Fargo Diocese to close 33 parishes by 2010

Published: 2004-08-24

FARGO, N.D. (CNS) -- The Diocese of Fargo announced Aug. 21 that it would close 33 parishes by the year 2010. Bishop Samuel J. Aquila of Fargo said the parishes are in the rural parts of the diocese, which covers the eastern half of the state. The closed parishes, he added, will be consolidated with larger parishes nearby, mostly to transfer parish sacramental records. He said population shifts and declines account for the closings. The 21 parishes to be closed by next year will directly affect 521 households, less than 2 percent of the diocese's 28,000 households, he said. All the parishes scheduled for closure contain a total of 798 households. "The population changes which have taken place during the past 50 years have not been mirrored by changes in our parish structures," Bishop Aquila said in an Aug. 20 pastoral letter, "Bringing New Life to Our Faith Communities: A Pastoral Letter on the Reorganization of Parishes in the Diocese of Fargo."

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