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7 Crookston, Minnesota, parishes to lose Sunday Masses in reorganization plan citing priest shortage

July 24, 2026 · 1 min read

The Diocese of Crookston in Minnesota announced that seven parishes will cease celebrating Sunday Mass in the coming months due to factors including a shortage of priests, lack of young people in religious formation, and trouble finding parish volunteers.

“The decision to stop having Sunday Mass at a church is amongst the most difficult decisions that have to be made,” said Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston in a video announcement.

“The parish church, as we know, is the center of life — the center of our faith life for so many people, often for generations,” he said. “Itʼs the place where we most frequently live our relationship with God. Itʼs the place where the Mass is celebrated, especially on Sundays.”

Four parishes in the Northeast Deanery of the diocese, including St. Francis Xavier in Oklee, St. Ann in Goodridge, St. Philip in Falun, and St. Mary in Badger, will celebrate their final Sunday Masses in August and September.

In October, parishes in the Northwest Deanery, including St. Mary in Euclid, St. Joseph in Oslo, and St. Francis of Assisi in Fisher, will hold their final Sunday Masses.

While the parishes will soon halt Masses, Cozzens explained the diocese…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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Elena Florea

Too bad it has to come to this. Bishop Cozzens makes it clear that the church is the center of faith life for generations, and now four parishes in the Northeast Deanery hold their last Sunday Mass already in August-September. Here in Constanța there are few priests, but we still manage to hold services; what will the parishioners of Oklee and Fisher do without Sundays?

Красимира Христова

A pity really. In Sofia we also have a shortage of priests, but we have not yet gone so far as to close Sunday Masses in whole parishes like these four in the Northeast Deanery – St. Francis Xavier in Oklee and the rest. Bishop Cozzens is right that it is a difficult decision, especially when people have been going there for generations.