The Communications Office at the Chancery has launched a diocesan weekly email newsletter called Against the Current. This newsletter will be sent to all Catholic households each week by email. It is designed to help form missionary disciples in our diocese by providing Catholic videos and stories, news through a Catholic lens, challenges to help them grow, and much more.
There will also be opportunities for parishes to submit happenings that will be considered for future newsletters. We will consider things like events that have taken place, accomplishments, or upcoming events that include area or regional parishes.
If you did not get the newsletter yourself or if you’d like to direct your parishioners to check it out, use this link to sign up: www.sfcatholic.org/newsletter. It would be greatly appreciated if you can spread the word by including a blurb in your parish bulletin to encourage those who are not getting it to sign up. The more the Catholics in our diocese hear from both their parishes and the diocese, the more we can Set them Ablaze and fill our parishes!
Bulletin Blurb
Did you know the diocese has a weekly email newsletter? This newsletter is full of carefully curated Catholic content, including our Sunday Scripture Series, a weekly challenge, tips on living your baptismal call of missionary discipleship, new and fun ways to bring your faith into everyday life, news from the week through a Catholic lens, and much more. Visit sfcatholic.org/newsletter to sign up!
Eucharistic Revival Evening of Prayer
March 23, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. – St Mary, Aberdeen
March 29, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. – Immaculate Conception, Watertown
April 5, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. – Mount Marty University Chapel, Yankton
CGS – Level 1 Part B Training
June 19 – 24 , Risen Savior- Brandon
D-Camp 2023
June 18-21, Broom Tree (High School)
July 9-12, Broom Tree (High School)
July 13-16, Broom Tree (Junior High)
Power Hour
Tuesdays at 1 p.m. over Zoom
Lumen Christi
The Discipleship and Evangelization office is planning to form, equip, and send out 20 Lumen Christi missionaries May 26 through August 6 of this year! We are inviting you to partner with us in these recruiting efforts by identifying exceptional candidates to apply. If you know someone who loves their faith, is college aged, and would be an amazing witness to youth, please encourage them to apply now! To learn more about Lumen Christi or to submit an application, please visit our webpage at sfcatholic.org/lc.
We are still taking requests for Lumen Christi teams for the summer of 2023. To find out more about Lumen Christi and to request a team for next summer, please visit sfcatholic.org/lumenchristi/
Deanery Eucharistic Revival Roadshows
The diocese is co-hosting deanery-wide Eucharistic Revival Roadshows in response to the USCCB’s National Eucharistic Revival. The desire is a revival in devotion and belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. These Roadshows will serve as a model for those looking to host something similar during the year of the parish which begins in June 2023. Please join us at a location nearest you.
National Eucharistic Congress
As part of the National Eucharistic Revival, tens of thousands of Catholics from across the country will be gathering in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 17-21, 2024 for a National Eucharistic Congress. This five-day event will be a pivotal, unifying, and transformative moment for the Church in the United States, and we want to invite Catholics from across the diocese to participate.
To that end, we have been able to secure some “early bird” tickets, which we will be making available for purchase soon. In the meantime, please email eucharist@sfcatholic.org if you’d like more information about this Congress and our diocesan participation in it.
Come witness the Holy Spirit do something amazing!
D-Camp 2023 – Almost Full
There are just a few registration spots left for D-Camp 2023! If your parish would like to support youth financially in attending camp, please let us know. We can create a discount code for your youth to register, and then we will bill the parish after camp. The link can be found on our website: sfcatholic.org/youth/d-camp/
CGS – Level 1 Part B Training
If you know someone who has completed Level 1 Part A and is looking for Part B, please invite them to join us at Risen Savior in Brandon June 19 – 24, 2023. Cost is $250. There are only a few spots remaining. You can register at sfcatholic.org/children-formation/. If you have questions, please contact us at cgs@sfcatholic.org or 605-988-3714.
Going Deeper Retreat – Canceled
Due to some scheduling conflicts that came up, we had to cancel the Going Deeper retreat that was scheduled for March 31 – April 2 at the Abbey of the Hills. We are in the process of planning future Going Deeper retreats. You can check our website for updates as we have them. sfcatholic.org/deeper
Power Hours
For a couple of years now, we have been holding weekly Zoom calls supporting Parish Catechetical Leaders (PCL) from around our diocese by offering an opportunity for growth in both spiritual and professional development and to have a space to bounce ideas off one another and inspire and encourage one another in our shared mission (PCLs include priests, deacons, DREs, YMs, discipleship coordinators, RCIA coordinators, etc.). Power Hours are held at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays approximately every other week. Zoom invitations are sent to the PCL email list weekly.
PCL Email List
If you are new or newly diving into our offerings, we invite you to join the PCL email list. You can sign up on the diocesan For Parish Leaders webpage.
