HAPPY EASTER!. I pray that as we celebrate this final day of the Easter Octave, you may still be enjoying the joy of the Resurrected Christ!

In our readings this weekend we hear Thomas’ beautiful and simple profession of faith.  As he sees the Risen Christ who has invited him to enter into His wounds, Thomas replies, “My Lord and my God!”  Jesus invites each one of us to enter into His glorious wounds so that we might go deeper in faith.  We might not see Him in corporal form, but we do see Him in the Eucharist.  How do we approach the Crucified and Resurected Christ present in the Eucharist?  Do we pray and profess with Thomas, “My Lord and my God!”?

AND THE REST OF THE STORY...

First Communions: This weekend we begin celebrating First Communion with our young people who have been preparing with their families in small groups this year to receive this Sacrament.  Rather than having a stand alone Mass that separates this moment from the life of our parish family, we will be incorporating First Communion into our regular weekend Masses at 5 PM and 11 AM for three weekends.  Please congratulate our young people and celebrate with them.  This is a wonderful moment in the life of our parish family.

Small groups: Our small group core team met last week to discuss how to further expand and enhance this way of making disciples within the life of the community.  They will be expanding the membership of the core team, offering lists of resources, continuing to offer starter opportunities and more.  Please stay posted.

Domestic Church: As a part of a group that I have been working with, we read the latest CARA study on religious practice in the United States.  It was not a fun read simply because the data shows that for every 1 person who enters the Catholic Church, at least 8 others are leaving the Church and most of these are leaving the practice of faith in Jesus.  The number one influence on a person who stays in the Church is the strength of the domestic Church, the practice of the faith in the family home.  We know this, and have known it—but the recent studies highlight for us the need to refocus on our resources on empowering and equipping families to live a life of faith together.  We have to stop seeing programs or curriculum as the means of passing on the faith, and support our parents in the making of disciples.  We will be working over the course of the summer to articulate this better for you.

Have a great week—and remember to pray for your priests!

Happy Holy Week!

Please join us this week as we celebrate our faith in Jesus Christ through the great liturgies of the Church.  

On Holy Thursday we commemorate the gifts of the Priesthood and the Eucharist as we celebrate the Evening Mass of the Lord Supper at 7:00 p.m.  The liturgy itself recalls the Exodus and God’s saving His people through the Passover Memorial, the Lord’s mandate of service over power through the Washing of the Feet of 12 people.  It ends with the liturgy taking a solemn turn and we process with the Blessed Sacrament and remain watching and waiting with the Lord.

On Good Friday we commemorate the Lord’s Passion through the solemn proclamation of Saint John’s Gospel.  We then pray the solemn intercessions, some of the oldest prayers of the liturgy.  We then adore the wood of the Cross on which hung the Savior of the World, and conclude with a simple communion service.  The Celebration of the Lord’s Passion is at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. 

On Holy Saturday we wait in silence and prayer.  The tabernacle is empty and like the Apostles and early disciples, we feel the Lord’s absence.

After the sun sets on Holy Saturday, we gather at 8:15 pm. around the fire to boldly proclaim that the light of Christ breaks through the darkness of Sin and Death!  We then listen to the stories of salvation from Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Baruch, Ezekiel, Saint Paul and the Gospel of Saint Luke.  It is a powerful proclamation of God’s eternal love for the human race.  We then move into the celebration of Baptism for the Elect as well as the Reception into Full Communion of those baptized Christians who wish to join the Church, and the celebration of Confirmation of them all.  We conclude with the greatest gift of the Eucharist—the fullness of Christ’s presence in the Church.

Please join us for these amazing and powerful liturgies as we live the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection.

And the rest of the story...

This Lent has been full at Saint Pius.  So, let me share the highlights (and lowlights) of these past few months.

New priest assignments: We are saddened to hear that Father Daniel has been assigned to be the high priest at Saint Catherine of Siena’s parish in Des Moines for one year beginning on July 10.  Father Daniel has been the most joyful presence at Saint Pius since July 2023.  Please keep him in prayer as he continues his ministry with us for the next three months as well as begins to learn about his new adventure.

