After a series of meetings across the Sioux Falls Catholic Diocese last year, a number of small parishes were merged and centralized.

Bishop Paul Swain says while difficult for many, changes were needed for many of those parishes…

 

Besides the population shrinking in many rural areas, the diocese has seen their priest numbers also reduced. Swain says they are hoping that will stabilize…

 

Swain says the diocese and parishes have to be open to change…

 

The Sioux Falls Diocese is all of east river South Dakota, with about one hundred twenty thousand members.