Month: April 2022

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

Providing a healthy and safe environment in our parishes and schools is a ministry to which we are all called. To foster our common diocesan vision of Lifelong Catholic Missionary Discipleship Through God’s Love, the diocese will be marking Child Abuse Prevention Month in April. The weekend of April 30, Bishop DeGrood will celebrate the 4:00 p.m. Vigil Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph for the healing of victims/survivors and all affected by abuse.

All parishes are encouraged to include in the bulletin a special “thank you” message to the local coordinator for Safe Environment at your location.

Resources (printable) 

Podcasts and Livestreams (linked)

Please contact the Safe Environment Coordinator, Alison Conemac (aconemac@sfcatholic.org) with your questions.

 

2022 Bishop’s Charity Events

Save the Dates

Mark your calendars so you don’t miss out on the 2022 Bishop’s Charity Events!

Bishop’s Charity Fishing Tournament

Monday, June 6 | Big Stone City, SD

Monday, June 13 | Pierre, SD

Virtual Fishing Tournament June 4 – 13 |iAngler Tournament App

Benefiting Seminarian Education

Taste the Goodness

August 6 | Sioux Falls, SD

Benefiting the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House

Bishop’s Cup

Monday, August 22 | Sioux Falls, SD

Benefiting Broom Tree Retreat & Conference Center

Bishop’s Charity Hunt

Monday, September 19 – Tuesday, September 20 | Kimball, SD

Benefiting Newman Catholic Campus Ministry

Christmas at the Cathedral

Thursday, December 15 – Sunday, December 18 | Sioux Falls, SD

Benefiting  the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House & Cathedral of Saint Joseph     on-going care and maintenance endowments

For more information visit, www.ccfesd.org/events    or call 605.988.3765

TechSoup Announces Change

Microsoft Office Standard for Nonprofits: Available as a Donation Only Until April 4

After April 4, Microsoft donation offers will focus on cloud solutions (Office 365/Windows 365).  That means that you have only until then to get on-premises (locally installed Office software) licenses Microsoft Office Standard for just $36.

Office Standard is available for Mac or Windows, and it comes with the core Office apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. The Windows version also includes Publisher. Equip your organization with these donated licenses while they’re still available.

To learn more about the Microsoft program changes, see our resource page.

After April 4, Although donated on-premises offers will no longer be available, TechSoup will continue to offer donated and discounted Microsoft 365 and Office 365 licenses. In addition, we will continue to offer Microsoft’s full line of on-premises products at a considerable discount.

 

Adult Discipleship and Evangelization Offerings

Upcoming Events

Anniversary Mass
July 17 – Cathedral of St Joseph – Sioux Falls
July 24 – Sacred Heart, Aberdeen

More Info

Anniversary Mass
Bishop DeGrood will be hosting a special mass for couples celebrating anniversaries of 25, 50, 60, 65+ during 2022. Invitations will be mailed directly to the couples, but we need your help in compiling the guest list.

PLEASE NOTE: We are doing things differently this year in hopes of making it easier for parish staff. We will run a Parish Soft report of couples with the corresponding wedding dates and email it to the parish for review. If your parish has not yet converted to electronic records, we will work with you to make sure your couples are still able to be invited. Please watch for an email from Audrey (aanderson@sfcatholic.org) during the first week of April.  

If you are concerned that your records may not be complete, please feel free to post the following in your bulletin.

Bulletin Blurb: Bishop DeGrood will be celebrating a special mass for couples with milestone anniversaries.  If you have an anniversary of 25, 50, 60, or 65+ years during 2022 please let the parish office know that you would like to be added to the guest list. Invitations will be mailed to you from the Bishop’s office in May.

 

Engaged Couples Guides
The Engaged Couples Guide to Marriage Prep for 2022-2023 will be available in early June. By default, we will once again be sending out an electronic version to each pastor and parish. If you would like to order printed copies for your parish in addition to the electronic version, please email Audrey (aanderson@sfcatholic.org) with your pastor’s name, parish name and the number of copies you would like. Orders are due no later than May 1st. 

