Search
-
Enlightening NW Iowa Catholics!Official Communications of the Diocese of Sioux City -
-
-
Education award recipients recognizedLUMEN MEDIA REPORT – The six recipients of the 2025-26 Bishop’s Education Awards were recognized Oct. 13 during a lunch with Bishop John E. Keehner and members of the Office of Catholic Schools in Sioux City.
The Catholic Schools Office for the Diocese of Sioux City announced winners of this year’s Bishop’s Education Awards last spring when visits were made to the schools.
Four teachers received the Excellence in Education Award: Trish Boettger of St. Rose of Lima School in Denison, Jennifer Clay of Sacred Heart School in Sioux City, John Jorstad of Bishop Heelan High School in Sioux City and Erin Miller of Bishop Garrigan School in Algona.
Two other Catholic school staff members were honored with the Good Shepherd Award: Deb Kollasch of Bishop Garrigan School in Algona and Rosie Kunkel of St. Mary School in Remsen.
Addressing the four Catholic school teachers and two staff members, the bishop said St. John Henry Newman stressed that within the universal call to love, serve God and obey the commandments, each person has a vocation within a vocation. This unique purpose is given by God for two purposes - to make people happy and fulfill the “grand design that only God understands.”
READ MORE -
Memorial Mass held Oct. 14 for infant lossBy RENEE WEBB
Content and Design Coordinator
Parents and family members who have mourned the loss of an infant attended the Memorial Mass for
Miscarriage and Infant Loss held Oct. 14 at Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City.
Celebrated by Bishop John E. Keehner, the annual Mass was again held in October during the month that the Catholic Church observes as Respect Life Month. October is also Pregnancy, Infant and Child Loss Awareness Month. Bishop Emeritus Walker Nickless and Father Larry Burns concelebrated the liturgy.
In the Gospel referring to Matthew 8, the bishop said Jesus reminds the disciples and all of the faithful of the immensity of God’s love.
“Jesus reminds us that God loves us. He comes looking for us when we are lost even when we don’t want to be found,” said Bishop Keehner. “He reminds us that we are never too small or too insignificant for God to take notice of us.”
READ MORE
-
-
More Diocesan News
-
October 17
After more than 30 years, the bell at St. Joseph Church in Salix is being prepped to ring once again. According to Don Mohning, a member of the finance council at St. Joseph’s and coordinator of the bell refurbishing project, it was in the fall of 2024 not long after Father Shinoj Jose arrived at the parish when the priest inquired about the bell. “It wasn’t ringable – basically the timbers that supported it were so rotted that there was fear if you pulled on the rope it would fall apart,” explained Mohning. “So, the bell hadn’t been rung for many years.”Read More -
October 16
On Oct. 12, parishioners participated in the annual Eucharistic procession from the St Lawrence site to the Holy Spirit site of John Paul II Parish in Carroll to honor the upcoming feast day of St. John Paul II.Read More -
October 14
The Office of Vocations, Faith Formation Office and several directors of religious education (DREs) are offering a Vocations Encounter Night for youth grades seven through 12 on Nov. 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Our Lady of the Plains Parish, St. Mary Church in Lake City in the parish center. All youth are welcome to attend. There is no cost to participate. Doors will open at 5 p.m.Read More -
October 14
(bilingual - Spanish below) Pope Leo XIV, a former missionary priest and bishop in Peru, and the first successor of St. Peter born in the United States, has become the first Pope to record a video message asking Catholics across the globe to help him support missionaries across the globe. El Papa León XIV, otrora sacerdote y obispo misionero en Perú, y primer sucesor de San Pedro nacido en Estados Unidos, se ha convertido en el primer pontífice en grabar un mensaje en video pidiendo a los católicos de todo el mundo que lo ayuden a apoyar a los misioneros en todo el planeta.Read More
-
