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: