Religion

The Archdiocese of Dubuque is ending weekend Mass at 76 of its 160 parishes. The Journey in Faith initiative aims to create a sustainable future for the archdiocese, which is facing a decline in Mass attendance.

Dozens of rural Catholic churches in Iowa are about to lose their weekend mass. Today, we hear about the changing map of midwestern Catholicism. First, we hear from a Vinton resident who's Catholic parish has appealed to the Vatican in effort to keep weekend mass in the wake of the Archdiocese of Dubuque's final 'Journey in Faith' restructuring plan. University of Iowa professor Kristy Nabhan-Warren joins to discuss what this initiative means for churches losing eucharistic mass and how this juxtaposes a recent increase in attendance at Catholic churches in urban dioceses, including Des Moines. Then, Deacon John Robbins of the archdiocese explains the mission behind 'Journey in Faith,' and answers listeners' questions.

We are living in a time of deep division, and this week we have been looking at the forces driving us apart. But people in communities across the country are working to combat this division, and today, we meet some of Iowa's community builders using the tools at their disposal — from giant trolls to the local bar. We meet Gabi Torres and Ari Lewerenz of Clinton, Jessica Bolton of Cedar Rapids, Maggie Reyes of Storm Lake, Byron of Pomeroy and Leslie Jackson and Caroline Peterson of Des Moines.

We've seen a recent rise in Christian nationalism, a powerful political movement. To some it looks like a threat to our democracy, and to others it looks like voting their values. But, what does it mean to Iowa Christian faith leaders and their congregations? We sit down with four of them to find out. But first, we hear from journalist Katherine Stewart about how Christian nationalism evolved and who benefits from it.

Federal immigration agent raids may have faded from the headlines, but not from many people’s minds. In northwest Iowa, community members are stepping up to help immigrants living with uncertainty.

In this episode of the 'Talk of Iowa' book club, author Sarah McCammon and expert readers discuss 'The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church.' The book is a blend of memoir and reporting, focusing on McCammon's life growing up in an evangelical church in Missouri and attending an evangelical college before parting ways with the church as a young adult. McCammon also writes about the experiences of other so-called "exvangelicals." (This episode was originally produced April 15, 2025.)