Dear Pastors and Pastoral Administrators,
Thank you for your continued support of the pastoral planning process. One component of pastoral planning is the need for good statistical information. Parish attendance is valuable data. Moving forward, the Priest Council is asking that parishes conduct a Mass count at every weekend Mass, starting this weekend.
To report attendance numbers, you can simply complete the online Parish Attendance Report. Please submit your attendance counts by the end of the business day every Monday. Attached is a count form that will aid your volunteers in tracking the attendance at each Mass. We strongly encourage you to use actual counts versus an estimated count.
If you have any questions or need assistance in completing the online report, please don’t hesitate to contact John Woodraska (605-988-3751). Thank you for your cooperation.
In Christ,
Chris Motz
“The Bible in the Mass,” featuring guest speaker Dr. Demetrio Aguila III, will be held at St. Mary Parish in Salem on Sunday, April 30. This event will be held at the parish at 240 W. Vermont Avenue from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day begins with Mass at 10:30, followed by a meal and fellowship at 11:45, and Dr. Aguila will begin at 1:00. His presentation will reveal the details that connect the Scripture and the Jewish roots of the Mass. Free-will donation for the meal and speaker. All are welcome to attend.
The Brothers in Christ 2nd Annual Spring Event, “This is my body,” will be Saturday, March 25 at Holy Spirit Parish in Sioux Falls. The speaker will be Dr. Chris Burgwald. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., and the event starts at 8 a.m. The event will wrap up by noon.
Silent Retreats:
Women’s: March 2-5, April 20-23, April 27-30
Men’s: March 16-19, September 21-24, November 16-19
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.
2023 Days of Recollection
March 21 – “Mary, the New Eve,” directed by Fr. Tony Klein
April 11 – “What the saints say about death,” directed by Fr. Joe Vogel
May 9 – “Power from on High,” directed by Dr. Chris Burgwald
June 20 – “Jesus Christ the Divine Physician,” directed by Dr. Teresa Kemmer
Couples Retreats
April 14-16, directed by Chris and Germaine Burgwald with Fr. Scott Traynor
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 13-15
Directed by Fr. Scott Traynor
We are seeking more prayer warriors for the Eucharistic Revival. This is a great opportunity for your parishioners to participate in the Revival and grow as missionary disciples. If you are able, please use the blurb below for your Sunday Bulletin, or edit it for size as needed. We appreciate your help!
Bulletin blurb:
The Eucharistic Revival is in full swing and its success depends on each and every Catholic in our diocese. Padre Pio said it best: “Prayer is the best weapon we have; it is the key to God’s heart.” We are in need of prayer warriors who will unite the monthly diocesan intentions for the success of the Eucharistic Revival to their prayers. Each month we send out a newsletter with the intentions and other news from the revival for prayer warriors who have joined the cause. To sign up, please visit sfcatholic.org/eucharisticrevival and scroll down to our sign-up form.
Do you know a young man who has expressed interest in discerning a vocation to the 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.
College Connection
Dear Pastors and Parish Administrators,
This summer, Bishop DeGrood will send a letter to the graduating seniors in our diocese so that he can personally congratulate and encourage them to seek God’s will in their lives. To make this possible, we are requesting the following information from you: names, cell phone number, parent’s names, addresses, sex and plans after graduation for all seniors.
In conjunction with Bishop’s letter, in the past several years, the Vocations Office has used college information to help keep our youth connected with their Catholic faith while they are at school. This has been done with the aid of the SERRA Clubs in our diocese through a program called College Connection.
Through this program, letters are sent out to the seniors, encouraging them to get involved in the local Catholic community at the school they will be attending. The information given will only be forwarded on to the Newman Centers and Catholic Campus Ministry organizations that they will be attending in our diocese. This will help our campus ministers connect your students to other Catholic students and Catholic events.
It is our hope that with this information we can keep more of our young people connected with the practice of their Catholic faith and continue to encourage the growth of their spirituality.
Google Form you can share with your senior parents to fill in for their seniors
Please fill in the Google form by May 1. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for all that you do to promote religious vocations.
In Christ,
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 upcoming Operation Andrew Dinner that Bishop DeGrood will be attending. Operation Andrew Dinner at Pope Pius XII Newman Center in Brookings on March 21 from 5:15-8 p.m. If you know of someone who should go to this dinner, please contact your priest.
Prayer for Vocations
Looking for a good prayer to use for an increase in vocations? Here’s one many of our parishes have been using for years.
Lord Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father and Mary Immaculate, grant to our young people the generosity necessary to follow Your call and the courage to overcome all obstacles to their vocation in life. Give their parents that faith, love and spirit of sacrifice which will inspire them to offer their children to God’s service and to rejoice whenever one of their children is called to the priesthood or religious life. Let Your example and that of Your Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph encourage both young people and parents and let Your grace sustain them. Amen.
