A ministry at Ascension Parish in Boone County has been spreading comfort and warmth one shawl at a time for the last 20 years. The prayer shawl ministry was established in 2005 in what at the time was Sacred Heart Parish of Boone. The idea of starting the ministry in the parish came from Beth Judge after a close friend’s mother received a shawl while battling cancer.

As of Jan. 11, there are three Catholic radio station towers serving the faithful in the Diocese of Sioux City. Iowa Catholic Radio Network launched KCSL 89.9 FM, licensed in Spencer. Trinity Catholic Radio 103.1 FM covers the Carroll area and Siouxland Catholic Radio has towers in Ponca, Nebraska and Storm Lake, covering a 50-mile radius from each site. The new KCSL 89.9 FM will cover communities in the diocese including Arnolds Park, Emmetsburg, Estherville, Graettinger, Hartley, Lake Park, Laurens, Milford, Okoboji, Paullina, Primghar, Sanborn, Spencer and Spirit Lake. The signal will also reach Jackson and Worthington, Minnesota in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement on its long-time partnership with the federal government to serve refugees.

(bilingual) I write to assure the people of our Diocese in Northwest Iowa of my concern for all of you, but especially at this time, our immigrant brothers and sisters. Escribo para asegurar a la gente de nuestra Diócesis en el noroeste de Iowa mi preocupación por todos ustedes, pero especialmente en este momento, a nuestros hermanos y hermanas inmigrantes.

Our Lady of the Plains Parish is just in its infancy, erected as of July 1, 2024, by a decree merging St. Francis of Assisi in Rockwell City, St. Thomas Parish in Manson and St. Mary Parish in Lake City. There are 536 families registered in Our Lady of the Plains, covering all of Calhoun County and a corner of Southern Sac County. Along with providing for the sacramental needs of his parishioners, Father Brian Feller, pastor, recognized a need to effectively communicate with his flock that is not centered in one community. He has created a parish communications task force as of January with staff and volunteers.

In response to this week’s Executive Orders signed by President Trump, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offered a statement Jan. 22. Shortly after that release, Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, chair of the Committee on Migration offered a statement, stating that the executive actions will subject vulnerable families and children to grave danger. Bishop Seitz released a second statement Jan. 23, stating that human dignity is not dependent upon a person's citizenship or immigration status.

Students at Sacred Heart School in Spencer can now enjoy an enhanced learning experience in the school library thanks to recent updates. Tyler Horkey, principal of Sacred Heart, pointed out that the school received a $10,000 grant from the Palo Alto Gaming Development Corporation to undertake the project so no funds from the parish or school budgets were utilized. These grants are funded by proceeds from the Wild Rose Casino and Resort in Emmetsburg.

As diocesan schools join with others across the country to celebrate Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 26 to Feb. 1, this year there is much to celebrate. According to Stacia Thompson, coordinator of enrollment and outreach, Catholic schools in the Diocese of Sioux City have the best enrollment numbers in years. “We are very pleased. We had nearly a 5% increase in enrollment which is the highest increase we have had since about 2010,” she said.

(bilingual) Bishop Walker Nickless issued a letter Jan. 22 announcing the diocese will officially open the Jubilee Year with Mass Jan. 26 at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City. All are welcome to attend the opening Mass. El Obispo Walker Nickless emitió una carta el 22 de enero anunciando que la diócesis inaugurará oficialmente el Año Jubilar con la misa del 26 de enero a las 10 a.m. en al Catedral de la Epifanía en Sioux City. Todos son bienvenidos a asistir a la misa de apertura.

When Miranda Knobloch kicked off Divine Mercy’s new Meals for Moms ministry in the summer of 2024, she just wanted to give new moms a night off from kitchen duty. She didn’t expect that it would also be a ministry of socialization, bringing together members of what is still a relatively newly-combined parish family from many historic churches and helping them get to know one another just a little bit better.

The faithful of the Diocese of Sioux City can participate in a special collection in their local parish Feb. 1 and 2 to support the scholarship fund for Briar Cliff University, the only Catholic institution of higher learning in the diocese.

Although no longer required by church law, in recent years, women veiling for Mass has become more commonplace in the Diocese of Sioux City. Small numbers of women throughout the diocese are returning to the tradition of covering their heads for Mass, often younger women who are drawn to traditional practices.

Leadership from Holy Name Parish in Rock Rapids and St. Mary Parish in Larchwood and Father Sunny Dominic, pastor, have been meeting for several months in preparation for a proposed parish merger as of July 1, 2025. Due to the continued reduction in registered Catholics, participation in the sacraments and the number of priests, diocesan parish groupings are being restructured to accommodate these changes. Deacon Mark Prosser, director of pastoral planning and Bishop Walker Nickless’s chief of staff, asked Father Dominic to work with his leadership to canonically merge the Larchwood and Rock Rapids parishes with parish records and administration centered in Larchwood.

The latest in pastoral planning/church status - Sanborn St. Cecilia Church will be reduced to profane but not sordid use. Bishop's appeals regarding petitions against merger decrees in Marcus and Pomeroy were both overturned.

Anthony Vera, a seminarian of the Diocese of Sioux City, was one of 34 seminarians studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome to receive the Ministry of Lector. Archbishop John J. Kennedy, secretary of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, conferred the Ministry of Lector on Jan. 12 in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at PNAC.

By this time of year, most seniors have come up with a plan of action for their next step beyond high school. For five seniors at Gehlen Catholic School in Le Mars, plans include joining the military. The five students are: - Cole McCarty - Air National Guard - Kale Pearson - Air National Guard - Samantha (Sami) Zubrod - Air National Guard - Haley Gries - Air National Guard - Bradan Weber - Marine Corps With 40 students in the senior class, the percentage joining some branch of the military comes to about 12.5%.

As the new year kicks off, 2025 brings the implementation of a new deanery structure in the Diocese of Sioux City. Father David Esquiliano, judicial vicar and canon lawyer, explained the diocese recently went from four deaneries to three. “For parishioners in the pews, they will not notice a change,” he explained. The most recent deanery model divided the 24-county diocese into four quadrants – Northwest, Southwest, Northeast and Southeast Deaneries. The new deanery configuration sections the diocese into thirds – West, Central and East Deaneries. Each deanery is now made up of eight counties.

(bilingual) Bishop Nickless writes about opportunities to reflect upon the sanctity of life with the Roe v. Wade anniversary Jan. 22 and the recent release of the U.S. bishops' Catholic Elements of Immigration Reform.

Mental health in our world, our country and even in the Diocese of Sioux City is a growing concern. Suicide rates are alarming. Is anyone immune from life and work stressors that can lead to mental health challenges?

Although his own children are grown, Jeff Zyzda mentioned he was “nudged by the Holy Spirit” to explore some type of altar server program that Mater Dei Parish in Sioux City could establish. “I grew up as an altar server at St. Francis, (a Sioux City parish that closed in the late 1990s),” said the member of the parish who is also a candidate for the permanent diaconate. “Like everyone, I enjoyed serving but I didn’t think that much about the impact.” It was about two years ago when Zyzda began to really ponder about what could be done to give altar servers a little more direction and support in their ministry.