 

Synod on Synodality Update:
Thank you to all who helped make our February effort for the Diocesan Survey a tremendous success. We have received 4,000 responses! In early April, initial results from the “scaled” questions of the survey will be made available together with a short narrative summary on the diocesan Synod webpage. We will be taking a deep dive on the “long form responses” section by section about every six weeks or so throughout the year. The aim of the Steering Committee is to make as much data from the survey available in a way that is as user friendly as possible. The most up to date results will always be found on the diocesan Synod webpage. Again, thank you to all who helped make this a great success!

 

 

Youth Discipleship and Evangelization Offerings

Upcoming Events

D-Camps
June 20-23 – Broom Tree (High School)
July 10-13 – Broom Tree (High School)
July 14-17 – Broom Tree (Junior High School)

Summer Lumen Christi Confirmation Retreats
June 18th – Holy Spirit, Mitchell
June 25th – St. Benedict, Yankton
July 23rd – St. Lambert, Sioux Falls

CGS Catechist Trainings
June 9-15 – Risen Savior, Brandon (Level 1, Part 2)
June 27-July 2 – Immaculate Conception, Watertown (Level 2, Part 1)
July 11 – 16 – Sacred Heart, Aberdeen (Level 1, Part 2)

Power Hours
Weekly on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. – via Zoom 

More Info

Lumen Christi – Summer 2022
Lumen Christi parish reservations are coming to a close. We do have a waitlist started for teams. Depending on how many missionaries we are able to hire we may be able to visit more parishes this summer. Thank you for all the support of this program and for sharing the word about it with your parishioners and other parishes.  For more information on the Lumen Christi program or to direct individuals interested in applying, please visit the Lumen Christi webpage. 

 

Lumen Christi – Summer Confirmation Retreats
Lumen Christi is offering three Confirmation Retreats this summer.  These retreats are focused on deepening the understanding and preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation. For more information and to register visit our webpage.

Bulletin Blurb: Lumen Christi is offering three Confirmation Retreats this summer. Check out the dates and register today by visiting: https://www.sfcatholic.org/youth/confirmation-retreats/

 

D-Camp 2022
To our amazement and delight, all 3 D-Camps have reached maximum capacity! We have opened up waitlists and all are welcome to put themselves on it and we will release spots as they become available. For more information and to add your name to the waitlist, visit our D-Camp webpage.

Bulletin Blurb: D-Camps are full, but waitlists have started. Put your name down now in case a spot opens up!  www.sfcatholic.org/youth/d-camp/

 

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
CGS is a Catholic religious education program for children 3-12. It uses hands-on materials to help children grow in knowledge of liturgy and scripture through relationship, prayer, and discussion. Children meet weekly in a specially prepared environment called an atrium. In the atrium adult catechists present materials to children, either individually or in a small group allowing them to work with and meditate on scripture, liturgy and the life of the church. If you are interested in being trained as a CGS Catechist there will be a few training sessions in our diocese this summer.

Level 1 Part 1 |Sioux Falls | Date TBD
The diocese would like to host a Level 1 Part 1 training this summer. We are currently trying to find an available Formation Leader. More info to come.

Level 1 Part 2 | Risen Savior,  Brandon | June 9-15, 2022
Risen Savior is hosting this training. Please contact Rachel Uhrich for information and to register (familyformation@risensaviorbrandon.com or 605-582-6902).

Level 1 Part 2 | Sacred Heart,  Aberdeen | July 11-16, 2022
Sacred Heart is hosting this training. To register, click here. Please contact Thomas Eskro for more information (thomas@sacredheartaberdeen.net or 605-225-7065).

Level 2 Part 1 | Immaculate Conception, Watertown | June 27-July 2, 2022
The diocese is hosting this training. Cost is $250. Scholarships are available. If you will be traveling, a few host families have offered to provide housing. To register, click here. If you have questions, please contact us at cgs@sfcatholic.org or 605-988-3714.

