THANK YOU

This past month we have had three of our long-time volunteers inform us of their desire to step back from various ministries.

Nina Blackford has stepped back from being our Parish Librarian.  As the librarian, she has catalogued, shelved, and maintained the library on the lower-level of the church since its inception.  Nina has made sure that the books and other items are readable, solid, and ready for future readers to enjoy.

 Phil McGrath has stepped back from Newcomers Ministry.  As the lead of the Newcomers Ministry, Phil has called every new family that has joined St. Pius for a long time.  He made sure that every new parishioner was noticed, called by name, and known in the community.

Linda Schroeder will soon step back from the Art & Environment Committee.  As the lead of Art & Environment, Linda helped turn the church around 20 years ago and kept our worship space beautiful, reflecting the liturgical season.  She has helped many people see the liturgical year come to life.

We are so grateful to Nina, Phil and Linda for their leadership and their dedication.  Please know that they are not leaving all of their ministries, just stepping back from a few of them.  Thank you!

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MINISTRY TEAM MEMBERS

 Hannah Garstecki began as the Mission Team Lead last month.  Hannah comes to us from Atchison, Kansas, where she studied at Benedictine College and then worked for a parish in Youth Ministry.  As the Mission Team Lead, Hannah will be leading our new Family Program as well as coordinating Youth Ministry and Small Group Ministry.  Hannah is married to David, and we are excited to have her as a part of our Ministry Team.

Our FOCUS Parish Missionaries, Jessie Daake and Efrain Gonzalez, will begin on August 1.  As missionaries, Jessie and Efrain will be helping to build a culture of missionary discipleship at St. Pius X.  Jessie and Efrain will be collaborating with our Ministry members to equip our parish family as true disciple makers.  We are excited to be partnering with FOCUS to live our mission.

THE FAMILY PROGRAM

As we build this culture of disciple making, we have been looking at our guiding principles and beliefs to see whether or not these principles and beliefs align themselves to realizing our mission.  This is not an easy process, but it is necessary if we are going to Love God, love others, make disciples, restore all things in Christ.  One of the often unspoken principles was that if we form our children they will bring our adults into deeper discipleship or back to a practice of faith.  We recognize that while this is what happens in other areas of our culture (think athletics and activities), it is not a good guiding principle for authentic Christian discipleship.  

At Baptism, we promise our parents that we will support them in raising the children in the faith.  But when we take an honest look at what we have been doing, we had to admit that have not offered our parents much support because we do it for them rather than equipping them to live out their promises.  This has led to two undesired consequences: we have many disciples who are left at an elementary level of discipleship, and we have ignored the primary influence on whether or not a child would practice the faith as an adult--the faith practice of their parents.

We are seeking to change this fundamental approach by focusing on our adults and equipping them to be disciple-makers--whether of children or other adults.  In particular, our Wednesday evening Faith Formation (Religious Education, CCD) program is being transformed into a Family Program this fall.  We are inviting all parishioners, especially our families with elementary and middle school students, to join us on the third Wednesday of the month beginning this Fall.  We will have break-out sessions for children as well as for the adults that will be geared around the Creed and help our adults to share the faith.

This month we will begin the registration process for families to join this program.  Please check the bulletin as well as the website for more information.

RESCUE PROJECT

Our Clear Path Task Force spent months researching an appropriate way to begin shaping our Clear Path of discipleship.  As I have shared with you previously, the Clear Path is built around a principle of simplicity--we have to make the Clear Path easily understood and able to be followed.  It's the old adage that if everything is a part of the Clear Path, then nothing is a part of the Clear Path.

The Task Force recognized that we do not have an obvious moment of encounter or re-encounter at St. Pius X.  After researching what other parishes are doing to provide an authentic encounter with the very person of Jesus Christ both locally and in the United States, they recommended that we offer the Rescue Project at St. Pius X.  The Rescue Project is a ministry of ACTS XXIX, a Detroit-based ministry begun by Fr. John Riccardo, to offer an encounter with Christ through the proclamation of the Good News in a personal and powerful way.  

The Rescue Project provides seven consecutive evening sessions on Wednesdays, beginning September 2, and a retreat on Saturday, October 10.  You will hear more about it in the coming weeks, and learn how to register for this amazing opportunity.  I highly encourage you to attend this dynamic and deep experience!

BEST WISHES

In July we saw the departure of some beloved folks.  Fr. Daniel Adjei returned to his home diocese in Ghana, and will be serving as the high priest (i.e. Pastor) of St. John the Baptist Parish in Sekondi-Takoradi, the major city of his diocese.  Fr. Daniel shared that he will be working with to revitalize a parish once known for its vibrancy and joy.  We have no doubt he will do amazing things at St. John the Baptist Parish.  Fr. Daniel promised he will let us know when the dedication of Sacred Heart Church and the St. Pius X Rectory in Atase will be dedicated and blessed so that we might send a small delegation to the festivities.

Mike Posegate and Andrew Robey, after many weeks of frustration with the Italian consulate in Chicago, received their residency visas four days before leaving to study at the North American College in Rome.  They will first live in Assisi studying Italian before moving to Rome to begin studies at the Angelicum (The Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas: https://angelicum.it/) and be formed to be holy priests for our diocese.  

Please keep Fr. Daniel, Mike and Andrew in your daily prayers.  

The fourth and final stage of the St. Pius X Clear Path is LOVE OTHERS.  To LOVE OTHERS means that we have made the conscious choice to follow Jesus and have learned and integrated into our lives the very real and different way of behaving in the world.  We are ready to accompany another person in the journey of faith as someone else has been our mentor and guide.

Again through our FOCUS parish missionaries and our small groups, we will begin to mentor those who demonstrate a real LOVE OF GOD in the ways of accompaniment.  We have also been doing this through our training of facilitators for the RESCUE PROJECT which will launch this fall.  We will be exploring more ways to LOVE OTHERS.

In reality, LOVE OTHERS is the most difficult and most essential stage in the Clear Path.  A parish that never goes out is a parish that quickly turns on itself.  To truly make disciples of all nations as Jesus commanded us to do in Matthew 28, we have to be able to LOVE OTHERS in real, authentic ways.  We also need to be intentional on how we train people to go out and be missionary disciples and apostles in the modern age.

The Clear Path is not linear or a one-way path.  At times we, and individuals on the path, will retrace steps or blaze a new path in the same direction.  The Clear Path articulates that our goal is accompany our members to heaven and to identify ways at St. Pius X that we will offer to help get each other there.  There are too many activities and options that compete for our attention--the Clear Path is meant to simplify your life and the life of the parish community so that together we will reach our true homeland.  If you want to learn more about the Clear Path, check out Jim Jansen's website and book: https://clearpathbook.com/clear-path-summary.  

The third stage in the St. Pius X Clear Path is LOVE GOD.  To LOVE GOD requires that we act and live differently because we know and are known by Him.  Imagine with me that someone after falling in love continued to act in the same ways as prior to falling in love.  In order for the relationship to endure, the person has to build daily and regular habits that prioritize the relationship.  Not to be too stereotypical, but a man who continues to hang out only with his friends and ignore the pretty woman across the room will be the man who only hangs out with his friends and wonder why he never can get a date.  This is even more true with our faith.

To LOVE GOD requires us to build the daily and regular habits of the relationship with God.  We need to grow in our habits of prayer.  It is not enough to just say prayers--we must enter into them in order to draw deeper into the mystery of God.  It is not enough to know commandments--we must embody them in our daily lives in order to be drawn deeper into the mystery of God.  This third stage forms us a disciple of Jesus.

