Parishioners say goodbye to churches in Clutier, Dysart

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[snip] On Sunday, Catholic parishes in Clutier and at Dysart's St. Joseph Church will close. A final Mass will be held at 8 a.m. in Dysart and at 11 a.m. in Clutier. Receptions will follow each service. The Most Rev. Jerome Hanus, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, is expected to attend.

A shortage of priests and declining populations in rural Iowa bring transition and change to many Catholic communities, priests and parishioners said.

"Everybody's downhearted about the closing of the church," said Marvin Dostal, 62, of Clutier. He'll miss the potluck dinners with mountains of food and especially the annual Corpus Christi feast. "Church is community," Dostal said. "We are losing our community." [snip] Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier