, it will be managed by the receiving parish and financed by a line item in the receiving parish’s budget. However, the pastoral plan can recommend that a certain percentage of the receiving parish’s finance council be made up of those who were formerly parishioners of the church building.

Q. Will the receiving parish pay for the upkeep of the church building?

A: The receiving parish will be responsible for managing the care of the church building with a special line item fund, the money in this church building budget will come from the church building’s current assets, or funds specially raised for the specific purpose of caring for the church building.

Q. Do parishioners of a parish moving to church building status automatically become members of the receiving parish?

A: All parishioners whose parish is merging with another parish are incorporated as members of the receiving parish. This is because the receiving parish assumes responsibility for all persons and items of the parish becoming a church building, including the registration database.

However, some parishioners may wish to register at a parish other than their receiving parish. Thus, receiving parishes will contact all new members, informing them of the change in registration and offering them the opportunity to switch their registration to a different parish if they wish. The exact method of reaching out to parishioners and making requested registration changes is to be determined by each receiving parish and to be presented as part of the pastoral plan.

Q. What will happen to parish cemeteries if a parish moves to church building status?

A: Specific guidelines and protocols have been established to maintain cemeteries into perpetuity. The assuming parish is responsible for the perpetual care of all cemeteries.

Q. What will happen to sacramental records if a parish moves to church building status?

A: Sacramental records from that parish will be transferred to the receiving parish.

Q. Can television screens or similar technology be placed in a church building from liturgies monitored from another location?

A. No. The Holy Father has made it clear in recent months that a virtual Mass is to only be done in an emergency situation such as COVID-19. He has said it is not true participation at Mass. The practice is to be discontinued as soon as the pandemic or the emergency situation passes. The only exceptions would be the watching of a Mass in an overflow room or hall adjacent to an actual live liturgy and televised Masses for the infirm, especially at hospitals and nursing homes.

Q. Why are some priests – either active or retired - not being utilized in full service to parishes?

A. Due to various issues, there are priests in active ministry as well as retired, whose ministries in our Diocese are restricted by the Bishop. These types of situations occur in every organization, are very confidential, and can’t be divulged for canonical and civil law reasons.  It is unfortunate that such cases happen, but they do, and it would be entirely inappropriate for the Bishop to comment on them.