Tapping into the church’s history of honoring and praying for workers in various professions, the Diocese of Sioux City, Bishop Walker Nickless and the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City are planning a Red Mass for attorneys, judges, lawmakers and those working in the legal profession. Bishop Nickless will preside at a Nov. 7 Red Mass at 5:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Epiphany, which is open to the public. All are invited to a reception in the Epiphany Center afterward.

Danbury Catholic School received a $25,000 MHRD grant for window replacement in their building both for energy conservation and safety. Principal Molly Petersen and school board member Julie Hamann accepted the award on behalf of the school Oct. 24.

The Fifth Annual Siouxland Inspirational & Historical Short Film Festival will expand to two sessions this year in Sioux City, Iowa. On Sunday, Nov. 17, a selection of films will be shown in the auditorium at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a variety of locally, regionally and nationally produced short films will be projected. They will include documentaries, comedies, student and general interest flicks. After intermission, a series of historical films will be shown starting at 2 p.m.

A Manning native saw the devastation from Hurricane Helene affecting his neighbors in Tennessee and neighboring states in late September and wondered how he could help. A web developer working in Sevierville, Tennessee, Kaden McLaws explained he lives “on the very edge of where Hurricane Helene devastated this area.”

(Trilingual - English, Spanish and Vietnamese) The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published a prayer in three languages for the faithful to pray prior to an election.

Fr. Paul Nguyen, pastor of St. Sebastian Parish, Pocahontas, received a special gift at the Pocahontas Catholic School Mass Oct. 18 in Resurrection of Our Lord Church in Pocahontas. Parishioner Bonnie Wood, presented Fr. Paul with a hand-made quilted blanket.

One of the most controversial things a pastor can do in a parish is change Mass times. Even a change of just half an hour is enough to cause consternation and ire among Mass-goers. It also causes confusion, which may lead to some people missing Mass on a particular Sunday. Yet there are times when the pastor has no choice but to change the parish Mass schedule. For example, if a parish is used to having two priests but suddenly goes to one, the number of Masses that can be celebrated there will have to change, and therefore, so will the Mass times. That is because church law sets the maximum number of Masses that a priest can celebrate.

On the memorial of St. John Paul II, Bishop Walker Nickless celebrated the third annual White Mass for active and retired health care workers at the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City. Retired nurses donned capes and caps for the procession, followed by other health care professionals. The fourth degree Knights of Columbus provided an honor guard for the Mass. Clergy representing the health care profession on the altar included Father Gus Peter, MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center chaplain and Deacon Tom Morgan, local physician.

Having a passion for working with students, the new coordinator of campus ministry at Briar Cliff University believes God brought her to Sioux City. Sister Stella Nneji, a Sister of Mercy and native of Nigeria, started at the university at the beginning of the new academic year in August. “The young people are so dear to my heart,” she said.

The St. Joseph Education Society in the Diocese of Sioux City was established to support the education of clergy – both priests and deacons – before and after ordination. Father Mark Stoll, executive director of the of the society, said a collection is scheduled to be taken at weekend Masses in parishes of the diocese on Nov. 2-3 with proceeds to go to the St. Joseph Education Fund.

Briar Cliff University in Sioux City hosted the 25th anniversary of the Woodbury County Drug Court, a vital community program dedicated to supporting substance abuse recovery, treatment, and accountability for juvenile and adult offenders. This event marked a significant milestone in the program's long-standing commitment to rehabilitating lives and improving the community through evidence-based approaches.

Briar Cliff University in Sioux City welcomed more than 70 local high school students for a special night dedicated to exploring the nursing profession. The students had the unique opportunity to hear from experienced faculty members and alumni, engage in hands-on activities in the state-of-the-art nursing lab, and attend a home volleyball game to experience campus life firsthand.

It has been more than 20 years since St. Bernard School in Breda closed its doors and the Catholic school students of the area joined Kuemper Catholic School in Carroll. According to Father Terry Roder, pastor of Good Shepherd Parish of which St. Bernard Church is a part of, the former school building has had limited use since that time. With that in mind and in an effort to be good stewards of the parish’s finances, the Good Shepherd Parish Finance Council is now accepting formation proposals for the purchase and possible renovation of the former school property.

Denison St. Rose of Lima School students celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month and the cultures represented in their school through food and art.

Mary’s Choice pregnancy and family resource center in Sioux City hosted pro-life advocate Brandy Meeks of Missouri as speaker for the annual Giving Hope banquet Oct. 15. Meeks has served as a pregnancy director before leading the Vitae Foundation. She and her husband now operate Cornerstone Marketing Strategies that assists pregnancy centers. Meeks spoke to a room packed with pro-life supporters, explaining she wanted to talk about being a courageous advocate for life in today’s culture of death.

Although many diocesan school students are receiving a $7,826 education savings account (ESA) this year towards Catholic school tuition and other qualifying expenses, many families still need funding from the Monsignor Lafferty Tuition Foundation (MLTF) to finance a Catholic education for their children. Since the implementation of ESAs in the 2023-24 academic year, there has been confusion regarding the continued need for MLTF funds. John Schmitz, director of stewardship and development for the diocese, said some mistakenly believe MLTF is no longer needed.

As the Catholic Church continues to celebrate Respect Life Month throughout the month of October, it’s often a time of when pro-lifers reflect upon what can be done to promote the culture of life. A tragic incident motivated one community in the Diocese of Sioux City to unite together to purchase the state’s first Safe Haven Baby Box.