3rd Evangelization Summit
On Saturday, August 22, we will hold our 3rd Evangelization Summit – at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Chippewa Falls. You can find more information here, or register here.
“Rebuild My Church” – Overview
800 years ago, St. Francis of Assisi was praying in the dilapidated church of San Damiano. From the cross, Jesus said, “Francis, go and rebuild my Church, which, as you see, is falling into ruin.” It was a pivotal moment in his life.
We in the Diocese of La Crosse find ourselves in a similar moment today. Several signs point to decline and ruin. Jesus is calling us to renewal and more abundant life. As with St. Francis and his followers, abundant new life comes only when we are willing to die and rise with Christ.
After months of listening, Bishop Battersby invited all of us to pivot from maintenance to mission. This began an extended process of soul-searching, listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd, and discovering together how best to structure our parishes in the years ahead. We started in summer and fall of 2025 by connecting with 3,622 of you in our 40 listening sessions. Scroll down if you want to view the content of the listening sessions and to read people’s comments.
Our listening and discernment – both in the listening sessions and by learning from several other dioceses – has led us to two important conclusions: (1) To approach pastoral planning as an ongoing process of pastoral conversion, rather than reaching some imagined arrival point; and (2) to engage this process a few regions at a time rather than try to do it all at once. We are piloting the process in a few places during 2026-27. There are 4 Core Principles guiding those conversations:
- A Culture of Discipleship and Accompaniment
- Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy
- Stable and Healthy Leadership
- Charisms and Responsible Stewardship
Click on the link for each principle if you want to view a video overview.
Listening Sessions
Thank you to 3,622 of you who participated in one of our 40 listening sessions this fall!
From Maintenance to Mission
When most of the institutions and people in our communities do not consider Jesus, it changes what our mission looks like! This 4-minute video explains the difference.
Additional Links:
An honest look at the numbers
Are there ways we are falling into ruin?
4 Core Principles
To guide our shared decision making process