News - January 2025 RSS Feed

For the first time in school history, Storm Lake St. Mary School hopes to purchase a new school bus with the fund-a-cause at their March 8 fundraiser.

The upcoming Turn regional youth conference is the result of collaborative efforts of faith formation directors the southeast area of the diocese – Ascension Parish of Boone, Our Lady of the Plains Parish of Lake City and St. Joseph Parish in Jefferson. The conference is slated for March 1 at St. John Church in Ogden, geared for middle and high school students.

Bishop Walker Nickless officially opened the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope at a Jan. 26 Mass at the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City. “This is a busy Sunday,” he said in his opening greeting. “There are three things to celebrate – Catholic Schools Week, the Jubilee Year of Hope and special opening of the Jubilee year and the pope’s Bible Sunday, Sunday of the Word of God.” The preparation/offertory hymn at the Mass was Pilgrims of Hope, the official hymn for the jubilee, led by the Cathedral Choir. The hymn text was written by Pierangelo Sequeri and has been translated into numerous languages for worldwide use. Francesco Meneghello wrote the musical score.

In celebration of Catholic Schools Week, thousands of children across the Midwest came together on January 28 to pray the World Mission Rosary via Zoom. Organized by the Missionary Childhood Association (MCA), one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies, this prayer initiative united students from 77 Catholic elementary schools across 14 dioceses, fostering a spirit of global solidarity and missionary discipleship. St. Rose of Lima School in Denison was one of the participants.

Fifteen students from Sacred Heart School in Spencer recently learned some new life skills while having fun in an after-school program called Adventures with Kay, offered by the school’s food service director. For the month of January, Kay Rose held classes on Thursdays for students in fourth to sixth grade to dabble in cooking and learn other skills.

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.

The Prayer for Life was held at the state capitol in Des Moines on Jan. 27. Speakers for the event included Governor Kim Reynolds, Maggie Dewitte, executive director of Pulse Life Advocates; and Father Jason Lee, associate pastor of Our Lady's Immaculate Heart Church in Ankeny.

An audio essay by Emmet Juergens, a sophomore at Kuemper Catholic High School in Carroll has advanced to the finals in the national competition for the Veterans of Foreign Wars' Voice of Democracy Contest. He wrote and recorded the essay as an advanced English class assignment last fall. This course is taught by Kuemper English teacher Jeff Hughes.

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.

Father Brian Feller, pastor of Our Lady of the Plains Parish, talked about his religious vocation to students at Pocahontas Catholic School during Catholic Schools Week.

The Knights of Columbus held an annual free throw contest at Gehlen Catholic School in Le Mars on Jan. 19 for ages 9-14. Winners will advance to the next round in Hawarden on Feb. 16.

The Pocahontas Knights of Columbus held their annual Spelling Bee for grades 4th to 6th on Jan. 24 at Pocahontas Catholic School. Here are the first and second place, plus an alternate for ​each grade.

Briar Cliff University of Sioux City joins Catholic schools nationwide in celebrating Catholic Schools Week 2025, an annual observance recognizing the profound impact of faith-based education. From Jan. 26 to Feb. 1, the university reflects on the values, community, and academic excellence fostered through Catholic education.

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.