The bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, has reversed his decision to merge four parishes into a single canonical parish, allowing them to remain independent following objections from parishioners.
According to a March 2 report from WBAY News, the decision reverses Bishop David Ricken’s 2025 announcement about the parish merger. As Zeale News previously reported, the bishop planned to consolidate Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Jude, and St. Patrick, collectively known as the Quad Parishes, into a single parish July 1, to be named Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In a decree issued Feb. 25, Bishop Ricken said he reconsidered the plan after listening to concerns raised by six members of the "Quad Parishes.” The decree states the four parishes will continue operating separately. WBAY reported that St. Patrick parish will also continue offering the Traditional Latin Mass.
Bishop Ricken also directed parish leadership and the pastor to develop a plan outlining the long-term structure and mission of the four parishes. The proposal is to address financial stability, infrastructure needs, and pastoral care for parishioners. The deadline for the plan is Jan, 1, 2027.
In the decree, Bishop Ricken also said the decision to rescind the merger would give the parishes an opportunity to prayerfully discern their future.
“This decree is issued so that the pastoral good of Christ's faithful may be more effectively served,” Bishop Ricken said, “and that the parish communities involved may continue to discern together the call of the Holy Spirit in this moment of their history.”