Key Priorities

The heart of the Church’s mission is to spread the saving name of Jesus who is the Good News; it is the responsibility and privilege of all the faithful to take up this task anew amidst the increasing challenges of the world today.

In late 2024, Archbishop Zinkula began an envisioning process to gather feedback from across the archdiocese with the goal to clarify the local Church’s mission, vision, and values.

Mission

Empowered by the Holy Spirit through prayer, Sacraments and Scripture, our archdiocesan mission is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, thereby transforming our communities to become more like Him in thought, word and deed.

Vision

We are an engaged archdiocesan community of joyful missionary disciples, centered in our Eucharistic relationship with Jesus Christ and united through our legacy of faith.

Values

Prayer
We are continually growing in our relationship with God through conversation with Him.

Worship
We recognize our absolute dependence on God and receive all graces from and surrender our lives to Him.

Charity
We see and respond to the needs of others by imitating Christ. 

Lifelong Learning
We realize our formation as Catholic Christians is never complete.

This led to a discernment period to identify how best to prioritize efforts in the coming years in order to fully live out the mission and vision. During this time, three main priorities were identified for the Archdiocese of Dubuque:

  • Evangelization: To share the Gospel with those yet to know Jesus, with those who feel disconnected from their faith, and with those seeking a deeper relationship with Christ and His Church.

    Rationale: Jesus said, "Go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20)

  • Leadership Formation: To identify, invite and form people for leadership roles in ministries and mission throughout the archdiocese, especially in parishes, schools and the Pastoral Center.

    Rationale: Believing that "to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7), volunteers, staff members and clergy need to be in continuous formation and supported in their roles to effectively accomplish our mission.

  • Pastoral Planning: To plan for a vibrant and sustainable future for our faith communities.

    Rationale: Increasing secularization, shifting demographics and fewer priest with greater responsibilities require us to be proactive stewards of our human and financial resources to more effectively fulfill our mission.