Helen Erpelding, 84, of Waukee, died Nov. 7. She is the mother of Father Michael Erpelding. Her funeral will be held Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. at St. Boniface Church in Waukee

Words matter. That is just one of the points made by Charleen Katra, executive director of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD) during the Clergy Day held Nov. 6 at St. Mary Parish in Storm Lake that focused on inclusion of persons with disabilities into parish life. Due to the topic, lay catechetical leaders were also invited to attend this session.

The 800-550 Series CH-1 military chapel was constructed in August 1942 for the World War II-era Sioux City Army Base. Building 105-Chapel 2 was built for Catholic troops and was considered a temporary structure, intended to serve the base for five to seven years. Still standing decades later, the chapel will be demolished this winter to make way for “future development opportunities for the aviation industry,” according to the City of Sioux City. It was decommissioned this week.

Tapping into the church’s history of honoring and praying for workers in various professions, the Diocese of Sioux City, Bishop John E. Keehner and the Cathedral Parish in Sioux City are planning a Red Mass for attorneys, judges, lawmakers and those working in the legal profession.

Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Sioux City are participating in a three-year pilot program in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Dubuque to attempt to measure faith growth in students over time and using that data in their faith formation approach.

In an effort to encourage reporting of potential wrongdoing in diocesan entities and to protect those reporters, the Diocese of Sioux City recently updated its Whistleblower Policy and is distributing it widely throughout the diocese.

When a dance team member at St. Mary’s School in Storm Lake saw that the Iowa State Dance and Drill Team Association (ISPTA) was promoting a care initiative she wanted to become involved. “On social media, I saw other teams were doing service projects with the #ISDTACares,” said Ruby Phelps, a junior at St. Mary’s. “I had just spoken with Mrs. Amy Halder and had discussed the food insecurity within our school system. I knew that I wanted to take action and figured this was the perfect opportunity.”

Pulse Life Advocates hosts their 15th annual fundraising dinner on Nov. 22 at the Downtown Marriott Hotel in Des Moines with a pro-life Christmas Gala, inspiring advocates for life. Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, keynotes with a riveting tale of her dialogues on hostile college campuses.

(Bilingual) The Feast of All Saints and the commemoration of All Souls invite us to look both inward and backward—not so we can dwell on the past with longing, not so that we can surround ourselves with pain or mourn for days gone by—but so that we can remember who we are, so that we might look forward to the future not with fear but rather with trust and hope—trust that God will not abandon us even in death, and hope in the resurrection to eternal life which Jesus promises to all who place their faith in him. La solemnidad de todos los santos y la conmemoración de todos los fieles difuntos nos invitan a mirarnos internamente y externamente- no para que miremos el pasado con anhelo, no pare que nos encerremos en doler y lloremos por los días que se han ido- pero para que recordemos quienes somos, para que veamos hacia el futuro, no con miedo, pero con verdad y esperanza, confiando que Dios no nos abandona ni siquiera en la muerte, y esperar en la resurrección a la vida eterna la cual Jesús prometió a todos los que ponen su fe en él.

Bishop John E. Keehner presided at the fourth annual White Mass at the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City Oct. 21. The White Mass was established in the 1930s to honor, thank and pray for those working in the healthcare field. It was named to reflect the customary white coats and uniforms worn by healthcare workers.

Strong parent and grandparent involvement in Catholic schools is one of the many wonderful blessings and traditions of diocesan schools be it working in concession stands or reading to students. For about five years now, parents and grandparents at St. Edmond School in Fort Dodge have had to opportunity to become involved in a distinctively spiritual way through the Prayer Partner Program. They are asked to pray daily for specific faculty and/or staff members of the school.

Briar Cliff University in Sioux City has announced the establishment and expansion of two endowed scholarships supporting students pursuing degrees in education. The Sister Ruth Schock Endowed Scholarship has been increased to $100,000, and the newly created Franciscan Educators Endowed Scholarship has been established at $100,000.

After more than 30 years, the bell at St. Joseph Church in Salix is being prepped to ring once again. According to Don Mohning, a member of the finance council at St. Joseph’s and coordinator of the bell refurbishing project, it was in the fall of 2024 not long after Father Shinoj Jose arrived at the parish when the priest inquired about the bell. “It wasn’t ringable – basically the timbers that supported it were so rotted that there was fear if you pulled on the rope it would fall apart,” explained Mohning. “So, the bell hadn’t been rung for many years.”

On Oct. 12, parishioners participated in the annual Eucharistic procession from the St Lawrence site to the Holy Spirit site of John Paul II Parish in Carroll to honor the upcoming feast day of St. John Paul II.

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.

(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.

As the presence of the Bible-based character education program Lifewise Academy spreads across the country including in the Diocese of Sioux City, some questions and concerns pertaining to the program’s curriculum and alignment with Catholic teaching have arisen. “Lifewise Academy is an organization that works with local communities to provide Bible-based character education during the school day in accordance with national laws that allow these classes to occur as long as they are off of school property, are privately funded and are parent permitted,” said Karmen Bower, diocesan director of faith formation, who noted that parents must opt their children into these classes.

Column by Sister Anne Marie Walsh, SOLT It is a simple fact that our lives are lived out in the interaction between three realities: God, (including Mary, the angels and saints, the Church Suffering or Purgatory), ourselves (including all of our human relationships) and the evil one (including the many fallen spirits that work with him). Each of these three realities is characterized by a certain spirit.

(CNS) In his first major document, Pope Leo XIV says Scripture and tradition clearly show that "God has a special place in his heart" for the poor and oppressed, and he asks his church "to make a decisive and radical choice in favor of the weakest."