We are happy to learn that Father John Owusu-Agyemang has been assigned to be the Parochial Vicar here at Saint Pius beginning on July 10.  We look forward to the amazing quiet yet Christ-filled presence Father John has brought to his other assignments in the Diocese of Des Moines,  Please keep him in prayer as he continues his ministry as a Chaplain for the Des Moines metro hospitals.

Rectory and property updates:   After many years of discussions and dreams, the Finance Council accepted a proposal for Saint Pius to seriously explore building a new rectory for the priests assigned here on the properties we currently own.  So this summer, we will begin the process to work with the Diocese and the City of Urbandale to take down the house and garage at 6601 Oliver Smith Drive.  This corner property will become a parking lot.  Once we finish the first phase of this process, we then hope to begin the process to take down the houses at 3656 and 3660 66th Street, and build a rectory large enough to house both priests while providing common space such as a living room, dining room, kitchen and chapel.  Each priest will have a bedroom, a sitting room/office and bathroom.  We would also have two guest rooms to be able to accommodate seminarians and our guests.  Once the new rectory would be built, we would then remove the houses at 3523 and 3664 66th Street, converting the former into a parking lot and green space and the latter into green space.  Please note: none of this is approved by the Diocese nor the City of Urbandale.  This is a plan that we hope to be able to better utilize our properties and provide some community for the priests.

A Clear Path: About 18 months ago, a parishioner recommended that I listen to a podcast from the Archdiocese of Omaha entitled, “Equipcast.”  The host of the podcast works for the Archdiocese and had recently written a book about a movement within the Archdiocese to equip parishes to make disciples.  I was instantly intrigued by the podcast.  The premise is quite simple: the Catholic Church needs to be clear with parishioners about how to make a disciple.  We all know it’s the Great Commission given by Jesus at the end of Saint Matthew’s Gospel, but we don’t make it very clear for anyone.  The Ministry Team and the Pastoral Council have spent time reading the book and trying to map out where our different ministries and offerings fall within the Church’s model for discipleship making.  This summer and fall, we will engage the work of a task force to take the results of these mapping exercises and pray about how Jesus is leading us to make disciples here at Saint Pius.  Once we understand how to make a disciple better, we will be refocusing our time, energy and resources to fulfill our mission.  There is a lot of prayer, discussions and more prayer that needs to happen—but this is certainly filled with the Holy Spirit’s power.

Authentically Catholic at Saint Pius: Our Pastoral Council and School Council met this past month to discuss how we at Saint Pius make this place home for everyone at Saint Pius.  It is far too easy for folks to see themselves as a part of a subgroup at Saint Pius rather than as Catholic Christians who are making this place our spiritual home.  We have a lot that is happening at Saint Pius that we should celebrate: our Sunday Mass attendance is filled with young and old, single people, families, and the widowed.  We weekly have a day of Eucharistic Exposition where all our parishioners have an opportunity to adore Jesus.  We have a parish family engaged in feeding the hungry, caring for refugees and the poor.  We hosted an opportunity for over 4000 people to venerate the relic of a soon-to-be-Saint.  We come together to support each other.  The Councils outlined some priorities for us: clarity on communication and language, intentional and personal invitations to our parish family members, and living our Catholic faith authentically with all ages.  Again, stay tuned because there will be more coming!

Church committee on Art and Beauty: The Pastoral Council recommended that for our seventy-fifth anniversary (2030) that we look at enhancing our worship experience through art and beauty.  To better understand what this could look like, we have a small committee who will be looking at our church to make recommendations for the enhancement of the art and beauty within our sacred space while respecting the integrity and design.  

One of the exciting elements is that a parish family has commissioned a talented liturgical artist to paint two images of our Blessed Mother and Saint Pius X for our space.  The artist commented that our current images do not harmonize with the space—we will find suitable places within our complex to showcase the current images.  

Saint Pius is hiring: We have once again posted our position for the Director of Liturgy & Music.  Please join me in praying that the Lord will send us the right person to lead these important ministries.  

