April 26, 2026 All Things new planning announcement

Dear Friends,

I would like to give you an update on the St. Cloud Diocese Parish planning process “All Things New.” We make these monumental changes with faith and hope in our God who is with us at all times, guiding and providing out of his love. First, I have listed here some reminders, and then the next steps. 

A Brief Reminder of Why are we Doing This: 

We know that major cultural changes have taken place in the past decades. There has also been a great shift in what was generally considered a “Christian culture.” Venerable Fulton Sheen said over fifty years ago “We are at the end of Christendom.” Sheen saw even then that the family structure had shifted and declined, and with it, the moral structure of society. Our churches, communities and nation have felt the pains of this decline. Some may remember when most Catholics went to Mass on Sundays, families gathered together more regularly, stores were closed on Sundays and vocations to religious life were more common, encouraged and celebrated. When most of the parishes were formed, small farms and big families were the norm, and modes of transportation were far more limited. This dynamic has drastically changed over the years. In the document called “Guiding Change” on the St. Cloud Diocese website, it lists the reasons why the parish restructuring is taking place. A few of those reason are: The ratio of parishes to priests in our diocese is higher than twice the national average. There has not been a vocation to the priesthood from these four parishes for 50 to 60 years. The average attendance at weekend Masses is less than 40% capacity of each church. Since 2010 the average Mass attendance is down 33%, marriages 46%, and baptisms 44%. Four out of five parishes in our diocese are unable to meet ministry and operating budgets through regular envelope and plate giving. As a result of these changes our current format in the Church has not been and cannot be sustained to fulfill the mission of our Catholic Church. We know that experiencing this decline and the changes that need to be made is not easy. The changes cause a feeling of loss and sadness in the memory of sacred spaces, family occasions and special sentiments. At the same time, we know we must also adapt to our circumstances with faith and hope in the Lord. The “All Things New” planning process aims at helping our diocese focus more on mission than maintenance. By downsizing, combining, and working together, we are able to focus more time, energy, people and funds on prayer, evangelization, catechesis and vocations and the salvation of souls; the essential elements of our mission and reasons that our parishes were built and exist. 

The Plan Approval: 

The Area Catholic Community plan was set in place back in 2015 by Bishop Kettler. In 2024 the St. Cloud Diocese Planning Committee, with Bishop Neary, gave the parameters for all the ACC’s to follow. After months of meetings, discussion, and prayer our committee brought two plans forward to the diocese planning committee on September 22nd. The diocese planning committee unanimously decided on the plan to move into one single parish corporation with two separate Church buildings that have regular weekend Masses, with worship sites in St. Michael’s in Buckman, and St. Joseph’s in Pierz. Holy Cross in Harding and St. John Nepomuk in Lastrup, will not have regular Masses but will remain available for weddings and funerals for one year after the changes take place this summer. The status of Holy Cross and St. John’s church buildings will be reviewed during that year and will be determined in the near future by the St. Cloud Diocese and the ACC committee, along with the consultation of the parish leadership.  During this year the Church will remain open at appointed times for private prayers and the Blessed Sacrament will be present in the Church. The necessary reverence and security of the building must be provided. 

What are the Next Steps?

Even though many diocese’ across the country, including those around us, have or are going through similar changes, it does not make these changes easy. What we are being called to do at this point and time is, in some respects, the cross we are being called to carry. It calls each parish and parishioner to sacrifice for the good of focusing our efforts on one parish and one mission. It is true that some of us are having to sacrifice more and are suffering in greater ways, therefore we must be willing to walk beside each other as brothers and sisters in Christ and bear each other’s burdens. 

I have been impressed and am grateful for the efforts already being made by the people of our communities to make this transition a success. Members of the choirs from each church are beginning to sing together for funerals and regular Mass.  Invitations have been made to members to participate in groups and ministries.  Hopeful, honest and encouraging meetings have taken place with the Hospitality Team.  And alongside the challenges there has been a spirit of compassion, understanding and hopefulness. I believe this speaks to the foundation of faith and virtue here in these communities. The Hospitality Team has met to discuss what might be the best way to help St. John’s and Holy Cross grieve the loss of their churches and remember the blessings, relationships, special occasions and cherished moments. A number of individuals came up with ideas to help this happen. The schedule and events will be as follows: On June 7thHoly Cross in Harding will have a 10:00 Sunday Mass which will be referred to as a Memorial Mass. After the Mass will be a lunch provided by members of the Hospitality Team along with students of the Fr. Pierz School of Religion. There will also be opportunities for members of the community to share memories and blessed moments of their parish history. They can also share and look at pictures, videos, or simply visit with one another.  St. Joseph’s in Pierz will have the 6pm Mass this weekend, with other Mass times and locations remaining the same. On the following weekend, June 14th, St. John Nepomuk will likewise have a Memorial Mass at 10:00 on Sunday. This will also include a lunch provided for the people afterwards as well as times for sharing memories, visiting and viewing pictures or memorabilia.  On this weekend, St. Joseph’s in Pierz will have the 4pm Mass, with the other Mass times and locations remaining the same.  With June 21st being Father’s Day weekend, it was decided that no parish events will take place in order to make time for family and loved ones. Mass times will return to normal on this weekend. 

Other important items are: A good number of nominations for the new parish name. It must be approved by the Bishop and will be revealed in the coming weeks, as well as information on trustees, finance and pastoral council’s. Daily Mass times will be: Tuesday, 7pm at St. Joseph’s, Wednesday, 9:00 at St. Jospeh’s (HT School Mass), Thursday, 7am at St. Michael’s, and Friday, 7am at St. Joseph’s.

As Christians we are called to grieve with hope and a vision of what God has in store for us in the future. St. Paul says in Romans 5,  “Hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured into our hearts…”   June 28th we will have one “Welcome Mass” at 10:00 at St. Joseph’s in Pierz in which we gather in hope as one parish for the first time. Before Mass there will be a bus provided departing from Harding and stopping in Lastrup to pick up individuals and bring them to the Mass. This bus will, in a sense, be “in procession” as it will be carrying the Blessed Sacrament as we take Jesus with us on the journey in literal fashion. After the 10:00 Mass on the 28ththere will be a parish cookout and time for fellowship. Here we will begin, I believe, a very hopeful and exciting journey of working together in one mission of building up the Lord’s Church, with one goal of holiness and reaching heaven.  

I thank you, as always, for your heartfelt prayers to the Holy Spirit, guiding us through this planning process. May we pray for God’s Spirit of wisdom, peace and strength to be with us always. And may we in all things keep our eyes fixed on Christ’s abiding presence in the journey we are all on to get to heaven and be God’s good servants. Jesus says,“And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20)  In Christ,  Father Aaron Nett