Holy Trinity Parish History
 
In 2000 the Catholic churches in Fort Dodge, Clare, and Barnum were asked to become Team Parishes.  Bishop DiNardo gathered a team of priests to serve as clergy for this experimental concept.  The driving force behind this new organization of churches was an impending reduction in the number of priests available to serve the Sioux City Diocese.  This reduction would also eventually affect other components of these churches, such as finances, liturgy, education, leadership, identity and community.
 
In the year 2000 the churches of Webster County had eight priests.  By 2004 this number was reduced to four.  At the outset, we were told that there eventually would be two priests in Webster County.
 
Thanks to the strong leadership and vision of our Bishop, the Catholic Team Parishes of Webster County and the many members of our church began a partnership that would lead to a frank and open discussion of our future and how it would affect us all.  We were given the opportunity to plan for our own future.  The alternative was someone or something else forcing change.  Forcing unplanned decisions.  Forcing actions without input of our people.  Thankfully, our leaders accepted this challenge.
 
With the help of a team of experienced consultants and over 40 volunteers with representation from each of our parishes, a Long Range Planning Task Force was assembled and set into motion in October 2002.  The mission was to determine the long-range goals for the Catholic Team Parishes of Webster County and then identify the best approach for achieving those goals.  The original assumption was that by approximately 2010, the number of priests serving Webster County would be reduced to two.
 
In March 2004, all parishioners were invited to attend “Visioning Sessions.”  Over 700 parishioners attended these open meetings where they heard from each committee who revealed the work they had prepared.  Three possible models were presented at that time:
 

• One Parish / 5 Worship Sites
• One Parish / 1 Fort Dodge Site / 2-3 Rural Sites
• One Parish / 1 Worship Site

 
Additionally, the Visioning Sessions provided an opportunity to share and request feedback from all parishioners and from that came a fourth model:
 

• One Parish / 2 Fort Dodge Worship Sites

 
The Visioning Sessions consolidated all of the feedback into six categories which were referred to as our Missions:
 

• Our New Identity
• Liturgy and Worship
• Finances / Buildings and Grounds
• Leadership
• Faith Formation
• Community Building through Outreach and Preservation of Small Faith Communities

 
Within each of these missions, specific tasks and action plans were developed to identify ways to achieve our long range goals.  The Long Range Planning Task Force was charged with making a recommendation based on all of the input from our church members.
 
As a result of the feedback from the Visioning Sessions, the Task Force analyzed the following two options in depth:
 

• Renovating Corpus Christi and Sacred Heart
• Construction of a New Site

 
After analyzing the options, the Task Force decided it would be more advantageous to build a new facility rather than renovate older facilities that had already served us well for many years.  In addition, the Task Force felt that all parishes sharing the sacrifice of moving to a new shared facility was preferable to having some parishes move and others remain the same.
 
Based on the feedback of the parishioners and the recommendations of the Long Range Planning Task Force, the following were presented to the Bishop:
 

• Become one parish by July 2005 and be in the new facility by 2010, closing all existing worship sites at that time
• Create one worship site, one place of education and formation for young and old at the St. Edmond Catholic School Campus
• Request that the number of priests is maintained and all worship sites remain open until the completion of the new site
• Form an Implementation Council/Committee