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Enlightening NW Iowa Catholics!Official Communications of the Diocese of Sioux City -
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West Bend Grotto diocesan host site
for statewide eucharistic processionBy RENEE WEBB
Content and Design Coordinator
Desiring to spread the love of the Eucharist, an Iowa Eucharistic Procession with gatherings in each of the four Iowa dioceses was organized by an Iowa teen.
“My objective was to get people in the door to experience Jesus and the Eucharist, and that we did,” said Sam Lange, a senior in high school from Cedar Rapids who is a member of the National Youth Advisory Council for the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry.
The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend that is part of Divine Mercy Parish of Kossuth County was the site of the gathering Sept. 20. Of the nearly 200 people who attended Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in West Bend that was celebrated by Bishop John E. Keehner, more than 70 participated in the eucharistic procession that followed despite the drizzle and chilly weather.
Similar gatherings were held in each of the dioceses, which also included the blessing of a large wooden puzzle piece in the shape of the correlating diocese. The puzzle pieces will be joined together forming the outline of the state of Iowa at the upcoming Christ Our Life Conference to be held this weekend in Des Moines.
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Iowa Catholic SGO explainedBy DAWN PROSSER
Director of Communications
In July, the Iowa Catholic Conference announced that the bishops of the four Catholic dioceses of Iowa created the Iowa Catholic Scholarship Granting Organization (Iowa Catholic SGO) to offer K-12 scholarships with funds raised through the upcoming federal Education Freedom Tax Credit program.
Royce Ranniger, chief financial officer for the Diocese of Sioux City, has been on the ground floor of developing this new organization, which will benefit students in the 14 diocesan Catholic school systems, enhancing school choice opportunities. He will be one of two Diocese of Sioux City representatives on the board as the program moves forward.
“This is a nationwide scholarship program to provide parents with an opportunity to send their kids to a school of their choice. It won’t fund all their education, but it’s a stepping stone,” he explained, adding that parents will still need to pay some tuition for their child even with the addition of SGO scholarship funds.
Ranniger pointed out that in Iowa, this SGO will “complement” the existing Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and the diocesan Msgr. Lafferty Tuition Foundation (MLTF). MLTF is a diocesan School Tuition Organization (STO), offering 75% state of Iowa tax credits for contributions. Both provide funds to parents for education expenses, which can include tuition at diocesan Catholic schools.
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Some parents seek a Catholic education for their child, such as Humboldt St. Mary. SGOs will provide another scholarship opportunity to help them finance tuition costs.
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IOWA PROCESSIONWEST BEND GROTTO
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More Diocesan News
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September 23
(Bilingual) This Sunday, the church will observe the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Without a doubt, migration is a political issue in the broad sense of the word. After all, the word “political” ultimately comes from the Greek polis, referring to the city or community, and migration necessarily raises questions that concern the life of a nation and its people. Este domingo, la Iglesia celebrará la Jornada Mundial del Migrante y del Refugiado. Sin duda, la migración es un tema político en el sentido amplio de la palabra. Después de todo, la palabra «político» proviene en última instancia del griego polis, que se refiere a la ciudad o a la comunidad, y la migración necesariamente plantea cuestiones que afectan la vida de una nación y de su pueblo.Read More -
September 23
Effective immediately, Dr. Dora Jung has transitioned from director of Catholic schools to superintendent having received her certification from the state of Iowa to serve as superintendent of record for the 14 Catholic school systems in the Diocese of Sioux City. She began her role as director of Catholic schools on July 1.Read More -
September 23
(CNS) Led by their priests, Catholics need to come together and face the truth about what their local church is doing and why, Pope Leo XIV told clergy and laypeople in his diocese. This process of discernment and "pastoral evaluation does not ask you to do more; on the contrary, it gives you permission to do less -- and to do it better," the pope, who is bishop of Rome, said to applause.Read More -
September 23
Father Merle Kollasch, retired diocesan priest living in Bode, penned this guest column on his cousin, Msgr. A.J. "Joe" Elbert.Read More
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