Aug 22, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Thirty-three parishes in rural North Dakota will close within the next six years due a shift of the population to urban centres, leaving parishes with too few members and priests to carry out the ministry of the church, reported GrandForksHerald.com.
Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo made the announcement at a press conference Aug. 21. Yesterday, he celebrated masses in three of these parishes.
The consolidation decisions were made for pastoral and not financial reasons, said the bishop. The goal was to ensure that each parish could effectively carry out such ministries as religious education, liturgy and elderly care.
The bishop pointed out that church closings are not unusual and that, since 1871, 172 parishes and missions have been closed in the diocese while more than 100 others were built.