Eight new altar servers at Milford St. Joseph Church were commissioned by pastor Father David Hemann at the Nov. 10 Sunday Mass.

Retired priest Father Brian Hughes spoke to discerning men and Immaculate Heart of Mary seminarians about the history of the diocese.

Although participation in the summer Quo Vadis and Quest trips is healthy for the Office of Vocations, there is still a need to retain contact with discerning young men throughout the year. Fireside will be held Dec. 21 and 22 at King’s Pointe Resort in Storm Lake. There is no cost to attend and meals are included.

“I am an ordinary Midwest girl,” Sister Rosann Ocken, OSB, a diocesan native humbly said of her new leadership role. Sister Rosann, current prioress of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters in Norfolk, was recently elected as the 14th prioress general of the worldwide congregation. She will move to Rome to begin her six-year leadership term in January 2025 in Rome after her Jan. 20 installation. The prioress is the first American to be elected to the position.

(bilingual) In solidarity with immigrants, Most Rev. Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso and chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, and Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, chairman of the board for Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) issued a statement of pastoral concern. “Juntos, debemos hablar en nombre de las ‘masas apiñadas que anhelan respirar libres’ y pedirle a nuestro gobierno que brinde un trato justo y humano a nuestros queridos hermanos y hermanas inmigrantes”. En solidaridad con los inmigrantes, el Reverendísimo Timothy P. Broglio de la Archidiócesis para los Servicios Militares de EE.UU. y presidente de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de EE.UU. (USCCB), el Obispo Mark J. Seitz de El Paso y Presidente del Comité de Migración de la USCCB, y el Obispo Jaime Soto de Sacramento y Presidente de la Junta Directiva de Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), emitieron una declaración de preocupación pastoral.

Gehlen Catholic honored military veterans with a powerful Veterans Day Prayer Service on Nov. 11 at 8:45 a.m. in the Beau Langel Memorial Gym. All veterans in the community and surrounding area were welcome to enjoy the program. The service included music, a Quilts of Valor presentation, and the recognition of the veterans on the Gehlen Catholic Honor Wall.

There is a saying that a picture is worth 1,000 words. For those who work at pregnancy resource centers and those who offer support to the centers know an image can save a life. When Her Health Women’s Center put out a call for help in securing an updated ultrasound last summer, the Knights of Columbus Council 6249 of Onawa decided to act upon it.

Storm Lake St. Mary School welcomed Sister Anne Marie Walsh and Sister Marie Hesed of the Trinity Champagne of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) religious sisters to school during Vocations Awareness Week to share about God's call in their lives.

Father Paul Kelly played in the pit band for Emmetsburg High School's fall play, "Cinderella." This past weekend, Emmetsburg High School staged the famous Rodger & Hammerstein's Cinderella." F

(bilingual) Archbishop Thomas Zinkula of Dubuque and Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines were signatories on a commentary from the ecumenical Building Bridges and Organized Communities meeting held in Perry last month. The Diocese of Sioux City was represented at the meeting by Bishop Nickless' Chief of Staff Deacon Mark Prosser. El Arzobispo Thomas Zinkula de Dubuque y el Obispo William Joensen de Des Moines firmaron sobre de un comentario en la reunión ecuménica Construyendo Puentes y Comunidades Organizadas en Perry el mes pasado. En la reunión, la Diócesis de Sioux City fue representada por el diácono Mark Prosser, jefe de personal del Obispo Nickless.

Briar Cliff University in Sioux City invites the public to a Nov. 18 Prairie Walk and lecture with ecologist and photographer Chris Helzer.

The diocesan Office of Communications and Office of Faith Formation have joined forces to shed light upon topics of faith in the modern church. Illuminating Catholics podcast will officially launch Nov. 19. It is now listed on various podcast directories and apps

This week 31 Remsen St. Mary High School shop students headed to Sioux City for the day to make beds for Sleep in Heavenly Peace Organization. These beds are for children between the ages of 3 to 17 in the Sioux City area.

Due to growth, Sioux City’s Mater Dei Parish’s Personal Product Pantry is expecting to serve a total of 20,000 people by the year end. The public is invited to an open house Nov. 24, from 10 a.m.- noon at the pantry location at Immaculate Conception Church in Sioux City. Rolls and coffee will be served.

The truth is we should be far more interested in a real relationship with our Lord than curious about the dark forces that manifest around us at times. This was the strength of the apostles. They encountered the kingdom of darkness often in their ministry.

“The church of the Diocese of Sioux City gathers to say thank you and to pray for you that God our loving father bless you with wisdom, peace and joy,” Bishop Walker Nickless said in his homily. “We gather at this Eucharist, this Mass, to give thanks to God for attorneys, legislators, judges, legal assistants and all members of the legal and governmental professions.”

In honor of All Saints' Day, fourth through sixth graders at St. Mary School in Humboldt took part in an Avenue of Saints Wax Musem.