As part of our Pastoral Planning, we are working on building Teams for each parish to assist each parish's Pastoral Council.  Teams for each parish being formed are: LITURGY, FAITH FORMATION, BUILDINGS/GROUNDS, PARISH LIFE, and CEMETERY.  All of these Teams assists the pastor and the Pastoral Council with the pastoral care of the parish including spiritual, faith formation, and care of the facilities and property.  If you would like to be a part of one of these teams, please contact Fr. Mark.  Thank you those who have responded.

Current active Teams:
  LITURGY TEAM-Immaculate Conception
  CEMETERY TEAM-Immaculate Conception
  FAITH FORMATION TEAM-Immaculate Conception
  FAITH FORMATION TEAM-Our Lady of Good Counsel
  CCOCH PASTORAL PLANNING TEAM-Catholic Communities of Cherokee and Holstein
  PARISH LIFE TEAM-Immaculate Conception
  PARISH LIFE TEAM-Our Lady of Good Counsel

Soon to be activated:
 CEMETERY TEAM-Our Lady of Good Counsel
  BUILDIINGS AND GROUNDS TEAM-Immaculate Conception
  BUILDING AND GROUNDS TEAM-Our Lady of Good Counsel

When the merger of OLGC Parish into IC Parish is complete, members of each Team will be merge to create larger Teams with members from all areas of the Parish of Immaculate Conception-Cherokee

11 April 2021

On 27 April 2021, the OLGC-Holstein Corporate Board met and on a vote of 3-2 approved the merger plan for OLGC Parish-Holstein to be merged into IC Parish-Cherokee effective at 12:01 a.m. on 1 July 2021.  A copy of this merger plan will be made available when I receive a signed copy of this document from the bishop.

Thus, we have completed the two-step process for us to proceed with the merger: the canonical approval by the Presbyteral Council [4 March 2021] and Decree from Bishop Nickless [1 April 2021]; and the civil approval by the Board of Directors [27 April 2021] with the IC-Parish Corporate Board having approved the merger on 11 March 2021.

I know that this is an exceedingly difficult time for many parishioners at OLGC who are disappointed, angry, and grieving over the loss of their independent parish status.  Pastoral planning has been a difficult process since the 1990s and continues to impact all parishes as we experience shifts in population in our state, a decline in the number of Sacraments being celebrated in our parishes [Baptism, Confirmation, and Matrimony], a decline in the number of available priests, and the need shift our focus from maintaining and saving parishes to evangelizing our communities and saving souls.  While this is not what some want, it is what we need to do here and across the Diocese of Sioux City to become more effective in our ministry and pastoral outreach to our parishioners and beyond.

The good news is this process will give us new opportunities to move forward to make disciples of Jesus Christ.  Thus, the CCOCH Pastoral Planning Team, the Pastoral Councils, the Finance Councils, and the parish staff for each parish will work to ensure as smooth a merger as possible, set and implement goals, and work to encouraging everyone to be faithful members of the Church who take seriously our baptismal call to help evangelize the world and to be true disciples of Jesus Christ.

For more information, please visit the Pastoral Planning page on the website and review many issues of The Lumen, including the March 25^th issue that addresses some frequently asked questions, and the Bishop’s pastoral letter issued in 2009.

1 May 2021

The CCOCH Pastoral Planning Team met this past week via Zoom to continues its pastoral planning.  At the heart of the discussion was the 1 April 2021 Decree of Bishop Nickless to merge parish of OLGC into the parish of IC.  We discussed the ongoing opposition of OLGC parishioners of the merger.  We are well aware of the anger, grief, and heartache of OLGC parishioners.  This is normal at this stage of pastoral planning as it has been for every parish community since the 1990s who have been closed, merged, or altered so we can better serve the people of the Diocese of Sioux City.  We need to be open and welcoming to all through this process so we can become more committed disciples of Jesus Christ.

This weekend, the Decree of the bishop will be read at the end of the Mass to officially announce the merger that will take place this summer.  This Decree will be posted on the parishes’ website on the home page, on the Pastoral Planning page, and on the OLGC page.  This Decree will be printed in THE LUMEN on 15 April 2021.  Persons wishing to appeal the action of this Decree have until 25 April 2021 to send a letter to the Bishop.

The bishop has a committee of priests, deacons, and lay persons who advise him on the pastoral planning for the Diocese.  Members of this committee are: Very Rev. Kevin McCoy, VG; Very Rev. Brad Pelzel, VG; Rev. Mr. Mark Prosser, Rev. Brent Lingle, Rev. David Esquiliano, JCL; Rev. Michael Cronin, Rev. Mr. Butch Stone, Lisa Niebuhr, Amy Block, and Julie Mahaney.  Members of this committee have a wide range of knowledge of all parishes involved including OLGC who has a son of the parish on the committee.  Thus, the bishop has good information about all parishes involved.  At this committee’s last meeting on 22 March 2021, all plans were reviewed, including ours, and it was recommended we stay the course as has been laid out, including the merger of OLGC into IC.

This is not an easy process.  One that the bishop and pastors, including I, lose sleep over.  This process is not what some want.  But it is what we need to move forward to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

As has been stated before, we are following Canon Law in this process which included the bishop consulting with the Presbyteral Council at their March 4^th meeting thus completing the first step to permit Bishop Nickless to issue his Decree for the merger.  This Decree will resolve the matter of the pre-mature/pre-decree appeal to the Congregation of the Clergy at the Vatican that was presented by a group of parishioners at OLGC in the fall of 2020.

The CCOCH Pastoral Planning Team and the Pastoral Councils for each parish will work to ensure as smooth a merger as possible, set and implement goals, and work to encouraging everyone to be faithful members of the Church who take seriously our baptismal call to help evangelize the world and to be true disciples of Jesus Christ.

For more information, please visit the Pastoral Planning page on the website and review many issues of The Lumen, including the March 25^th issue that addresses some frequently asked questions, and the Bishop’s pastoral letter issued in 2009.

The celebration of the Sacraments, including Sunday and daily Masses, and youth Faith Formation will continue at OLGC church building after the merger takes place on 1 July 2021.

11 April 2021

The CCOCH Pastoral Planning Team met with both Pastoral Councils to update the Councils on their discussions and planning to help create more vibrant parishes, priests and deacons, and Diocese.  Members of both Councils asked some great questions and had a great discussion about the planning process and the direction we need to head to become one parish.  Pastoral Planning across the diocese is about merging parishes so we there are fewer parishes that are more efficient in evangelization and being good stewards of the resources we have been given.  We need to unite with the Bishop and our Church to become more missionary in our evangelization of our parishioners, to be faithful to the teachings of Christ and His Church [including obedience to our Pope and Bishop], to work more closely together, to focus more on our faith, to be more involved with the parish community, and to unite parishes so pastors have only one [1] parish [not several parishes] to administer and oversee through pastoral and fiscal care.  Being a parish is not about coming to Mass once a week.  It is about being faithful members of the Church and taking seriously our baptismal call to help evangelize the world.

Again, for more information, please visit this page on the website and review many issues of The Lumen and the Bishop’s pastoral letter issued in 2009.

23 January 2021

The CCOCH Pastoral Planning Team met this past week.  Central to the discussion was the opposition to the proposed merger, alternative plans, and communication with parishioners.  A letter to all parishioners asking for input is being prepared and will be sent out this month.  Please stay tuned for this letter.

7 November 2020

Our Diocesan Pastoral Planning continues around the Diocese and in our parishes.  The CCOCH Pastoral Planning Team met this past week to review the plan, discuss their thoughts and feedback that has been received and to talk about the next steps in the process.  The report on this meeting will be shared at the upcoming meetings of both parish’s Pastoral Council [in October] and both parish’s Finance Councils [in November].  It was agreed that we need to work together on this project, promote parishioners joining the various Parish Teams to help support the work of each parish’s Pastoral Council, and the CCOCH Pastoral Planning Team will meet monthly.

Again, I know process presents many feelings, thoughts, opinions, opposition, ideas, and opportunities.  This is not an easy process.  Please review my e-newsletters of September 19 and 26 for more information [found at https://cherokeecountycatholics.org/covid-19-info]

More information may be found in the June 4^th , July 16^th, August 6^th, August 20^th and the September 3^rd issues of The Lumen [formally known as THE CATHOLIC GLOBE].