We know that in order to be formed as a disciple, we need other disciples to walk with us.  At St. Pius, we have been exploring small groups for about a decade.  In the parish goals of 2021, forming small groups was one of the major objectives that was articulated by Fr. Fleming and the Pastoral Council.  In 2024, the Pastoral Council renewed the call for small groups and piloted Fiat Lux  groups at St. Pius.  Even though we have some success with small groups, we know that the format of the small group is vital for our long-term success.

To this aim, we have invited FOCUS parish missionaries to join us this fall at St. Pius X.  These missionaries, using the proven strategies of FOCUS missionaries on college campuses, will be walking with us to renew a culture of small groups at St. Pius X.  We have Made for More and Fiat Lux groups already meeting, as well as FORGE groups, two large men's groups, circles of Altar & Rosary JOY members.  Yet only a small percentage of our parish family is involved in these groups.  The FOCUS missionaries will help us to build each other up more purposefully in our relationship with Christ through the Church.

Over the course of the summer, we will also be communicating how we will utilize the small group formats to help families in this crucial role of helping our young people to LOVE GOD in the home as well as in our spiritual home.  

The Second Stage on our St. Pius X Clear Path is KNOW GOD.  This  stage ends with an encounter with the very person of Jesus Christ.  An encounter is a moment of conversion or re-conversion where a person's life is radically altered because of this relationship with Jesus.  

This Fall we will be offering the Rescue Project as a way to travel this stage.  The Rescue Project is a series created by Fr. John Riccardo from ACTS XXIX, a ministry of the Church that seeks to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.  The nine week series will allow participants to encounter Jesus and the depths of His love for them.

St. Pius X is leaning into the promptings of the Holy Spirit to more clearly articulate how we live our mission in a concrete way.   Over the course of the next few weeks, I will share with you the overall vision for the clear path.  Our stages are based upon our mission statement: Love God.  Love others.  Make disciples.  Restore all things in Christ.  While this path is being depicted and presented as a one-way path, the reality is that there are multiple paths that sometimes go back and forth between the milestones.  

In following our Clear Path, the end goal is to be a community of saints who are strengthened and nourished at our church home to live this mission in every house, school, office, auditorium, field, arena, stands, work place or wherever we are.  The heart of a missionary disciple is authentically Catholic and radiates the beauty of our faith.  

The first stage describes the beginning of the journey and requires the presence of a missionary disciple who has already been on the Clear Path.  A formed missionary disciples is equipped with the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit and the practical skills to accompany a fellow traveller on the path of discipleship.  This stage includes the process of noticing another person as a beloved child of God, calling him or her by name and knowing that person for who he or she is.  It is a journey of trust and vulnerability that is free and open.  The formed missionary disciple needs to walk along the well-worm paths of our world to invite the other to move to the second stage on the path.

Happy Easter!

This past month has been absolutely amazing!  Beginning with Holy Week, Triduum and Easter, we moved into celebrating First Baptisms and First Communions.  It has been so joyful to see our parish family gather together and celebrate these graced moments in the lives of our members.  A huge thank you to everyone who made these liturgies possible.  Our ministry team did an amazing job making sure that no detail was overlooked.  Thanks to everyone who rolled up their sleeves and made things happen.

Our next big liturgy is the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday, May 24.  We are pleased to have Bishop Joensen come to confer this Sacrament on our tenth graders who have been preparing with their mentors, sponsors and families for this Sacrament.

In the bulletin last weekend I shared a letter (copied below) that has been several years in the making.  Our Pastoral Council members have been praying, discerning, discussing, praying and thinking about what we want our community to look like in five to ten years.  The letter along with the adoption of the strategies was not done in a single day or session, but has been in the works.  Each month I have shared elements of this, and in coming months you will hear more and more about it.  The beautiful thing about any vision is that it is as alive as the community who dreams it.

I want to take a moment to begin to write about the Clear Path.  About two years ago, one of the Pastoral Council members shared a podcast that he had heard with our group.  The podcast is The Equipcast and is done by the Archdiocese of Omaha.  Mr. Jim Jansen, the host, is also the director of parish support.  He discusses in the podcast how parishes in the Archdiocese have found success in the discipleship making process by cutting away dead programs, pruning programs that work and bringing clarity to how one becomes a fully engaged, missionary disciple.  He said in the initial episode shared with the Council that this is not new because this is what Jesus does in the Gospel.  It is not a program to run but a way to accompany a parish to live its mission.  The more we heard and read Jim's book, the more convicted we were to cut, prune, simplify and clarify.  The goal of every Clear Path, which is a roadmap of milestones along a road, is to make missionary disciples.

At St. Pius X, we have labeled the four major milestones as KNOW OTHERS, KNOW GOD, LOVE GOD, and LOVE OTHERS.  The marker for KNOW OTHERS is that we are accompanied in an authentic Christian friendship by a missionary disciple.  The marker for KNOW GOD is that a person has an encounter with the person of God revealed in Jesus Christ and choose to follow Him.  The marker for LOVE GOD is to learn how live like one who follows Jesus.  The final marker of LOVE OTHERS is learning how to accompany another person through an authentic Christian relationship.

Again, we will unpack all that I have shared with you above in the coming weeks, months and years.  Please keep praying for our parish family as we surrender ourselves to the plan that God is revealing to us.  At times it is challenging, and other times it is reassuring.  We will make mistakes.  We will bear fruit.  We will be strengthened and nourished to live our mission here at St. Pius X.

Dear St. Pius X Parishioners:

Three years ago when I first arrived at St. Pius X, people asked me to describe a vision for the parish.  At the time I would reply, “I’m only the Parochial Administrator.  My job is to stay the course.”  Since becoming Pastor two years ago, I have been working and praying with the Pastoral Council to describe a vision for us by looking at St. Pius X as our home, where we are strengthened and nourished to live our mission.  It is most appropriate to share with you this vision with two major strategic changes in how we live our mission at St. Pius X Parish.

            The eleven words of the St. Pius X (SPX) mission statement, Love God. Love others. Make disciples. Restore all things in Christ, has guided our parish since 2014. They capture the heart and purpose of our faith community.  They also provide us with the challenge—how do we, in fact, make disciples?  How do we live as disciples?

            We are doing many things well at SPX. In fact, we seem to be growing. Our Masses are crying and increasing in number.  Our Knights of Columbus chapter is thriving.  Many younger men have joined, taken on leadership positions, and rebooted the St. Pius X Fish Fry tradition.  Our Altar & Rosary JOY! Society has formed several new Circles.  Our Sacramental Preparation Program has embraced a small-group model, beginning several years ago with our mentor program to prepare for Confirmation and, most recently, with our First Reconciliation & Communion preparation.  Our Faith & Service Committee has begun hosting an exciting series on the second Friday night of the month for adults on the Theology of the Body, an Introduction to the Catholic Mass, a theology of pilgrimage, and other topics. 

            But look closely, and numerous matters merit serious attention. For example, we exceed pre-COVID Mass attendance with many people coming back to Mass after being away for several years and our parish registrations are increasing, but many of our new members are Catholics transferring from other parishes and seeking something different. Likewise, while we have a strong Christian Initiation process and see about 10 people a year seeking to join the Church,we also see many of our young people disaffiliating from the Church.

