Special events marked with joy and sadness

August 24, 2006

My dear Family in Christ,

This past weekend was filled with both joy and sorrow. Saturday evening at Bishop Heelan Memorial Field I celebrated a wonderful Mass in the stands announcing the new name of our school system in Sioux City, "Bishop Heelan Catholic Schools." It was advertised as a "Big Hoopla" and it was! Over 800 people gathered to celebrate faith and Catholic School Education. To see the many families and young children so excited about their Catholic education was a real joy and a great sign of encouragement. It was wonderful to see many high school students, proudly wearing their Bishop Heelan jerseys and t-shirts. They are proud of their school!

This gives me an opportunity to thank parents, teachers, administrators and friends of Catholic School education for the many sacrifices they undergo to make it possible. And to the students: we hope and pray you have a good year, growing in age, wisdom and grace. I hope to visit many of our schools once again this year.

I also thank parents, volunteers and parish staff who coordinate our Religious Education programs. Good luck to you in this important work!

After this Saturday evening Mass, I traveled to Cherokee early Sunday morning to celebrate Mass for the parishioners of Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Maryhill. As a shepherd and father I wanted to be with my people in their sorrow. Father Armand Bertrand, pastor, and Father Gene Sitzmann, retired, concelebrated with me. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass drew us together as a community, but the sadness present was hard to miss. It is truly a tragedy that the Maryhill Church has been destroyed. I ask us all to be patient and pray earnestly for the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. Many options need to be considered and we will need time to reflect upon them. Please pray for us!

Sunday morning Mass was followed by an early afternoon Mass at St. Bernard's Church in Blencoe. The Church looked beautiful after the restoration that followed an electrical fire. I commend the people and their pastor Father Pat O'Kane for the work they have done to restore this beautiful church. As with all our small church communities, we continue to hope that we can keep them open. We know this will not always be possible in the future. Many factors contribute to this. As long as we can, we will do our best to keep our small churches open. Our changing demographics make for tough decisions and once again we depend upon the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to direct us.

Earlier in the week some of my Chancery Staff and I met at St. Joseph Parish in LeMars with all the pastors and parish leadership of Plymouth County. Difficult decisions need to be made here as well. We talked about many options and I was impressed by the openness and practical approach of all present. I think the Holy Spirit will be working overtime in helping us in the Diocese of Sioux City!

Friday of this past week, I met with our Presbyteral (Priest's) Council. We have a fine group of priests convened to advise me as Bishop. We are in the process of reorganizing the Council and the Deans (priests who represent the Bishop in a particular part of the diocese). I am encouraged by the support and direction these priests give to me.

Saturday was a day I had been looking forward to for a long time. I met for the first time with our newly re-convened Diocesan Pastoral Council. This group of men and women from around the diocese is formed to advise me on issues of importance to the whole diocese. We decided to meet more often and they shared with me their suggestions for areas of discussion including: Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Evangelization, Catechesis, Pro-Life issues, Faithful citizenship, Vocations, the Sacrament of Confession, the celebration of the Liturgy, Mass attendance in our parishes, Hispanic Ministry, Financial reports, criteria for closing parishes and The Globe. I think we have enough topics to keep us all busy for years to come! I was so grateful for their input and enthusiasm to work together for the good of the diocese and our common journey to holiness.

Once again the Diocesan Annual Appeal is upon us. I have attended three of our DAA kickoff celebrations this week and I am confident we will have a successful campaign. I continue to be amazed about the positive energy that is a part of the Church of Sioux City. Let us continue in prayer and support.

The Denver Broncos have begun well, let's hope it keeps up. Any bets on the Super Bowl?

Your brother in Christ,

Most Reverend R. Walker Nickless
Bishop of Sioux City