The Former Trinity Cluster

The Trinity Cluster brought together three Catholic parishes: St. Mary in McGregor, St. Bridget in Postville and St. Patrick in Monona. Each remained a separate parish while they worked together through shared leadership, councils, an office and faith formation. 

The parishes’ histories began long before the cluster:

• St. Mary, McGregor: Catholic parish life dates to about 1855–1857. The first Catholic church in town was built in the 1860s.
• St. Bridget, Postville: Catholics organized in the late 1860s and built their first church in 1872.
• St. Patrick, Monona: The parish history dates to 1856.

In July 2026, the Trinity Cluster came to an end when all three parishes became part of the Waukon Area Pastorate. At the same time, weekend Mass ended at St. Mary and St. Bridget. St. Patrick went from one weekend Mass to two, with Mass scheduled on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.  

These changes were part of Journey in Faith, the Archdiocese of Dubuque’s pastoral planning process. The Archdiocese cited declining Mass attendance and fewer available priests in explaining its decision to organize parishes into pastorates and set new weekend Mass locations. The Archdiocese partnered with Catholic Leadership Institute to help coordinate the gathering of feedback. According to the Archdiocese, Archbishop Thomas Zinkula made the final decisions after considering that feedback and recommendations from advisory groups.

The three parishes continue as part of the Waukon Area Pastorate.  However, the Trinity Cluster remains an important chapter in their shared history. Through the strength of their parishioners, St. Mary and St. Bridget remain active churches with weekday Masses and other parish activities.