            We know we are living through a worldwide cultural change. It was once easy to presume that others shared our Catholic Christian identity and values. Today, many people who were baptized no longer identify with the CatholicChurch or hold a Catholic worldview. Many of our own family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and associates no longer believe religion or faith is necessary.  This means, in effect, we are in the throes of a new age where we need to live like the first Christians. 

            We feel this cultural shift here in our parish. Many parishioners worry about their children who have left or will leave the faith and seek support.  Some parishioners attend Mass but feel stagnant or “lukewarm” in their personal faith life.  Others attend Mass but are not engaged with other parishioners or the parish community. Couple all these issues with our local changing demographics, unserved groups, cultural issues, world events, and communication challenges, and you can begin to understand some of what needs attention.

            We have a choice: either stay on our current path and do nothing to address these issues, or seek new opportunities to truly grow as a parish. Change is always difficult. There’s comfort in doing what we have “always done.”  Our parish leadership concluded that the time is now for SPX to fundamentally alter how we approach our mission to love God, love others, and pass on our faith. We simply can no longer do everything the same way.  We need to learn anew how to live our mission. 

To help us love God, love others, make disciples in this new epoch, we are employing two major strategies: (1) we are articulating a roadmap on how to become a disciple at St. Pius X called “A Clear Path”, and (2) we invited skilled missionary disciples from FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) whose primary role will be to accompany us all living out our mission. 

The Pastoral Council formed a working group to articulate for our parish family a Clear Path.  This Clear Path is how one can become a disciple at St. Pius X based on the belief that to make disciples in the 21st century, we first need to know others in authentic Christian friendship, and then we need to provide an encounter with Jesus Christ so that they can know God.  After the encounter, we can help them to love God and discover His expectations for being a follower, and then help them to love others through formation as a missionary follower of Jesus.  This Fall we will invite folks to attend the Rescue Project, an eight-week series designed to share the good news of Jesus in a profound and personal way.  We will also begin to share specific insights from the working group and the Pastoral Council building upon our small-group initiatives and our desire to be noticed, known and called by name..

            The skilled missionary disciples who will join us later this summer have already served as FOCUS missionaries on college campuses. The FOCUS organization has spent the last decade expanding its mission and bringing to parish communities, like SPX, the fervor and experience acquired by campus ministries to help all make disciples. The FOCUS missionaries are not coming to start a new program.  Rather, they will be our catalyst, working with our Clear Path, existing programs, and groups to further discipleship among all generations of our parishioners.

My hope is that the vision and these two strategic changes will build upon the great things happening to fan into flames the Holy Spirit at work at SPX, where all members are thriving missionary disciples, deepening our love of God and others as our mission proclaims. Such cultural change is difficult. I ask parishioners to be patient and open-minded as we launch and fine-tune our efforts.

Where have the past forty days gone?  It’s hard to believe that we have journeyed through Lent and arrived at Holy Week already.  I wished I could tell you that my Lent was the most amazing one ever; however, I find myself still needing to repent and believe in the Gospel.  The prayer, fasting and almsgiving have helped me see my feeble attempts to replace Christ with myself, things and other such stuff, but I am entering Holy Week with the realization that the Lenten journey still needs to continue.

One of the ideas that I reencountered this Lent is that of the Fundamental Attribution Error.  I know I’ve preached about it in over the last three years, but I kept running into this Lent.  For those who may not remember or been with at a different Mass than when I preached about it, the Fundament Attribution Error is this: you do wrong because you have a character flaw; I do wrong because I am in a bad situation.  The best and simplest example is this: you cut me off because you are a bad driver; I cut you off because I am having a bad day.  In our time, we see the other person as evil while we are basically good.  It is all around us: we vilify everyone and every group.  The other political party is evil.  The other party’s President is evil.  That country is evil.  That group is evil.  That city is evil.  

Our Lenten Scriptures have been challenging this Fundamental Attribution Error in big and small ways.  We have been given a royal and priestly dignity by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who created us in the Divine Image.  Yet, like Adam and Eve, we have all sinned—it wasn’t the blind man or his parents who sinned, it is all of us.  We have all chosen to not heed the voice of God.  We have all shouted “Let Him be crucified.”  We have all denied him.  We have all fallen into traps of pride, vainglory, lust, gluttony, sloth, greed, envy and wrath.  The Lenten call to repentance is our call to acknowledge our sins and our sinfulness and then surrender to the Lord, entrusting ourselves entirely to Him.  

As we enter this Holy Week, I encourage you to reflect upon how you can entrust your sins and sinfulness to Christ, allowing Him to heal you.  As we will proclaim over and over again this week: by His stripes, we have been healed.  

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

Our Pastoral and Finance Councils met this past week in joint session to discuss the needs for the future and the accomplishment of our vision.  The Pastoral Council shared with the Finance Council this vision for St. Pius X:

The Vision of Our Mission

At St. Pius X, we envision a vibrant Catholic community where people grow in love for God through prayer, the Eucharist, and the sacraments; build authentic relationships that reflect Christ; and joyfully form disciples who accompany others on their journey of faith. United in worship, service, and lifelong development, we seek to bring Christ’s love into our families, neighborhoods, and the wider world—restoring all things in Him.

Love God

We are proud to be Catholic: embracing the fullness of the faith, cherishing the gift of the Eucharist, and faithfully participating in the sacraments. We strive to be a parish where people can openly share about their relationship with Jesus and willingly pray with and for one another. Through liturgy, prayer, and ongoing learning, we continually seek to know, love, and serve the Lord more deeply.

Love Others

St. Pius X is a welcoming and joyful home where strong bonds among people create a deep sense of belonging. We foster deep personal relationships, strengthen family life, and create a space where individuals can be vulnerable — sharing both the joys and the trials of life.

We warmly invite friends, neighbors, and newcomers to join us for Mass and parish gatherings--greeting every person with openness, kindness, and respect. With servant hearts, we reach out to those in need and encourage one another to live lives of service and compassion. Strengthened by Christ’s self-giving love, we strive to reflect that same love in our actions—caring for one another and for our wider community and world.

Make Disciples

We are a vibrant community of lifelong learners--committed to exploring faith, purpose, and vocation together. Members of our community actively participate in small groups where people can share experiences, ask questions, and grow spiritually. Everyone is encouraged to join in or begin new groups that create welcoming spaces for conversation—especially for those who feel distant from the Church, are searching for meaning, or are simply curious about the Catholic faith.

We strive to live as joyful disciples who accompany others on their spiritual journeys, helping people encounter the love and message of Jesus and grow in faith.

Restore All Things in Christ

At St. Pius X, restoring all things in Christ means allowing God’s love to renew our hearts, our relationships, and our world. As we grow in love for God through prayer, the Eucharist, and the sacraments, we are transformed to love others with the same compassion and humility shown by Jesus. Through authentic community, service, and discipleship, we seek to bring Christ’s loving presence into our families, neighborhoods, and daily lives.

Using this as a guide, we began looking at the 2014 Master Plan for St. Pius to see what is still relevant and what needs have arisen in the past 12 years.  We need to make some big decisions in the coming years to address these needs—but it’s always necessary to know what is important and what is a really nice idea.  There will be more to come on this topic, as always.

Last Wednesday evening, we welcomed Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs, an artist from St. Louis, MO, who was commissioned to create two piece of Church art for our sanctuary.  Mrs. Thompson-Briggs shared with those who gathered digital images of the art as well as her philosophy and method of creating sacred art.  We hope to have the pieces entitled ‘The Adoration of our Lady” and the “The Adoration of St. Pius X” adorning our sanctuary at Easter.