3 October 2020

Our Diocesan Pastoral Planning process is a hot topic around the Diocese.  With this process comes many feelings, thoughts, and ideas.  I know this process is not easy.  I have experienced it though my years as Parochial Vicar at Corpus Christi-Fort Dodge as work was beginning to bring eight [8] parishes into one [as has now happened], as Pastor at St. Joseph-Neptune and Assumption-Merrill [both now closed, torn down, and property sold with only the cemeteries remaining] as we worked 2002-2004 to begin the process to bring the six [6] parishes in the Le Mars area into one [as has mostly happened], as Pastor of Immaculate Conception-Moville and St. Michael-Kingsley to work to encourage two parishes to work more closely together, as Parochial Vicar at St. John-Onawa/St. Bernard-Blencoe/St. Joseph-Salix to begin their Ministry 2025 process of going to one parish [still in works], and as Pastor of six parishes in Carroll County to work to help encourage six [6] parishes to work more closely together and to prepare them for the next step of creating only two [2] parishes in Carroll County from fourteen [14] parishes.

When I arrived in Cherokee and Holstein, I knew that there would be more work needed to be done here as pastoral planning has been an ongoing project in the 1990s with Ministry 2000.  For this reason I have worked in both parishes to retrain all Altar Servers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and Readers; worked to update the Constitutions for the Finance and Pastoral Councils for both parishes; and have been working on creating various leadership teams; etc.  This work is not easy if we want to become the evangelizing parish[es] Jesus calls us to be.

As I noted last Saturday in this e-newsletter and during annoucement time during all weekend Masses, the Ministry 2025 Team [includes parish Lay Directors, chairs of the Pastoral and Finance Councils, DREs, and others from each parish] is meeting to discuss the next steps in our plan which calls for the merger Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Holstein into Immaculate Conception Parish of Cherokee.  This merger means the facility at OLGC would retain its individual church name; Sunday, Holy Day, and weekday Masses will continue to be celebrated at the OLGC site; and Faith Formation and other activities [i.e. weddings, funerals, baptisms, etc.] will continue at the OLGC site; and the administrative duties, boards, lay ministry management and parish organizations of both parishes would be merged with the administration of the ‘new’ larger Immaculate Conception Parish being centralized under one business plan operated out of Immaculate Conception’s administrative structure with leadership representation from all of the church locations.

In other words, the parish of OLGC will be joined with the parish of IC with the OLGC facility being a satellite location for IC for Masses, Faith Formation, and other parish activities and all parishioners of OLGC will become parishioners of IC [unless they choose to join another parish – i.e. Sacred Heart-Ida Grove].  In addition, the Finance and Pastoral Councils and various Teams [i.e. Liturgy, Parish Life, Cemetery] for both parishes will be merged with representatives from both sites.  Finances will be merged and managed by one bookkeeper with restricted accounts continuing to be used for their restricted purposes [i.e. OLGC Building Addition Campaign will only be used for the building at OLGC, Cemetery Fund only for the designated cemetery, etc.] just as is being currently done with the Maryhill funds inherited by IC when Visitation of the BVM-Maryhill closed in 2006.

In almost every parish grouping we are seeing consolidation and merging.  At Remsen, Holy Name in Marcus will merge with St. Mary-Remsen with the church building at Marcus being used for the celebration of Mass for Sunday, Holy Day, and weekday and the other Sacraments and Faith Formation classes.  At Storm Lake, Sacred Heart-Early is merging with St. Mary-Storm Lake with the church building at Early being used for the celebration of Mass for Sunday, Holy Day, and weekday and the other Sacraments.  Similar plans are being implemented in Sac and Ida Counties.  In other groups, such as in Carroll and Kossuth counties the plan is to close all the parishes and create new parishes utilizing the current church buildings for the celebration of the Sacraments and parish activities as we did in Sioux City, Le Mars, Fort Dodge, and the city of Carroll.

The Parish of Immaculate Conception-Cherokee has already assumed the parish of St. John-Quimby [the property sold] and the parish of the Assumption of the BVM-Maryhill with the cemetery and site of the church still being maintained as a shrine.

For forty-eight [48] priests currently in the Diocese, these means as our numbers continue to drop, we will be able to focus more on ministry than on administration.  For example, for me I have two Finance Councils [four meetings per year per Council], two Pastoral Councils [four meetings per year per Council], two sets of finances to oversee, two Faith Formation programs, two sets of staff, two sets of sacramental records to maintain, etc.

