Cultivating Connections Through Closer Collaboration

May 21, 2025

Father David Fleming has found opportunities for greater collaboration to help parishes thrive while cultivating stronger connections with God and with one another. 

In looking at how other dioceses collaborate internally, Father Fleming, who oversees pastoral planning for the Des Moines Diocese, learned that many have regions, called deaneries. For example, the other three dioceses in Iowa have deaneries.

“It’s time for our Diocese to establish deaneries,” said Father Fleming. “There are many benefits that spring from having this kind of organizational structure for our parishes.”

Each deanery will have one priest, called a dean, who is responsible for supporting and guiding the pastors in providing pastoral care to all the parishes within the deanery—both individual parishes and clusters (groups of parishes served by a single pastor). The dean will continue to serve as pastor of his own parish or parishes while fulfilling this role.

“The role of the dean is to be a bridge person between the Bishop and the local area; to help support and ensure good governance, or oversight, of processes and services; to encourage parish life and vitality; to be an encouraging voice and presence; and, to be a resource for local priests,” said Father Fleming.

Each deanery will be comprised of individual parishes, or clusters of parishes.

Moving forward, groupings – with individual parishes or clusters of parishes – will be called families of parishes.

In consultation with the Presbyteral Council, diocesan leadership, and priests of the Diocese, the plan to establish deaneries has been approved by Bishop William Joensen. He is expected to formally establish the plan by issuing a decree this month. This summer, Bishop Joensen will appoint a dean for each deanery.

There are several benefits to forming groups of parishes in close proximity to each other.

• For parishes and parishioners, the groupings foster greater collaboration, thereby forming a stronger communion. While some parishes currently share staff or programs, the hope is that the parish family design brings people closer for encounters and friendships in faith.
• For priests, the groupings create a stronger connection among those living and working close to each other;
• For the Bishop, the plan provides a structure that better supports and pastorally cares for the faithful.

“Part of this is getting up to speed with what canon law envisions and to develop new structures to help parishes better thrive,” said Father Fleming. “It embraces the principle of subsidiarity by trying to empower communities to work together more closely while retaining local identity.”

Dioceses are not required to have deaneries. Having a deanery structure in place, though, means having someone nearby and familiar with a faith community so when an issue arises, it can be addressed locally before rising to the Bishop’s Office. 

“The hope is to create more localized support and vitality,” said Father Fleming.

For now, no parishes are slated to close with this alignment, he said. Rather, the deanery structure is a support for parishes by encouraging collaboration.

The Diocese’s vision of “cultivating connections in Christ” lends itself to the deanery structure.

“We are grafted by grace in relationships with Jesus and with one another, like a vine and branches,” wrote Bishop Joensen in explaining the vision and mission of the Diocese. “We form intimate bonds with Christ through the personal and collective experiences of encounter, friendship, and communion. Cultivating these connections in Christ is central to our vision as a people after God’s own heart.”