Happy Holy Week!

A new year and time to catch up...

Folks, once again it’s been a while since I’ve sat down to write about our community and share with you what’s been happening.  It seems like a monthly update has become my regular pattern.  I do hope to get back into the groove of a more regular update process for all of you.

COUNCILS

Pastoral Council: The Pastoral Council meets monthly on the third Thursday from September through May.  The most recent meetings were on December 18 and January 15.  

The December 18 meeting began with a conversation with Sr. Jude Fitzpatrick, the diocesan coordinator for mission appeals.  We have begun to discern whether it makes sense for St. Pius to have a stable sister-parish relationship.  Sr. Jude challenged us to think about the objectives we have such a relationship.  The Pastoral Council and I feel a strong desire to have such a relationship with a parish in the United States to help us be more aware of the reality of the Church in areas where Catholicism is still in its missionary stages.  We have hosted several speakers in recent years from the Dioceses of Gallup (which serves New Mexico and Arizona) and Jackson (in Mississippi).  We will be appointing a working group to explore what this could look like for us as well as meet virtually with potential partners.

We also continued a conversation about our parish vision and mission so that we can articulate our goals for the next ten years which was facilitated by parishioner Joanne Elmer.  This is an on-going conversation that needs more time before any details can be shared.  

On January 15 the Council met in my absence with Fr. John.  I will be having a conversation with the Chair in the coming weeks to discuss what happened at the meeting.

Finance Council: The Finance Council meets monthly on the fourth Thursday from September through May.  The most recent meeting was on January 22.

As a parish our finances are being managed very well.  The Council is in the process of understanding how moving the finances of the school to the Des Moines Regional Catholic Schools office impacts us.  It is hard to make comparisons and conclusions by looking to previous fiscal years because things have moved so much.  We do see our tithing as stable and the response to the stewardship campaign positively.  Thank you.

The Finance Council approved a Cash Handling policy and procedures for ministries, councils, groups and committees that use our tax identification number.  I will be sharing the new policy and procedures with the chairs/presidents of these groups in the coming weeks.

School Council: The School Council meets every other month on the second Thursday from September through May.  The most recent meeting was on January 8.

The primary aim of the School Council has changed from the days of the School Board and the Home & School Association.  Neither of these bodies still exist.  The School Council, created in 2022, serves to connect our parish community more closely with the apostolate of Catholic education at St. Pius.  One of the great challenges we face within our community is that we often speak of the “parish and school” as though they are two separate and independent realities.  The School Council strives to help us see that St. Pius X Catholic Parish’s largest ministry is that of the school.  If we try to isolate the school from the other ministries of St. Pius X or from the community itself we are harming our mission as a parish.  The school along with Faith Formation Ministries, Liturgy & Music Ministry and Youth Ministry work together to strengthen and nourish us to love God, love others, make disciples and restore all things in Christ.

Diocesan Superintendent Ms. Donna Bishop joined our meeting to express her support and appreciation for the work St. Pius X does to support Catholic education in the Diocese.  We worked through the impact of the new Cash Handling procedures on the School Council as well as learned about the various opportunities for faith and community engagement in the near future.

SEEK CONFERENCE

From January 1–5, I was able to attend the annual SEEK Conference in Columbus, Ohio with Fr. Daniel.  The conference, offered by FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, was a powerful experience that allowed the 16,000 participants to focus on the mission of the Church to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I participated in the “Making Missionary Disciples Track, ” a part of the conference designed to help folks working in parishes to share the Gospel.  The leadership of FOCUS recognize that the principles for sharing the Gospel on college campuses are the same for parishes, even if the how differs.  As a parish community that is committed to Love God.  Love others. Make disciples.  Restore all things in Christ., it is important for us to learn from FOCUS and other groups involved in evangelization—both their the successes as well as the failures.  I am convinced more and more each day that we will live our mission in as much as we are willing to learn, adapt and be transformed.  The Holy Spirit has raised up new movements within the Church—and 16,000 young adults coming together to encounter Jesus Christ and share Him is a powerful testament to this working.

WORKING GROUPS

The Pastoral Council has commissioned three working groups in our parish: FIAT LUX (small groups), CLEAR PATH, and BEAUTY IN OUR SPACES.  The FIAT LUX group is working to facilitate small groups in the life of the community.  They have been hosting times for small group formation by showing the SEARCH from Formed.  The CLEAR PATH group is taking a big-picture view of how we make disciples at St. Pius X.  The BEAUTY IN OUR SPACES group is examining the sanctuary, nave and narthex to make recommendations on how we better unify the spaces and bring a sense of beauty that supports our worship of God.  Each of these groups makes regular reports to the Pastoral Council.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

This coming week we celebrate the gift of Catholic education in the United States.  One of the first things that the Church did as it was more formally established in the US was to set up systems of education and health care for her members.  St. John Neumann (NOY-man), a bishop of Philadelphia is credited with setting up the first Catholic school system in his diocese in the mid-19th century.  Since St. John Neumann’s time, Catholic parishes have educated members through this important ministry.  For almost 70 years, St. Pius X has been sharing the Gospel with our families, helping parents to form their children as followers of Christ.

VACATION

This month I took my first January time vacation ever.  As a monk, we were limited to two weeks of vacation time, including family visits.  Since I have become a priest of the Diocese, I thiought it was time to try what other diocesan priests do—take time away after Christmas.  I went with a priest friend from my days at the Catholic University of America to southwest Texas for several days of hiking in Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Carlsbad Cavern National Park.  It was stunning and wonderful to simply enjoy the beauty and grandeur of God’s creation in the desert and mountains.

Enjoy the week ahead.  Let’s keep praying for one another as we strive to Love God.  Love others.  Make disciples.  Restore all things in Christ.

HAPPY ADVENT!

As we begin Advent with a lovely snow, we are reminded that the anticipation, the sense of expectancy is the whole point of Advent.  This season, with its time of penance and preparation is meant to point us to welcoming the Lord Jesus when He comes again.  We celebrate His Nativity at Christmas to remind ourselves that God is faithful to His promises—after four thousand years, He came.  In faith, we know He will come again.  So we anticipate.  We watch.  We wait.  We fast and pray.  Jesus is coming!

THE NEWS FROM THE PEWS

We have been so thrilled to have our two seminarians home for Thanksgiving: Mike Posegate, a senior at Loras College, and Duncan Kyhl, who is in his pre-seminary formation year (called the propaedeutic year).  Mike and Duncan have assisted at Masses and been a wonderful presence.  Please keep these two men in your prayers, as well as the others in our parish community who will join them in the future.

This weekend I will depart to accompany 47 other pilgrims to Assisi and Rome.  I am most excited to be able to spend time in the presence of the body of St. Carlo Acutis in Assisi.  His intercession has been powerful among us in the past year, and I am most anxious to venerate his relics and ask for further prayers for our community.  I am also looking forward to praying at the tomb of St. Pius X in St. Peter’s Basilica as well as pray at the tomb of other popes.  In a special way, I will ask St. Pius X to help us in our journey to make disciples.

The weekend of December 6 & 7 we are privileged to have Fr. Doug Grandon at St. Pius X.  Fr. Grandon is the national chaplain for FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.  Fr. Grandon will share with us the mission of FOCUS and some exciting ways that disciples are being made in our nation and around the world with FOCUS missionaries.  One important initiative that FOCUS is undertaking is a partnership with parishes.   FOCUS currently sends missionaries into 25 parishes in the United States.  With the Pastoral and Finance Councils, we are discerning if this would be a good fit for St. Pius X.  We are aware that there are many positive experiences of FOCUS missionaries but there are also some challenging experiences that people have had.  

November was a very busy month as we had an initial visit from the FOCUS team who met with Pastoral and Finance Council members as well as members of the Ministry Team at St. Pius.  We also cleaned out the old rectory and a crew (thank you Holy Name Society, Knights of Columbus and the two Men’s Morning Groups!) helped move all my things to the new place.  The future of the old rectory is now uncertain as the Diocese has decided not to purchase the house from us.  The Pastoral and Finance Councils have a bit more thought to put into what we want to do with our properties not just immediately, but in the long-term.  

Please pray for each other as we continue this journey in faith.

State of the Parish

On the weekend of October 12, I shared with the parish the annual report on our parish community.  Here is the text of the report:

The ten lepers in our Gospel show us when we approach the Lord, we should acknowledge our need and recognize our blessings.  In acknowledging our need, we demonstrate that without Christ, nothing is possible.  As we recognize our blessings, we fully see how God is working in this time and place.  It’s appropriate then for us to have an honest look at where we are and what are needs are in the coming year. 

Our Mass attendance is increasing.  On average, we have 200 more people each weekend at Mass from last year—a 17% growth in Mass attendance, thanks be to God.  Our income is also increasing, and thankfully not as quickly as our expenses.  This last fiscal year we had a $59,000 surplus.

We have a plethora of activities happening at St. Pius. There is hardly a day without something happening on this campus: small groups meeting to prepare our young people for the reception of First Reconciliation and First Communion as well as for Confirmation.  We have adults joining and forming small groups with our own FIAT LUX groups and with the FORGE ministries for men.  The Holy Name Society and Altar & Rosary JOY circles meet regularly, and the Men’s groups continue to meet on Tuesday and Friday mornings.  The Knights of Columbus have experienced a resurgence in the past year and reinstituted regular Fish Fries.  We have several Bible studies also meeting regularly—some that have been meeting for years, and others which have started more recently.  Fr. John has continued Fr. Daniel’s Bible study on Monday evenings which regularly has 50 to 60 participants.  We have lots of middle school athletics that the parish sponsors.  We have other groups meeting.  It’s typical to have cars in the parking lot until 8 or 9 PM.

Our school’s enrollment has continued to increase with about 470 students and approximately 60 empty seats—with several classrooms at their maximum capacity. 

We have worked hard in the past year to establish some healthy spiritual practices as a community.  We have weekly Exposition where folks can adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament on Wednesdays here in church in addition to having a Reservation space with more accessible hours.  We have experimented with our Confession times on Wednesday evenings at 6 PM because several other parishes nearby were offering Confessions at the same time we were, and we wanted to make it more available in our local area.  We will be moving them once again to Tuesday evenings at 6 PM in November. 

In the past year, we’ve had ten people become Catholic.  This summer with our seminarian Mike Posegate, we were able to offer formation for our existing liturgical ministers and invite new folks to join our ministries.  We introduced the Master of Ceremonies ministry to our parish.

We’ve also finished our 2022 capital campaign and completed several capital projects over the past year.  We have continued to work on the parking lots by fixing drainage issues as well as repairing or replacing broken concrete throughout.  We painted the Gathering Space and lower level and replaced the flooring throughout the Gathering Space and Fellowship Hall.  We installed a new counter in the Fellowship Hall to give us more storage and functionality.  Additionally, we have installed cameras to enhance security, and we installed security film on the school doors and windows.

We’ve also had some setbacks this year.  We had hired a new Director of Liturgy and Music that just didn’t work out.  We’re going to have to start the hiring process over.  Several planned initiatives could not get off the ground, and we will need to wait a little while longer.

It is also becoming clear that we need to spend some time and resources to help assess, grow and develop ministries.  The Pastoral Council has commissioned two working groups: one to create a clearly articulate how we make disciples, and another to recommend ways to enhance the beauty and function of our church.  The Clear Path working group is studying how we in this parish can best fulfill our mission to make disciples.  The Beauty working group has been studying how we can respect what we have received from previous generations with what the present and future generations will need in our space.  We also need to streamline and enhance our communications. 

Among our goals for this coming year is to hire a Director of Liturgy and Music as well as a new part-time position for Communications or Marketing.  Both are challenging as we have seen with our recent hiring processes that there are not many candidates seeking work in parishes right now.  We also want to develop further our small group programs and clarify our discipleship making process.  To help us I am working with the FOCUS organization who have been doing college campus ministry and recently have added parish wide ministry to their organization.  We will explore the FOCUS model in relationship to our discipleship making efforts, especially with hopefully FOCUS missionaries coming to St. Pius in the summer of 2026.

We also recognize that we have some larger projects that will need to be done in a few years that we need to lay groundwork in the coming year.  The church building is nearly 60 years old with 60-year-old HVAC and other systems.  The boilers and air handlers have exceeded their normal life expectancy.  To fix the airflow and temperature issues that many of you experience, we will need to raise significant funds.  We will also start addressing the need to provide adequate housing for the priests as the houses we currently own need significant repairs.

You will soon receive in the mail a financial report, with a summary of your giving from January to September 2025 as well as a tithing card.  I invite you to pray about how God has blessed you and your family, and the appropriate amount to pledge for the coming year.

In all of this, with the one leper, we are returning to Jesus with hearts filled with gratitude.  He is doing amazing things in our parish—even with all the setbacks, trials and challenges.  He has a plan for the whole Church, and I am grateful that He has awakened within us a renewed desire to surrender to Him, even when we don’t understand or know what tomorrow will bring.

Council Updates

Our Pastoral Council continues to engage in planning for our future.  We are discussing the major areas of focus for our community in the next three years.  You may have noticed that this was the one area not covered in the annual report.  The goal setting process will take several months—but we will share more when we are further along in the process.

Our Finance Council reviewed and recommended the End of the Year report for the parish.  We are also are discussing the major projects that need to be completed on our campus in the coming year and over the next few years.

Property Updates

Our former pastor, Fr. Dave Fleming, is losing his current residence at the end of the year as the Diocese is renting a house from Dowling.  Dowling will be taking Fr. Dave’s and other houses down for its capital projects in 2026.  Fr. Dave will be moving into his former house on 66th Street, and I will move into one of our other properties.  We will be looking at the properties and a potential rectory project in the very near future.

Liturgy and Music Updates

Over the summer, St. Pius X began a process to review our liturgical practices to make sure we are in union with the Church.  We were also asked to look at how to best celebrate Masses with children, both with our school and our faith formation ministry.  In the course of the review, we realized that we were not honoring the ministries desired by the Church.  For example, the one who reads from the Bible at Mass is engaging in the ministry of lector.  We train our lectors to understand their contribution to the liturgy.  Similarly, we train our Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion to share the Body and Blood of Christ with reverence.  

We began making adjustments at our Masses with the school earlier this year.  We are making sure that those who exercise ministry have received their first Communion.  At the beginning of Advent, we are going to be making adjustments to our liturgical practices to better reflect this understanding at the Sunday Masses.  The ambo will be used only for the readings from Scripture and the intercessions.  Announcements and other times that require a microphone will be done from the lectern used by the musicians.  We are also going to be offering 4 chalices at each Mass.  

