August 2025
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Last January, we began sending this monthly email newsletter to households with the goal of fostering connections and building communion within the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Each monthly email has been temporarily titled 'News from the Archdiocese of Dubuque Pastoral Center' as we discern a permanent title that conveys our collective mission and aligns with important archdiocesan initiatives. This newsletter is now titled Go Forth.
The name Go Forth draws its significance directly from the dismissal at Mass. As you know, at the conclusion of the liturgy, the priest or deacon sends the faithful forth with one of four dismissal options; "Go forth, the Mass is ended" is one of them. The dismissal is a commissioning which echoes Christ's mandate to His apostles at the conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel and to the entire Church today: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…"
The announcements, messages from Archbishop Zinkula, event promotions, and stories about faith communities and individuals are offered each month as encouragement to continue living our shared Archdiocesan Mission and Vision.
Mission:
Empowered by the Holy Spirit through prayer, Sacraments, and Scripture, our archdiocesan mission is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, thereby transforming our communities to become more like Him in thought, word and deed.
Mission:
Empowered by the Holy Spirit through prayer, Sacraments, and Scripture, our archdiocesan mission is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, thereby transforming our communities to become more like Him in thought, word and deed.
Vision:
We are an engaged archdiocesan community of joyful missionary disciples, centered in our Eucharistic relationship with Jesus Christ and united through our legacy of faith.
We are an engaged archdiocesan community of joyful missionary disciples, centered in our Eucharistic relationship with Jesus Christ and united through our legacy of faith.
United in mission and vision,
Cathy Walz
Chief of Staff
Archdiocesan Pastoral Center
Dcn. John Robbins
Director of Communications
Archdiocesan Pastoral Center
The Archdiocese of Dubuque is holding 34 regional informational sessions for parishioners to learn more about the Journey in Faith process. These sessions will further explain information that will be released at dbqjourneyinfaith.org in early September.
What will be the focus of these informational sessions?
Participants will learn more about:
- Rationale, process, and timeline for Journey in Faith
- Importance of prayer and synodal listening in this process
- Proposed pastorate models as possible new groupings of parishes for the future
- Ways to listen, learn, ask questions and provide insights throughout the process including engaging in your parish’s October and November local meetings and providing written feedback via the Journey in Faith website
Why should I attend?
Attending these meetings will give you background about the challenges we face and the opportunities we have to be honest, courageous, faithful, and hopeful. Your ideas about how we can have vibrant and sustainable parishes focused on evangelization for the next 25+ years is very important as future plans are developed. While these September meetings are information focused, they set the stage for parishioners to provide thoughtful verbal feedback at local parish input sessions in October and November and written feedback via the Journey in Faith website.
How do I know which meeting to attend?
Parishioners should attend a meeting held in their Regional Planning Area (RPA). The overall information will be the same at each meeting, however, the proposed pastorate models that are explained will be specific to your RPA. (See RPA (v5) for your region.)
When and where are the meetings?
There are 34 September Regional Journey in Faith Information Sessions from which to choose. Each is held in a parish church and is scheduled for three hours.
How do I sign up to attend?
In order to assist us in our planning, we ask that parishioners RSVP using https://tinyurl.com/JIFSeptSignUp or the QR code:
What if I'm unable to attend a September regional meeting or registration in my region reaches capacity?
If you are unable to attend a September regional meeting, you are urged to review all of the information on the website including videos, maps, and spreadsheets that will be released in early September. This will enable you to have background prior to attending your own local parish's meetings in October and November. Although the September meetings will not be live streamed, a summary video with key points from those meetings about prayer and synodal listening will be released at the end of September. Registration is capped at 500 per event (or the maximum seating capacity for churches with less than a 500 person capacity) and registration will be closed once registration reaches capacity.
Archbishop's Trip to Africa
On July 26, after a journey that spanned two days and included three flights, Archbishop Thomas Zinkula arrived at his destination: the city of Nairobi, in the East African country of Kenya.
Archbishop Zinkula came to Nairobi primarily to meet with church leaders there. The visit was not his first time in Africa. It was actually his third. But it was his first time visiting the continent as the chair of the...
Archbishop Zinkula came to Nairobi primarily to meet with church leaders there. The visit was not his first time in Africa. It was actually his third. But it was his first time visiting the continent as the chair of the...
Follow the archdiocese on Facebook, Instagram, and X to learn more about Archbishop Zinkula's trip to Africa. Additional content from this series will also be provided at dbqarch.org/news.
Contributing to Health Care Associations
Some health care associations accomplish much that is good but also have some practices or policies not in accord with Catholic moral teaching. Should a Catholic participate in or financially contribute to such an organization? It depends. The archdiocesan Medical-Moral Commission has developed guidelines for making such decisions; see Morally Responsible Participation in Health Care Associations available at https://dbqarch.org/diocesan-guidelines-and-statements. In particular, the Medical-Moral Commission has developed guidance regarding the American Cancer Society, the Alzheimer's Association, the American Heart Association, Livestrong, the March of Dimes, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, available at https://dbqarch.org/diocesan-guidelines-and-statements. If there is another health care association about which you have a moral concern, please contact DBQCHEAL@dbqarch.org for guidance.
Join IMPACT
APPLY NOW for the 2025-2027 IMPACT cohort! IMPACT is a two-year formation program for Catholic adults. Monthly sessions, starting this September, will be held at St. Mary’s in Vinton. Learn more and apply by August 20 at www.dbqarch.org/impact.
2025 Rural Life Mass Hosts and Location Announcement
The 2025 Rural Life Mass is coming to the Marshalltown Deanery and will be held on Thursday, Sept. 18th, in Haverhill. This year's hosts will be Bob, Dick, Dale Stalzer, and Families of Stalzer Land LLC. The mass will be held on their home farm at 2737 Oaks Avenue, just a stone's throw north of Haverhill and six miles south of Marshalltown. This late morning Mass, presided over by Archbishop Zinkula, will also include a brief recognition program, followed by a luncheon. Make plans to attend. More details to come!
Special Events for Men in Formation
Save the date for two special events taking place this fall for the men in formation for the Permanent Diaconate:
1. September 23, 2025 - Admission to Candidacy - Class XXII, St. Patrick, Clear Lake, 6:30 pm. This is a class of twelve men and their wives.
2. October 7, 2025 - Institution of Acolyte - Class XXI, Basilica St. Francis, Xavier, Dyersville 6:30 pm. This class of eight are scheduled to be ordained next summer, Saturday June 27, at the Cathedral of St. Raphael, Dubuque.
All are invited to attend these masses.
Share This Newsletter
Ensure your friends and family are also receiving this newsletter by forwarding them this message and inviting them to sign up for future communications at dbqarch.org/connect-with-us.
Upcoming Archdiocesan Events
Upcoming Jubilee Events at the Cathedral of St. Raphael in Dubuque:
Monthly events scheduled are:
September 20 – 9:00 AM Speaker on Justice at the Cathedral
October 18 – 9:00 AM Speaker on St. Luke, Praying the Rosary at the Cathedral
November 1 – 9:00 AM All Saints Mass
December 28 – 9:00 AM Mass with the Archbishop - Closing Jubilee Year