Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, announced that Sunday Mass will no longer be celebrated in seven of the diocese’s 65 parishes.
Citing declining population, Bishop Cozzens said that “some of these small parishes have no young people in religious formation, or at least very few. Some have trouble finding volunteers and rely on only a few dedicated people to keep the parish going. We also continue to experience a shortage of priests.”
According to The Official Catholic Directory (2025 edition), the Diocese of Crookston has only 21 diocesan priests who are active in the diocese. An additional four religious-order priests minister there.