Priest Updates

Father John will return from Ghana on November 17.  We are so grateful for Fr. Steve Orr and his gracious assistance during Fr. John’s absence.  Fr. Steve will be returning soon to assist while I go on pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi with several St. Pius parishioners as well as others from St. Francis and beyond.

ALL SET FOR SUNDAY

This Sunday we hear the third parable from the set of parables in St. Luke’s Gospel about the mercy of God for us.  In the parable of the rich man and Lazurus, we see the animals being the only ones showing mercy to the poor on this earth, but the poor experiencing the lavish mercy of God in the next.  The rich man was too busy to put into practice what the Law and Prophets were telling him to do.  He may have practiced the outward works of his faith, but he never was able to internalize them.  The rich man, the prophet Amos and St. Paul all challenge us this week to explore how we are living our faith.

This Saturday night we will be celebrating the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick within Mass.  As a community of faith, it is important for us to pray with and for our brothers and sisters who are in the danger of death or facing serious health issues.  Even if you cannot join us for the 5 pm Mass, please say a special prayer this weekend for the sick.

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

• Parish Mission: We are in the process of trying to determine our parish mission speaker for 2026.  We are going to focus on the Saints and how to raise a family of Saints.  More information will be coming.
• We are currently working on  many maintenance and building issues: Heating and Air Conditioning (yes, we know the church gets either too hot or too cold, but never just right—we are working on it!!), roof repairs, installation of cameras, fixing the bricks and flashing on the Northeast side of the church, safety film on the doors and windows, updating the signs, and more.  Our building is nearly 60 years old, and the last major work was done 20 years ago.  Some of the issues are just due to age of the equipment and the building.  
• October will be a full month.  We will have our rescheduled collection for the seminarians, Mary’s Helping Hands drive, our Youth will be fundraising to go to NCYC and a mission trip next summer, the Knights will have their annual Tootsie Roll Drive.  Please watch the bulletin for more information

PHISHING SCHEMES

This past week we heard that a new round of the phishing scheme is happening.  Unfortunately folks in the parish are receiving messages with the subject line “Blessings” and a request from me or other staff members to purchase gift cards.  Please do not fall for this scheme.  We will never use a gmail.com or other popular domain email address.  We will never ask you to purchase gift cards.  We will never ask you to do something immediately.  Please delete the email.  If you ever have a question about it, please call the office before purchasing anything or sending anything by email or text message.

Have a great week!  Please pray for our seminarians this week.

ALL SET FOR SUNDAY

This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross.  The feast commemorates both the finding of the True Cross by St. Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, in the fourth century as well as the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem in the seventh century.  Above all, it allows us to reflect on the meaning of the Cross of Jesus Christ in our life.  The Cross reminds us that God is with us in our suffering and death—He does not take away the consequences of sin, but by entering the consequences provides us with a means of healing.  We thank God that He so loves us that He sent His only Son who died for us.

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

LOGO: First, allow me to begin with an apology to everyone who submitted a design for our new logo.  The process of choosing a logo was more complex and lengthy than I anticipated.  Over a year ago we announced the contest, and I thought it would be a simple job to pick one design and adopt it for use.  Rather, we had about fifty entries, and we used parts of several that were adapted into the final design.  However, in the process of adapting and sending the designs to the graphic artist, we lost the original submissions (the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. email address was deleted after we downloaded the designs)—so I don’t know who submitted which design to properly thank the folks who took the time to submit entries.  Please know that we are very grateful to everyone who took the time to be creative and offer your ideas.  Our new logo is very much a compilation of the brilliant thoughts of our community.

COUNCIL UPDATES: Our Councils are back in session.  The School Council met this past week, Pastoral Council meets this coming week and Finance Council meets the following week.  The first meetings of the Councils have the major objective to get caught up after a summer of not meeting.  We’ve had a lot happening over the summer, and the Councils will be looking at setting goals for the coming year.

I pray the coming week is a wonderful week for everyone!  Let’s keep asking each other for prayers, and let’s pray for one another.

In Christ,

Father Matthew

We join with the Church throughout the world to pray for the victims of violence, especially the victims of the recent shooting during the Mass with the school in south Minneapolis this past week.  We pray for the families who mourn the loss of children, we pray for those who were injured and those who witnessed the violence.  We pray for all who are impacted by these events.

Father, You created this world out of love.  You endowed us with Your very image and likeness.  We know that You are always with us.  Send Your holy angels to surround the community of Annunciation Parish as they grieve so that they may know Your abiding Goodness.  Bless the Archdiocese of Saint Paul-Minneapolis.  Through Christ our Lord.

While none of us want to think about such a tragedy happening here, please know that St. Pius X and many other parishes throughout the Diocese of Des Moines have a building and safety committee that meet regularly to prepare for disasters and the prevention of tragedies.  We cannot prevent all situations, but we can do our best to be prepared.  This past summer we installed ballistic film on doors and windows in our school building, we have cameras and locked doors at the school.  The Office staff admit people into the school through a monitored buzzer system.  The church building has cameras on order (we have been working on this all summer), and the building is locked throughout the day unless there is a scheduled event.  During Masses with the school, our doors are locked.  Please know that we are taking precautions to keep everyone at St. Pius X safe.

Please pray for our seminarians, especially Mike Posegate and Duncan Kyhl.  Mike began classes last week and Duncan began his spiritual year last Thursday.  Please contact the parish office if you would like their mailing address to send a note or care package.  

Our Pastoral Council and School Council met last week for their opening meeting.  Both Councils met together to talk about the coming year at St Pius.  We welcomed Cory Fees and Roxanne Reisberg to the Pastoral Council and Ben Glaser and Ryan Tyrrell to the School Council.  We are grateful for Mike Sticklen and Natalie Gifford who finished their service on the Pastoral Council, and Ryan Tyler and Tricia Johnson who finished their time on the School Councils.  The major agenda item was a presentation on revised governance documents for the School Council that more closely aligned it with the Pastoral Council as a subgroup of the PC.  The School Council will have officers and two committee chairs—Faith & Service and Community events—along with at-large members.  

A note on incense at Masses:  During the summer, we have worked hard to train our ministers for Masses to help our liturgies be more reverent and inspiring.  The introduction of the Ministry of the Master of Ceremonies is one important element that helps our servers be more confident and maintain the decorum needed for divine worship.  At the 11:00 AM Mass, because we have a very experienced Master of Ceremonies, we introduced regular incense at that Mass.  The incense is used to convey that our prayers ascend to God and that God’s work is mysterious.  In the Bible, clouds and smoke convey the presence of God, especially in worship.  The Church advises that incense be used at four points in the Mass: as we process in, during the proclamation of the Gospel, as we offer the gifts, and as we consecrate the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.  I am aware that some folks are sensitive to incense, and we try to keep the amount placed on the coals to a small amount as well as keep the thurible outside when not in use.  We will be using incense on the Feast of the Holy Cross (September 14).

Happy End of (Academic) Summer!  For those of you who are not involved in the academic world, you still have several more weeks to enjoy the summer.  For everyone else, many of our schools, including several colleges, begin on Monday.  I pray this last weekend of the summer vacation is restful and rejuvenating.

It has been a whirlwind couple of months.  I was reminded that I have a blog and should be writing entries on it by several concerned folks.  Thank you for your patience—and know it’s not because I was watching the flowers grow that this blog did not get written.  So, allow me to catch you up on the life of our community since Fathers’ Day.

