Big announcements at church this evening

[47of74]

At church this evening the priest had a couple big announcements;

A) The Cathedral parish in Dubuque that I'm a member of - St. Raphael's - is going to be clustered with St. Patrick's later this year. Kind of going back to the roots as St. Patrick's was begun as a mission of the Cathedral and it's first pastor was the pastor of the Cathedral parish.

B) Our current pastor has decided to retire as a result of this so that the challenges of uniting the two parishes can be taken up by a younger priest with more energy. He's in his 70s now and would be near the mandatory retirement age in about three years. (Besides, he hears the golf courses in the area calling to him).

[hedgehog]

1. What's the reaction of the folks at St. Patrick's?

I'm betting that they aren't impressed at the notion that 50 or 60 years ago their parish was a mission parish.

[47of74]

2. More like 160 years ago

Otherwise I don't know what the reaction is yet.

[hedgehog]

3. Depending on the culture and the situation at the other parish, this

may be perceived as a suppression/take-over. If this is a case of a parish that is viable in every respect except for the priest shortage, then people are apt to be very upset.