Amid declines in parishioner attendance and priest shortages, the Diocese of St. Cloud in Minnesota plans to merge 131 parishes into 48, a move church officials describe as the most “drastic reduction” of parishes in the state.
According to The Minnesota Star Tribune, the merger will affect nearly 110,000 people across the diocese, which stretches through 16 counties.
The plan is part of the diocese’s pastoral initiative, “All Things New: Honoring the Past and Inspiring the Future,” which officials say aims to create a more sustainable structure for ministry, according to the Central Minnesota Catholic.
Some churches will no longer host regular weekend Mass as part of the restructuring, as the diocese works with roughly one priest for every three parishes, the outlet reported.
Diocesan officials said decisions on whether to close individual churches will be made separately in the coming months and years following additional review.
The changes come as demographic shifts continue to reshape the region, with the share of adults identifying as Catholic declining in recent years, according to the Star Tribune.
The merger also reflects a broader trend of diocesan restructuring in the state over the past 15 years, including consolidations in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Duluth.
Although the merger does reflect a decline in attendance, the diocese said it comes at a time when some indicators point to renewed interest in religion among younger Americans, citing a recent Gallup poll finding that 42% of men in the U.S. ages 18 to 29 say religion is “very important” in their lives, up from 28% three years ago.