As in past years, youth and young adults from the Diocese of Sioux City attended the SEEK 2026 conference Jan. 1 to 5 as part of 26,000 participants in Columbus, Ohio, Denver and Fort Worth. Carroll St. John Paul II Parish sent 13 parishioners, four chaperones - including Father Patrick Behm, pastor, to the Columbus SEEK event. Sioux City Mater Dei Parish and several donors sponsored the expenses of the SEEK experience for 16 students.

Nearly 100 Storm Lake St. Mary High School graduates and supporters convened upon Iowa City Jan. 3 to cheer on the Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team and their head coach, Ben McCollum, 1999 Storm Lake St. Mary alumnus.

This is not an age where we want to lose the edge in our discernment. If we do, we can easily end up in dangerous positions, dangerous especially to our souls. One of the things that is more and more prominent is the number of people who become entangled in occult activities (especially witchcraft and New Age) without even recognizing it at first. This is because doors in the spiritual realm get opened.

Catholics nationwide are invited to pray “9 Days for Life,” an annual Respect Life novena starting Jan. 16.

The diocesan group of seven seminarians at Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona, Minnesota, started their spring semester on Jan. 5 and shared a photo of their first day back. Pray for our seminarians and pray for vocations.

Official letters from Bishop John E. Keehner accepting requests for retirement from two permanent deacons, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

The Jefferson area Catholic Daughters of America (CDA) Court #390 sponsored the annual Christmas party for the residents of Imagine the Possibilities group homes on Dec. 16 at the parish center in Jefferson. The CDA provided refreshments, led singing of Christmas carols, and played bingo.