Three priests will serve Holy Trinity
Parish is reducing clergy, trimming Mass scheduleBy JESSE HELLING, Messenger staff writer
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New weekly Mass schedule for Holy Trinity
Saturday
4:15 p.m. - Corpus Christi, Fort Dodge
5 p.m. - Christ the King, Dayton
5 p.m. - Sacred Heart, Fort Dodge
6:30 p.m. - Spanish-language Mass will be held the first and third Saturday of each month at Sacred Heart.
Sunday
7:30 a.m. - Corpus Christi
8 a.m. - Sacred Heart
8 a.m. - St. Matthew, Clare
9:30 a.m. - Corpus Christi
10 a.m. - Our Lady of Good Counsel, Moorland
10:30 a.m. - Sacred Heart
Monday
7 a.m. - Corpus Christi
Tuesday
5:30 p.m. - Christ the King
5:30 p.m. - St. Matthew
Wednesday (School days)
8:30 a.m. - St. Edmond School, Fort Dodge
9:30 a.m. - St. Edmond School, Fort Dodge
Wednesday (No school)
7:30 a.m. - Our Lady of Good Counsel
Thursday
8 a.m. - St. Matthew
Friday
8:30 a.m. - Sacred Heart
Holy Trinity Catholic Parish's team of pastors will shrink by one this week.
Within the parish, which was established in 2007 as a union of Webster County's eight Catholic churches, three priests will serve - rather than the current four.
Effective Tuesday, Monsignor Kevin McCoy will begin duties within Holy Trinity. McCoy recently served at St. Francis Catholic Parish in Rockwell City.
The Revs. Ed Girres and Tim Johnson, meanwhile, will leave Holy Trinity. Girres will transfer to St Cecelia Parish in Algona, while Johnson will serve as priest for Holy Spirit Parish in Carroll and St. Mary Parish in Willey.
With fewer priests in service, the parish has approved a mass schedule that ends services at three of the Holy Trinity's worship sites: Holy Rosary in Fort Dodge, St. Joseph in Duncombe and St. Joseph in Barnum.
Though these churches are not formally closed, a resolution recommending their closure has been submitted to R. Walker Nickless, bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City, of which Holy Trinity Parish is a part.
The resolution was approved by Holy Trinity's Pastoral Council on June 4.
According to the resolution, the three sites were recommended for closure due to:
- Proximity of the sites to other Holy Trinity Parish worship sites,
- The ability of remaining sites to absorb and accommodate additional parishioners,
- Long-term cost savings from maintaining fewer buildings,
- Ability of fewer priests to cover existing worship sites,
- Anticipation of further reductions in the next one to five years,
- Single parish structure is now more prepared to consolidate,
- Urgent need based on rapidly decreasing number of priests available to serve in the diocese.
A master building plan will be proposed to the bishop by April 2009 as part of an implementation of the Long-Range Collaborative Plan of Holy Trinity Parish and St. Edmond Catholic Schools, according to the resolution.
Worship-site consolidation has been discussed since Holy Trinity Parish was established in 2007.
Still, the new mass schedule came as a shock to some parishioners, including Sandra Bonner, one of two music directors at St. Joseph Duncombe.
According to Bonner, parishioners will be having a dinner after the church's last scheduled mass on Saturday.
Bonner, a resident of Vincent, made her way to the Duncombe church after St. John Catholic Church in Vincent was closed in 1994.
This time, however, she's not sure if she will take her musical talents to the next location.
''I don't know what I'm going to do at this time,'' she said. ''I've been working with music in the church since 1970. Maybe it's time to retire.''
Though masses at Holy Rosary may be coming to an end, that church's choir will continue, said director Leroy Husske.
Choir members held a meeting on July 9, said Husske, who has directed the choir for 38 years.
''I asked them what they would like to do,'' he said. ''We decided that we would carry on.''
The 33-member choir is currently on summer hiatus, Husske said.
In September, the group will resume singing at Corpus Christi and Sacred Heart churches, he said.
''We'll probably change the name, maybe to the Holy Trinity Singers,'' Husske said.
In becoming more oriented to the entire parish, Husske said he thinks that the ranks of the choir could grow.
But regardless, the group is ''very excited to carry on'' what he called Holy Rosary's enthusiasm to praise God with music, Husske said.
''We're going to stick together,'' he said.
Contact Jesse Helling at (515) 573-2141 or jhelling@messengernews.net
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Paeper
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07-15-08 3:54 PM
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It was a sad day as St Paul's Lutheran Church burned -- Now the Catholics want to tear down two, old beautiful churches and build a huge, new one. I agree with Barleycorn -- no more checks will be written, to be foolishly spent on something they don't need. They will lose many, many parishioners over this!!
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Barleycorn
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07-14-08 8:50 PM
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I don't understand how people can continue to contribute money to the Catholic Church. As wealthy as it is, and it closes small churches in the country. Those are same communities that sent their kids, at great expense, to St. Edmonds. I will never again write that check on Sunday. This is disgusting.
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CommonSense
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07-14-08 7:01 PM
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It still seems funny to me how people will spend 50-100 dollars to go out to eat, or 20 to go to a movie, and they can chase their kids all over the earth for sports, but heaven forbid we had to go a little out of our way to go to church.
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