Parents and family members who have mourned the loss of a child attended the annual Memorial Mass with Bishop Walker Nickless on Oct. 15 - Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. “Today we honor the children lost by miscarriage, abortion or other infant loss,” Bishop Nickless said in his opening comments at the Mass. “This is a special time to remember those who died before baptism and depend upon God’s mercy and love.”

Four candidates for the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of Sioux City were instituted into the Ministry of Lector during Mass celebrated by Bishop Walker Nickless on Oct. 12 at St. Mary Parish in Storm Lake. The four who received the rite of lector were Kevin Holzman of St. Mary Parish in Alton, Jeff Schoep of Mater Dei Parish in Sioux City, Will Swanson of St. Mary Parish in Storm Lake and Jeff Zyzda of Mater Dei Parish in Sioux City.

(bilingual) Hurricane Relief through Catholic Charities Many have asked about assisting those recently affected by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. Catholic Charities USA has a Disaster Response Team to quickly respond with aid on-site – food, water, shelter, emergency funding and more. You can donate online. Ayuda a las víctimas de huracanes a través de Caridades Muchos se han preguntado sobre cómo ayudar a los recientemente afectados por los huracanes Helene y Milton. Caridades Católicas USA cuenta con un Equipo de Respuesta a Desastres para responder rápidamente con ayuda en el lugar de desastre: alimentos, agua, refugio, fondos de emergencia y más. Puedes hacer tu donación en línea​.

The 5th Annual Jaywalk-a-thon took place on Oct. 11 at the Gehlen Catholic football field and track for students and families. Jaywalk-a-thon is the largest student fundraiser at Gehlen Catholic for grades TK-12th. Each student was encouraged to raise $75 by asking family members, friends, and neighbors to sponsor them.

A student sponsored Life Chain was recently held in Fort Dodge. The St. Edmond Respect For Life student group arranges this event each year with the support of St. Paul Lutheran Church, whose public sidewalk area is utilized as it sits on one of the busiest streets in Fort Dodge.

St. Edmond high school student Liam Shannon reading to Ms. Teresa Touney's second grade class. He is reading the book "Before I Was Me" by Frank Fraser.

Catholic Charities announces a groundbreaking and blessing ceremony for Angeline’s Wing for Children & Families to be held Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. at 1601 Military Rd, Sioux City. Executive Director Amy Bloch, LISW, invites the community to join in celebrating this exciting new chapter for specialized youth mental health care services in Siouxland and the Diocese of Sioux City. This event, held in partnership with the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, will feature a blessing of the project from Bishop R. Walker Nickless.

Members of St. Mary Church of Mapleton, parishioners of St. Therese of Lisieux Parish, held their annual Pro-Life Chain on Oct. 6. This is a peaceful, prayerful stand for all life, from conception to natural death. The Life Chain is the kick-off for Respect Life/Choose Life Month, a month dedicated to life at all stages. Parishioners are also encouraged to donate items to Mary's Choice by placing things in the cribs set up in each church.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) first launched their year-round National Catholic Mental Health campaign in 2023 to respond to the national mental health crisis. The bishops’ goal of the ongoing campaign is to raise awareness of mental health issues, “eliminate the stigmas around mental illness and seek creative ways to journey with those who struggle.” The 2024 campaign kicked off Oct. 10, World Mental Health Day, with a novena for those “impacted by mental health issues and for all those who accompany them.”

(bilingual) Bishop Nickless shares thoughts on this week's convocation and the opportunities to grow in faith yet this month.

When school leaders were discerning a focus for the annual Friends of Gehlen Catholic Ball fund-a-cause, concern for the condition of the band room was pointed out by Gehlen School Board members. “Our students use the band room daily, but many parents and benefactors didn’t know what kind of shape the room was in until we were able to show them through touring or video,” explained Amy Jungers, director of development for Gehlen Catholic School.

As October is Respect Life Month, the faithful are encouraged to pray for an end to abortion, and 40 Days for Life is one way to offer those prayers. Slots are still open to participate in the prayer vigil in Sioux City.

When Sister Jean Marie of Corpus Christi, SOLT, first visited sisters from her religious community in Iowa it was before the Domus Trinitatis Retreat Center in rural Carroll had been built. It was in 2014 and she recalled how a small community of Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) Sisters were living in Willey and making plans for the retreat center on land donated to them.

In an effort to continue to build awareness about human trafficking and generate interest in helping the organization, the Siouxland Coalition Against Human Trafficking (SCAHT) is sponsoring a walk on Oct. 19. The Walk Against Human Trafficking will be held at Crystal Cove Park, 1200 W 39th St., South Sioux City. The event will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. – no pre-registration required - followed by a welcome at 9 a.m. and the walk at 9:15 a.m.

(bilingual) Bishop Nickless pens a letter of his support of the Oct. 19 and 20 weekend special collection for World Mission Sunday.