(Sioux City) — Sunday will mark the final mass services for the Our Lady of Assumption Parish located in Merrill. The church had served the people around Merrill for 122 years. Bishop Walker Nickless of the Sioux City Diocese will lead the final mass. He says it will be very emotional for the congregation and for himself.
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The Catholic Bishop says Sunday’s mass service will also be a way for the people to express gratitude to the parish for serving the community for so many years.
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Bishop Nickless says nearly five years ago, the diocese took a strategic look at all the parishes to determine their sustainability. Bishop Nickless says many rural churches have fallen victim to declining attendance, as well as the declining number of Catholic priests able to serve the parish.
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Bishop Nickless says the Catholic parish of Ellendale and St. Michael’s of Sioux City will be combining by sharing a priest, and he says St. Joseph Catholic Church in Struble will become a worship center, but will not necessarily have regular Sunday masses.
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