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.

An Our Lady of Fatima public rosary in the park was held Oct. 11 in the Manning City Park with nine in attendance. Catholic Daughters of the Americas (CDA) Court Our lady of Fatima #1492 member Carleen Schwieso led the rally, assisted by court members.

During October, month of the Holy Rosary, the Onawa St. John religious education students and teachers gather in the church to pray the rosary. Each person has their own bead and leads the prayer for that bead. This is an annual tradition in the parish, to encourage interest in the rosary and help the students understand the importance of praying the rosary.

In celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is hosting Vatican Unveiled, an exhibit of the largest collection of papal artifacts outside of Rome. Father Richard Kunst, a priest of the Diocese of Duluth, serves as curator of the exhibit. Father Kunst has a deep knowledge of the items and a passion for telling their stories.

(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.

LeMars Gehlen Catholic School announced the overwhelming success of its annual Jaywalk-a-thon student fundraiser, which raised more than $46,000 to support faith-based education and student programs.

(bilingual) Students at Denison St. Rose of Lima School have been celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 15- Oct. 15 with a variety of activities. last week, students in various grade levels had several art projects relating to Hispanic Heritage Month.

The Catholic Daughters of America Court Our Lady of LaSalette #1585 of Milford hosted the Iowa State CDA Fall Workshop on Oct. 4, in the Parish Center. Eight-eight ladies attended to learn the latest topics presented by the State CDA Officers and to plan for the upcoming National CDA Convention to be held in Iowa next year.

St. Therese of Lisieux religious education students in Ida Grove religious ed participated in the parish’s rosary congress by praying a living rosary on Wednesday outside of the church.

Bishop John E. Keehner and Sioux City Cathedral Parish are hosting the fourth annual White Mass Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Epiphany to honor and pray for health care workers.

As the diocesan Office of Pastoral Planning continually reviews data and statistics to gauge activities throughout the Diocese of Sioux City, staff noticed that Calendar Year 2024 showed an uptick in participation in the faith, despite recent challenges.