Briar Cliff University announced the appointment of Dr. Brian Peterson as the next provost and vice president for academic and student affairs, effective January 5, 2026. Dr. Peterson joins Briar Cliff from LaGrange College, where he has most recently served as vice president for academic affairs.

Nearly 300 students in seventh to 12th grades from 13 parishes attended the Called Youth Conference held Nov. 2 at St. Joseph Parish in Granville. Delores Huemiller, diocesan faith formation coordinator who planned the event with a team of directors of religious education, said they received positive feedback about the speaker’s talks and were thankful Bishop John E. Keehner was on hand for Mass and hearing confessions. “I hope they came away with knowing that they can live a life in relationship with Christ even when it is hard. I hope they took advantage of confession opportunities. And I hope they came away encouraged and knowing that God loves them,” she said.

... the saints, whether they are great theologians like St. Thomas, or missionaries like St. Francis Xavier, or mystics/contemplatives like the great St. Theresas, are exactly like this as well. Their love for the lost and their desire for the salvation of every soul move them to great heights of holiness, to profound union with Christ in his redemptive work.

“With the Administration signaling a severely limited continuation of this historically bipartisan program, we urge due consideration for all those who have long awaited their opportunity for relief,” said Bishop Mark J. Seitz, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration. Bishop Seitz’s remarks follow the Administration’s formal publication of the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2026, which allows up to 7,500 refugees to be resettled over the next year. This is the lowest ceiling since the program was created by Congress in 1980.

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.”

(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.

Catholic school religion teachers, school chaplains and administrators attended a Theology Day Oct. 28 to receive some personal enrichment and tips to help form students in the faith. Sponsored by the Catholic Schools Office, Kelly Kohout said this is the second year their office has offered a day of professional development for those who work in religion/theology in the diocesan schools. The educators in this field had requested it as these types of development days are offered in other subject areas. “Last year people really appreciated getting together to pray together and learn together,” said the director of education services for the diocese. “Some of the smaller schools do not have the opportunity to collaborate and connect over this subject area.”

LUMEN MEDIA REPORT – It was just over a year ago when a four-person production crew was in the Diocese of Sioux City to record video footage and interviews at the two diocesan shrines. The Shrine of Trinity Heights Queen of Peace in Sioux City and Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend will soon be featured in EWTN’s series called Hidden Gems: Catholic Shrines in America. According to Terry Hegarty, executive director of Trinity Heights, the Sioux City shrine will be featured in an episode to air on EWTN at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 10. Msgr. Ed Girres, rector of the Grotto of the Redemption, said the West Bend shrine will be aired on Hidden Gems at 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 8.

Storm Lake St. Mary’s School sixth grade traveled to Spirit Lake to view glacial land formations on Oct. 17. This trip was an introduction to a soil and conservation unit led by Colleen Schwanz of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

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.

For the first time in over 70 years, the Kuemper Catholic School system in Carroll is planning a major facility expansion project. Last week, school leadership unveiled the $28.5 million uKnighted: Building a Future in Faith campaign at an informational meeting with supporters.

Not everyone experiences or at least realizes when they have been called in their lives. For Father Paul Nguyen, he had two life-changing calls – a call to the priesthood and a call (rather calls) to receive an organ transplant. It was two to three years ago when Father Paul Nguyen’s kidney function began to decline and close monitoring by his nephrologist commenced. The pastor of St. Sebastian Parish of Pocahontas and Fonda started dialysis about a year ago, and believing he could manage that treatment, opted not to pursue a transplant. “However, it proved to be to far more challenging that I expected – physically exhausting and spiritually limiting,” he wrote in an update to his parishioners. “I struggled to celebrate Mass faithfully and often felt drained, with little energy to do anything.”

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.

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.”

Parents and family members who have mourned the loss of an infant attended the Memorial Mass for Miscarriage and Infant Loss held Oct. 14 at Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City. Celebrated by Bishop John E. Keehner, the annual Mass was again held in October during the month that the Catholic Church observes as Respect Life Month. October is also Pregnancy, Infant and Child Loss Awareness Month. In the Gospel referring to Matthew 8, the bishop said Jesus reminds the disciples and all of the faithful of the immensity of God’s love.

The six recipients of the 2025-26 Bishop’s Education Awards were recognized Oct. 13 during a lunch with Bishop John E. Keehner and members of the Office of Catholic Schools in Sioux City. The Catholic Schools Office for the Diocese of Sioux City announced winners of this year’s Bishop’s Education Awards last spring when visits were made to the schools. Four teachers received the Excellence in Education Award: Trish Boettger of St. Rose of Lima School in Denison, Jennifer Clay of Sacred Heart School in Sioux City, John Jorstad of Bishop Heelan High School in Sioux City and Erin Miller of Bishop Garrigan School in Algona. Two other Catholic school staff members were honored with the Good Shepherd Award: Deb Kollasch of Bishop Garrigan School in Algona and Rosie Kunkel of St. Mary School in Remsen.

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.