The good news is, we share many things in common: pastor, pictorial directory, Mass Offering account, website, Facebook page, cooperation between DRE’s, etc.

Again, this merger will not happen next week or next month as over the coming months our Ministry 2025 Team will be meeting to work on this merger to complete a smooth transition which will give us more opportunities to share resources, to become more efficient, and to focus more of our attention on evangelization and making more disciples for Jesus.

More information may be found in the June 4^th , July 16^th, August 6^th, August 20^th and the September 3^rd issues of The Lumen [formally known as THE CATHOLIC GLOBE].

26 September 2020

The CCOCH Pastoral Planning Team for both parishes [includes parish Lay Directors, chairs of the Pastoral and Finance Councils, DREs, and others from each parish] have begun meeting to discuss the next steps in our plan to fulfill the plan presented to us by Deacon Mark Prosser, Director of Pastoral Planning for the Diocese, on behalf of Bishop Nickless and the Diocesan Pastoral Planning Committee.

The CCOCH Pastoral Planning Team met last evening to discuss the next steps in our plan.  Deacon Mark Prosser, Director of Pastoral Planning for the Diocese, presented the history of Ministry 2025, the status of the plan, and were we need to go from here.  The bishop and his Pastoral Planning Committee has instructed us to:

merge Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Holstein via extinctive union with Immaculate Conception, Cherokee as a Secondary Church (retaining its individual church name) with all administrative duties, boards, lay ministry management and parish organizations centralized under one business plan operated out of Immaculate Conception’s administrative structure with leadership representation from all of the church locations, and to establish a modified parish grouping Mass schedule if necessary.

In other words, the parish of OLGC will be joined with the parish of IC with the OLGC facility being a satellite location for IC.  All parishioners of OLGC will become parishioners of IC [unless they choose to join another parish – i.e. Sacred Heart-Ida Grove].  Sunday, Holy Day, and weekday Masses will continue to be celebrated at the OLGC site.  Faith Formation and other activities will continue at the OLGC site.  The Finance and Pastoral Councils and various Teams [i.e. Liturgy, Parish Life, Cemetery] for both parishes will be merged with representatives from both sites.  Finances will be merged and managed by one bookkeeper with restricted accounts continuing to be used for their restricted purposes [i.e. OLGC Building Addition Campaign will only be used for the building at OLGC, Cemetery Fund only for the designated cemetery, etc.] just as is being currently done with the Maryhill funds inherited by IC when Visitation of the BVM-Maryhill closed in 2006.

This merger will not happen next week or next month as over the coming months our Ministry 2025 Team will be meeting to work on this merger to complete a smooth transition.

The fact is, we share many things in common: pastor, pictorial directory, Mass Offering account, website, Facebook page, cooperation between DRE’s, etc.

This merger will give us more opportunities to share resources, to become more efficient, and to focus more of our attention on evangelization and making more disciples for Jesus.

For more information, please stay tuned here for updates and/or review the June 4^th , July 16^th, August 6^th, August 20^th and the September 3^rd issues of The Lumen [formally known as THE CATHOLIC GLOBE] for articles with information about the additional planning, consolidations, mergers, and closings that the parishes of the Diocese of Sioux City will face in the coming months and years.

Questions that we need to address include:

1. 1. How do we create vibrant parishes, vibrant priests and deacons, and a vibrant Diocese?
   2. How do we become mission-driven rather than maintenance-driven?
   3. How do we protect our priests from burn out and so they can administer the parishes entrusted to them and provide the sacraments, evangelization, and fiscal oversight that is required of them?  That is: how do we help our priests to govern, sanctify, and evangelize our parishes to assist the Bishop in his role as chief shepherd of the Diocese and to help fulfill the mission of the Church given to us by Christ?
   4. What do we need to do to help our Diocese which has faced a great decline in the number of priests available to be pastors and parochial vicars for our 71 parishes in 33 parish groupings with ten [10] retirements coming in the next four [4] years and the possibility of only two [2] priestly ordinations in the next four [4] years?  The number of priests serving our Diocese has decline as follows:  1980 = 166; 1990 = 146; 2000 = 109; 2010 = 71; 2020 = 48.

19 September 2020