• Welcome Father John!  Father John Owusu-Aygemang began his ministry with us on Thursday, July 10.  Father John has been in the Diocese of Des Moines since February 2020.  He came at the request of Bishop Pates to serve as a hospital chaplain.  So, right before the pandemic, Father John started at Unity Point Hospital-Methodist here in Des Moines.  He served at Unity Point from 2020–2024.  He was assigned last summer to Saints John and Paul in Altoona.  After just four short months, Unity Point asked for him to return, and so Father John returned for about seven more months of hospital chaplaincy before being assigned to St. Pius by Bishop Joensen.  We are excited to have Father John with us as he brings a desire to share his love of his home country of Ghana, his pastoral skills and his ministerial priesthood with us.
• Thank you Father Daniel!  As Father John joined us, we said goodbye to our beloved Father Daniel who has begun ministry at Saint Catherine of Siena Parish in Des Moines, serving the campus ministry at Drake University.  We know that Father Daniel will do joyful things in the St. Catherine community.  We were blessed to have him minister in our parish for the past two years.
• Welcome Trevor Fanning!  Trevor began his ministry as the Director of Liturgy and Music at the end of June.  Trevor comes to us from Connecticut where he had been teaching Music in a private high school.  Prior to that, he worked at St. Matthew’s Parish in Indiana.  We are very fortunate to have Trevor with us.  He is very excited to be with us.
• Welcome and thank you to Mike Posegate!  Over the summer vacation, we were very fortunate to have Mr. Mike Posegate, a son of St. Pius X Parish and seminarian of the Diocese of Des Moines, with us as a summer worker.  Mike brought his passion for the Liturgy and his pastoral sense to our community.  He cleaned our basements and closets, prepared a house for Fr. John, trained servers, lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, sacristans and our new ministry of Master of Ceremonies.  Mike also visited our senior living facilities, assisting at Masses, accompanied Father Daniel, John and me to anoint parishioners and worked on our monthly catechesis on the Mass for this coming year.  Mike has returned to St. Pius X Seminary at Loras College for his senior year.
• Des Moines Regional Catholic Schools. On July 1, St. Pius X at Bishop Joensen’s request joined the Des Moines Regional Catholic School System.  The Regional School Office will be handling all of the financial business of the school operation.  In practicality, this means that the Administration, Faculty and staff of St. Pius X School became Regional Employees to allow for teachers in the Des Moines area Catholic schools to have one payscale.  Additionally, the Regional Office is collecting tuition, paying bills, managing enrollment procedures, and other such items.  With a few hiccups in the transition, we’re making the adjustments.  
• Commitment of Faith implementation.  Since late May we have been resharing our Commitment of Faith that Fr. Dave developed with a task force in 2022-2023.  We have required all of our families enrolled in Faith Formation and Catholic schools to sign the Commitment of Faith.  We are encouraging all our parish families to sign this commitment. You can find it here.  In the coming year, we are measuring a family’s living the Commitment of Faith by attendance at Mass and support of our parish community through our tithing records.  As a parish, we are working on building on our ability to offer a clear path for folks to live this Commitment of Faith that is easily understood.  Whether or not you have a student enrolled in our Faith Formation or a Catholic School, please read, sign and return the signature page to demonstrate your Commitment of Faith.

It’s time to start another season here at Saint Pius X.  School is not the only thing beginning in August and September.  Our Faith Formation program begins sessions on Wednesday, September 10.  Our Christian Initiation sessions for those interested in becoming Catholic or adults who have not been confirmed begin on Tuesday, September 16.  Additionally, the Pastoral Council, Finance Council and School Council will begin meeting again this weekend and in the coming weeks.  We have several Working Groups meeting to discuss how we live our Commitment as a parish, and looking to the future as we approach 75 years as a parish family.  As always, there is more to come...

ALL SET FOR SUNDAY

This weekend we reflect upon our God—three persons in one divine nature.  To be honest with you, I am always nervous when I preach on this weekend because God is so  amazing and gracious, and I want to speak truth about who He is.  It is so easy to think of an image or explanation that falls into a false understanding of God.  The best image that I have encountered is that of LOVE.  Love requires three important elements and is not love without them: the lover, the beloved and the shared intimacy between them.  God is the three persons in one God.  The most important thing we can do to prepare ourselves this and every Sunday is to open our hearts and minds to God who is always coming to us.

NEWS IN THE PEWS

Happy Fathers’ Day!  We pray this weekend for all the men in our community who fathers.  We pray that they may be true witnesses to the faith in the life of their families through what they say and do.

The Saint Pius X Church Commitment of Faith: Father Dave Fleming initiated a process that created the Saint Pius X Commitment of Faith for our parish families and other families who engage in our school ministry.  Over the eighteen months, our Pastoral Council and School Council have worked on revising the Commitment of Faith so that it can be shared with all of our parish families.  The essence of the Commitment of Faith is a covenantal relationship between each family and our whole parish family to be authentically Catholic.  We are beginning to share this by asking all families who are enrolled in the formational ministries that our community supports (St. Pius X School, St. Pius X Faith Formation program, Dowling Catholic High School, other Catholic schools, etc.) to sign and return the signature page as soon as possible.  Please check out the Commitment of Faith page to read the Commitment and learn more.  

Summer is here.  During June and July, our Councils take a vacation from evening meetings—as does your Pastor.  

Please join us June 28 & 29.  As a parish family, we will celebrate the gift of Father Daniel Adjei to our community.  We recognize that no weekend is perfect for everyone; if you are unable to join us, please express your gratitude for the gift of Father Daniel as you are able—say a rosary for him, light a candle, send a card.

We will celebrate our 70th anniversary on August 16!  Our feast day celebration will be a family reunion style event.  Beginning with the 5:00 PM Mass, we will have the “Saints & Sinners” band playing music, food trucks and a fun atmosphere.  Please plan on joining us for an evening of fun—for some or all of the celebration.

ALL SET FOR SUNDAY

This is our last Sunday before the great final feasts of the Easter season are celebrated.  Next Sunday we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord, and then we celebrate Pentecost.

Jesus reminds us that He is faithful and that He will remain with us always.  He is going to send the Holy Spirit to us to remain with us.  It is this same Spirit that has guided the Church throughout the centuries.  The Council of Jerusalem in the first Reading and the Second Vatican Council are examples of the Spirit leading and guiding the Church in times of need.  We are invited continually to trust that the Spirit is leading and guiding us.

NEWS IN THE PEWS

Iowa Catholic Radio: The morning Mass from Saint Pius X is now being broadcast on Iowa Catholic Radio (FM 105.5), alternating with other parishes.  You can tune into ICR at 10:30 weekday mornings to hear a local Mass on the Radio.  A huge thank you to the Holy Name Society and the Morning Men’s Group for making this happen with their generous financial donations.

Celebrating Father Daniel: We will have our celebrations for Father Daniel after each Mass on the weekend of June 28 and 29.  The Saturday evening Mass will be followed with a simple cookout and the Sunday morning Masses will have treats as well.  Please stop by after the Masses to wish him well.

Welcoming Father John: We will have hospitality after all the Masses of Fr. John’s first weekend with us—July 12 and 13.  Please plan on joining us for this time to welcome our new Parochial Vicar.

Summer Projects: This summer there will be a few projects around our campus.  We will be reflooring the Gathering Space and the Martha & Mary Fellowship Hall, putting in a permanent counter in the MMFH, some concrete work, probably fixing broken things that we don’t know yet about, hopefully taking down the house at 6601 Oliver Smith and putting in a parking lot, and the other ordinary summer maintenance that needs to happen as well as projects that are in the works but not yet scheduled.  I’m grateful for your patience with all the different projects that will happen.

ALL SET FOR SUNDAY

We’ve all heard or read the phrase “Love your neighbor,” whether on a billboard, yard sign or on other media.  Often times when we read or hear this, the emphasis is on defining our neighbor, presuming we all have the same definition of love.  

But we don’t have one definition for the word love.  Think about how we use it: I love ice cream.  I love my dogs.  I love the Cubs.  I love to walk at night.  I love my parents.  I love my children.  I love my spouse.  I love myself.  Each one of these sentences is a different meaning of love.  

Our readings this weekend ask us to define love in terms of what Christ does for us.  Spend some time this coming week to name concrete ways that you experience Jesus’ love in your life.  How does Jesus love you?  Then pray that you can do the same for others.

THE REST OF THE STORY

We are ahead of the curve: This morning I saw that the Pontifical Institute for Sacred Music has a series of videos called “Let’s Sing with the Pope.”  This series is a way to prepare us to be able to sing with the Pope at his Masses and weekly audiences, whether we are in person or watching on-line.  You will find that we already did this during Lent.  Thank you all for your patience and generosity in learning with me during Lent.  I know I feel more prepared to sing with the Pope in December than I would have been without our Lenten music.

That’s a wrap (almost)!. This week the Pastoral Council concluded the 2024-2025 year.  The School Council wrapped up last week.  The Finance Council will conclude meeting in a few weeks.  The Councils and I take off the months of June and July, and will resume meeting in August with new members.  A huge thank you to Mike Stickland and Natalie Gifford who are concluding their time on the Pastoral Council, and Ryan Tyler and Tricia Johnson who are finishing their terms on the School Council.  Both of these Councils this past year have helped shape the vision for our parish community, helping us navigating the challenge of staying unified as a parish community.  We have worked hard to keep the Jesus in the Eucharist as the center of our life together with the help of Blessed Carlo Acutis this past year.  Next year we will be working on building our Clear Path of Discipleship for our parish family.

We’ve hired a Director of Liturgy and Music: Father Daniel has been working hard with a great team to publicize, evaluate and interview candidates for the Director of Liturgy and Music position.  This past week, we have hired a candidate who we will introduce to you in the coming weeks—I want this to be in person rather than on the blog.  The Liturgy and Music Ministry encompasses the different ministries that help us worship God—from the planning of the Sunday Mass (selecting options within Mass, scheduling the various ministers) to preparing for seasons and other liturgies (Adoration, Stations, etc.). We are excited that we will have our new Director with Beth and Cathy working together to help us in our primary duty: to worship the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Congratulations to all of our graduates!. As graduation ceremonies are in full swing from universities to high schools to kindergarten and below… to one an all, blessings on you as you begin the next chapter in your life.

Let’s keeping praying for one another.

We have a Pope!  Let’s keep in prayer our new Pope, Leo XIV.

O God, who chose your servant Pope Leo XIV

in succession to the Apostle Peter

as shepherd of the whole flock,

look favorably on the supplications of your people

and grant that, as Vicar of Christ on earth,

he may confirm his brethren

and that the whole Church may be in communion with him

in the bond of unity, love and peace,

so that in You, the shepherd of souls,

all may know the truth and attain life eternal.

Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Congratulations to our young people!

This weekend we conclude our celebration of First Communion for our young people who have spent the past year with their parents and other families preparing to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion.  We pray that each day they may grow closer to Jesus.

On Wednesday, our candidates for Confirmation will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation from Bishop Joensen.  They have spent the past year preparing with other candidates and mentors from our parish who walked with them.  We pray that each day they may live the mission they will be empowered to do with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Prayers for Father Daniel

This past week Father Daniel took a retreat.  He chose a very historic week to spend time deepening his relationship with the Lord.  Please continue to pray that Father Daniel will be able to feel the presence of God’s love during this time of transition.

May is a month of wrapping up

This month we will be wrapping things up in many different ministries.  Our Faith Formation program began its summer recess last Wednesday.  Our school will begin its summer recess on May 30.  Our Councils will be taking June and July off (and giving yours truly some evenings free).  Our Christian Initiation ministry will celebrate the new beginnings of many new Christian with a final meal together this Tuesday.  Please keep all of our faithful and amazing folks involved in these ministries in your prayers.  

ALL SET FOR SUNDAY

This weekend we hear some of the most beautiful lines in Scripture: “Come, have breakfast.” and “I am going fishing.”  While you might think I’m trying to be a bit funny, these invitations are simple and powerful.  Peter is at a loss for what to do or what to say in light of the Resurrection of Jesus, but he realizes he and the other Apostles need to do something together.  So, he says, “I am going fishing.” with the intention to have them join him.  While afraid and unsure, this is an invitation of trust.  Jesus’ invitation to “Come, have breakfast.” shows how sharing a simple meal together can open the eyes of everyone and allow body and soul to be nourished.  These are simple and powerful invitations that you and I are capable of offering—and in fact, are necessary invitations if we are going to make disciples.  While sessions and studies are great for one who already knows about Jesus, they can be scary for one who does not know about or know Him at all.  The simple but powerful invitations can start an authentic Christian relationship that will allow people to go deeper and lead to an encounter with Him.

AND THE REST OF THE STORY...

We have a new logo! First, thank you to everyone who submitted ideas for logos last fall.  The Pastoral Council, Ministry Team members and I spent time examining and praying over all of the submissions.  We then worked with a great graphic designer who took all of our thoughts, preferences and looked through all of the submissions and compiled them into a simple yet powerful new logo for us.  It uses the Roman numeral X from the name of our patron with the negative space showing the cross of Christ through which all things are restored to the Father in Christ and our reminder of God’s love for us.  While the process took a bit longer than desired, I am excited to share with you this new logo.  

The logo comes with a combination of our historic colors: gold and white (1956–1978?) and maroon and white (1978?-2025).  We will be using the maroon with a gold and white. 

We will be transitioning this new logo into use over the summer with using it exclusively beginning in the fall.  

Do you love the Fourth of July and Urbandale?  If you do, we have a special project for you.  We are looking for folks to chair the parade float this year.  Please don’t run away if you see one of the Ministry Team members coming toward you.  We are celebrating our 70th anniversary as the city of Urbandale is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the parade.  We have a trailer—we just need folks with creative ideas and the ability to make them a reality.

May is the month of Mary.  We will be hosting May crowning this Wednesday at the 8:15 AM Mass.  One beautiful tradition that a family could do is pray a nightly or weekly rosary together during the month of May.  What a great way to come together and pray.  Another idea is to learn a new Marian prayer.  My personal favorite is the Memorare that Mrs. Johnson taught my third grade class that we would pray regularly together.  Whatever you might do, please ask the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph to intercede for the whole Church and for our parish this month.

Corpus Christi is coming!! Father Daniel and his committee have been meeting to plan our Corpus Christi celebrations on June 22 following the 11:00 AM Mass.  Please mark your calendars.  We will have a special invitation for all who received their First Communion this year—whether through the Christian Initiation process or through the Sacramental Preparation program to join us in this special procession to share Jesus with the world.

We’re going to be celebrating our Feast Day in a special way this year! On Saturday, August 16 following the 5:00 PM Mass we will celebrate our 70th anniversary with food trucks on site and live music with the Saints and Sinners Band in our parking lot.   While not all the details are complete, please plan on joining us for this amazing time together.

Have a wonderful week, and let’s keep praying for each other.