 

Power Hour – Attention New Parish Staff
Join us Tuesdays at 1 p.m. This is an opportunity to meet with other parish catechetical leaders (PCL) from around our diocese to grow in both spiritual and professional development, and to have a space to bounce ideas off one another and inspire and encourage one another in your shared mission. Zoom invitations will be sent to the PCL email list weekly. If you are new or newly diving into our offerings, we invite you to join the PCL email list and join our new PCL community platform ComeFollow.Me. If you are not already receiving these PCL emails, you can sign up on the diocesan For Youth Leaders webpage. 

 

Stay up-to-date by texting SFDIOCESE to 84576 or visiting sfdiocese.flocknote.com.

Vocations

Do you know a young man who has expressed interest in discerning a vocation to priesthood? Do you know a young man who you think would make a great priest and might be open to investigating the possibility of this call in his life?
As part of our work to help young men discern the Lord’s call for their lives, the Vocations Office is compiling a list of such men with the intent of keeping them informed about various vocations promotion opportunities such as retreats, mission trips, Operation Andrew Dinners, seminary visits, and so on. If you know of someone who we should add to our list, please contact Emma Murtha at emurtha@sfcatholic.org or 988-3772.
Operation Andrew Dinner
As part of our work to help young men discern the Lord’s call for their lives, the Vocations Office is organizing an Operation Andrew Dinner at St. Thomas More Newman Center in Vermillion on April 21, 2022 from 6-8 p.m. There will be Mass to follow. Bishop DeGrood will be attending.

The night is very simple, we enjoy dinner together and invite the priests present to give a brief witness about their own experience of discernment and their life as a priest.
JP II Vocations Camp 
This is our 6th Annual Vocations Camp for young men 12-16 years old! Young men going into 7th grade or just leaving their sophomore year are welcome. Father Tom Hartman and several seminarians will be leading the camp at Abbey of the Hills July 19-21 in Marvin, SD. Registration is now open on the Vocations page: https://www.sfcatholic.org/vocations/.

Broom Tree Retreat and Conference Center Events

Silent Retreats:
Women’s: March 31- April 3, June 16-19, October 6-9, November 3-6
Men’s: September 15-18, November 17-20

Day of Recollection: Broom Tree Days of Recollection begin at 10 a.m. and include conferences, time for adoration, Mass, and an opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The day ends in mid-afternoon. Because lunch is served, we ask that you please register. A prayerful donation is requested.

2022 Days of Recollection
April 19- “Divine Merciful Love,” directed by Dr. Teri Kemmer and Fr. Scott Traynor
May 10- “The Gift of Gratitude,” directed by Fr. Joe Vogel
June 21- “Vanquishing Vice and Valuing Virtue,” directed by Fr. Kristopher Cowles
August 16- “Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” directed by Fr. Joe Forcelle

Couples Retreats
November 11-13
Directed by Ed and Jen Hogan

During this retreat, couples will have the blessed opportunity to spend time together receiving from the very heart of God. The environment at Broom Tree makes for a perfect couples get-away: no TV, no radio, no phones or computers, just beautiful, peaceful surroundings, good food, and all the time and good direction you need to experience renewal in your marriage. Register early.

Healing Retreats
October 14-16
Directed by Fr. Scott Traynor

Rachel’s Vineyard healing retreat

The spring Rachel’s Vineyard post-abortion healing retreat will be in late April in western South Dakota. Please be in prayer for possible candidates, the retreatants who will join us, and the retreat team from now until the end of April. God’s forgiveness, mercy, and love awaits!

Please share with co-workers, other prayer groups, and family members. Or, if you know anyone impacted or struggling due to an abortion, please urge them to contact Carol Kling for confidential information: 605-374-5639 or ckling@sdplains.com. They can also call 1-877-HOPE-4-ME.