Statements and Documents - Office of the Bishop

Statement of the Bishops of South Dakota on the Anniversary of the Overturning of Roe v. Wade

Frontpage News, Joint Statements, Statements and Documents

Jun 24, 2023 by wpadmin

June 24, 2023 “For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy.” (Luke 1:44) Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: On this occasion of the first anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, we write to exhort the Catholic faithful and all persons of good will to reflect on our shared responsibility to protect all vulnerable human life, most especially our preborn brothers and sisters. The Dobbs decision, as we stated one year ago, represents a “giant leap forward toward the ultimate goal of protecting each and every life from the beginning of its existence.” The Supreme Court, by overturning the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973, has finally allowed South Dakota…

PES and Propaedeutic Announcement

Frontpage News, Joint Statements, Statements and Documents

Jun 21, 2023 by wpadmin

June 21, 2023 Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious Dear Friends in Christ, I am pleased to announce movements within our diocese that will allow us to continue to grow in missionary discipleship and holiness. First, in 2021 God blessed us by sending members of the religious community of Pro Ecclesia Sancta (PES), whose name means “for the holiness of the Church.” With two PES priests serving in Mitchell, and PES sisters and a men’s formation house with a PES priest and PES brothers in the Sioux Falls area great things have been happening. While the PES sisters will remain in Sioux Falls, the PES leaders have discerned that the PES priest and brothers in the formation house should move to Mitchell to be closer to the PES priests and…

St. Patrick Absolution Decree

Statements and Documents

Feb 28, 2023 by wpadmin

The optional March 17 memorial to Saint Patrick falls on a Friday this year, a day of abstinence from meat during the season of Lent. Part of the celebration of this great saint is often a meal which includes meat, specifically a traditional Irish fare which includes corned beef. Inquiry has been made of whether in honor of the saint a dispensation might be granted from the obligatory day of abstinence. I hereby decree that those who participate in an event remembering Saint Patrick where meat is served are dispensed from the obligation to abstain from meat with the proviso that another form of penance be undertaken on that day.For those who do not participate in such a memorial to Saint Patrick the day of abstinence remains as a sign of the penitential call of Lent.Saint Patrick, pray…

Respect Life month

Statements and Documents

Oct 07, 2022 by wpadmin

Memorial of Our Lady of the RosaryDear Brothers and Sisters,How fitting it is that October, designated “Respect Life Month,” opens with the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux. Known by her nickname, the Little Flower, because she humbly considered herself one of the smallest flowers in God’s garden, St. Therese died at the young age of 24. Despite her short and hidden life as a cloistered contemplative sister, she became a great Doctor of the Church because of her insight that all persons can become holy by doing the smallest of things with great love. St. Therese’s “Little Way” is a testimony to the great value of each and every human life, even those with little or no value in the eyes of the world. Created in the image of…

Gifts of the Divine Creator: on being Male and Female

Statements and Documents

Aug 05, 2022 by wpadmin

Memorial of Saint John Vianney To all Catholic Faithful of the Diocese, God’s love, by its very nature, seeks the good of others through a communion of loving friendship. God created human beings with unique and complementary features as males and females. God’s love, reflected in the very order of his creation, is generative. By leading us into a communion of friendship with himself and others, divine love fulfills what we most long for. In baptism we are blessed with the very gift of God’s own spiritual life. Created in God’s image and likeness, and with the help of the grace we receive through the sacraments, we can truly live as we were made to live, sharing in the communion of loving friendship with God and others. When we receive…

Statement of the Bishops of South Dakota on the U.S. Supreme Court’s Abortion Ruling

Joint Statements

Jun 27, 2022 by wpadmin

June 24, 2022 Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court released its decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The court’s majority overturned its prior rulings in the cases of Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), which asserted that a right to abortion exists in the U.S. constitution. The Dobbs ruling is a momentous decision that will once again allow the sanctity of life to be protected by law. We are grateful for this decision. It honors this country’s highest aspirations to be a society that secures “liberty and justice for all.” From the moment of conception, there exists a whole, separate, unique human life with an immortal soul given by God. This life is…

Statement of the Bishops of South Dakota Regarding Covid-19 Vaccination Requirements

Joint Statements

Aug 10, 2021 by wpadmin

We have recently received a significant number of inquiries from the faithful concerning general requirements for some persons to receive a Covid-19 vaccination.We addressed many moral aspects of choosing a vaccine in a statement on December 30, 2020. As we said then, one may accept Covid-19 vaccines in good conscience if certain conditions are met, but doing so is not a universal moral duty. We echoed the Vatican, which explained in a doctrinal note that “practical reason makes evident that vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation.” Rather, with attention to the common good, the decision to receive a Covid-19 vaccination should be discerned in light of many factors, several of which we described in that statement.Now, recent inquiries from the faithful raise the corollary question of whether…

Preparing our Hearts to Receive God’s Love in the Blessed Sacrament

Statements and Documents

Jul 29, 2021 by wpadmin

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, During the June General Assembly meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), I sensed in prayer I should offer some comments on whether the U.S. bishops should draft a teaching on the Eucharist. Various bishops offered their thoughts, and voting results were 168-55 to authorize the drafting of a teaching document on the Eucharist, which could then be discussed at a future USCCB meeting. As your bishop, I thought it fitting to offer you some rationale regarding the comments I made at the USCCB General Assembly. As you may be aware, a 2019 Pew Research Center survey indicated only one-third of Catholics believe the Church’s teaching on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, that is, that the Eucharist is…

Dispensation Modification-March 27, 2021

Statements and Documents

Mar 11, 2021 by wpadmin

March 11, 2021 My beloved brothers and sisters, As your spiritual father and bishop, through consultation and ongoing research on the status of COVID, it has become clear to me that it is the appropriate time to remove the revised dispensation that I previously granted to Catholics over the age of 65 and/or with underlying health conditions related to COVID from fulfilling their obligation to attend Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation. This revision to the general dispensation to all Catholics was previously announced on August 10, 2020. Therefore, effective March 27, 2021, the Church’s obligation of Catholics to attend Sunday Mass weekly and Holy Days of Obligation is being reinstated for all Catholics in the Diocese of Sioux Falls. For Catholics who have serious reasons for not physically…

COVID Vaccinations: Must I, May I?

Joint Statements, Statements and Documents, Videos

Jan 05, 2021 by wpadmin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHsCSJh2FNU Bishop Donald DeGrood along with Bishop Peter Muhich of the diocese of Rapid City, have put together documentation on whether or not the current COVID vaccinations meet a standard of obligation or morality as a faithful catholic. [icon name="file-pdf-o" class="" unprefixed_class=""] Joint Statement on COVID Vaccinations from the South Dakota Catholic Conference [icon name="file-pdf-o" class="" unprefixed_class=""] FAQ Documentation on the COVID Vaccines