Please pray for your Priests!  As we are in this time of transition, there is always a lot happening to make the process smooth for the parish.  As your spiritual fathers, we take seriously the responsibility entrusted to us by Christ at our ordinations to lead all souls in this parish to heaven.  We don’t want to make you happy—we want to make you holy!  And we need your prayers to help us father this parish family.  

Happy and blessed Holy Week to you all!

Let’s give Jesus our best High Five this Lent!

 How do we give Jesus our best High Five?

Jesus desires to have regular time with each one of us. 

The best High Five we can give Him happens when we spend time listening and responding to Him. 

Eucharistic Adoration:  We are truly blessed as Jesus is calling us, inviting us, to come to pray each week before His Presence in the Blessed Sacrament.  During the Wednesdays in Lent we are offering Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church from 9:30am to 7pm.   Please consider making this a part of your Lent.

8:15 AM         Mass followed by Exposition, Procession

5:15 PM          Mass followed by Exposition (on April 2, there will not be Exposition after Mass.)

7:00 PM          Benediction

 Please sign-up via Sign-Up Genius (St. Pius X Catholic Church: Adorers) or by contacting Deb Culp (515-360-2909 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for Wednesday hours in the church, as well as Mondays and Tuesdays in the chapel.

Confession: We are truly blessed as Jesus offers us forgiveness for our sins.  During Lent consider restoring wholeness to your relationship with God, His Church and others through the healing Sacrament.

Wednesdays             5:45 PM

March 11                    9—11:30 AM School

March 30                    4:00 PM          Communal Service

April 2                        6:15 PM          Faith Formation

 Almsgiving: We are blessed and are called to pray, fast and give alms to our brothers and sisters in need locally and internationally.

JMJ Rehabilitation & Training Center (financial support)

Kenya (Nazareth Sisters of the Annunciation)

SPX School and Faith Formation - DSM Catholic Charities

Anointing of the Sick during Mass: We are truly blessed as Jesus offers us healing for our soul and body.  During Lent we invite Catholics who are seriously ill, facing surgery, in danger of death due to sickness or old age to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

Mar 23, 2025  11:00 AM

Mass propers: We are blessed to be united with Christians through time and space.  Our Church has asked us to learn the Mass parts in Latin so that whether we are in Iowa or in Rome, we might be able to pray together.

Parish Mission:  We are truly blessed as Jesus invites us to come away with Him to rest and pray.  We are excited to host our own Jon Leonetti as he shares with us a reflection on the Surge of the Heart.

April 13 & 14     5:30 PM                  Potluck dinner (both)

                                        7:00 PM                  Mission talk

Praying the Angelus: We are truly blessed like Mary was.  We are invited to pray with the Church daily at sunrise, noon and sunset.

 Praying with the Daily Gospel:  (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/) We are truly blessed to have the Word of God speak to us in the Bible.  Our prayer during Lent could focus on the daily reading of Gospel stories.

Silence in church:  We are truly blessed to be able to gather to worship our God in this place.  As folks enter we are asking everyone to maintain sacred silence to allow everyone an opportunity to quiet their minds and hearts.

Stations of the Cross and Supper: We are truly blessed to be able to walk with Christ on His journey of suffering for us.  Please join us to pray the Stations of the Cross each Friday in Lent at 6:30 PM in the church.  The Knights of Columbus will be sponsoring our Friday Suppers during Lent from 5 to 6:30 PM.  Soup will be served on March 7, 21 and April 4.  Fish Fry will return on March 14, 28 and April 11.  Please join us.

Lent 2025

Let’s give Jesus 5 (12 times a week)!

 How do we give Jesus our best High Five?

Eucharistic Exposition:  Moving public exposition to Wednesday in church

8:15 AM       Mass followed by Exposition, Procession

5:15 PM       Mass followed by Exposition

7:00 PM        Benediction

Confessions

Wednesday evenings      5:45 PM

March 11                             9—11 AM                School Confessions

March 30                             4:00 PM                    Communal Reconciliation

April 2                                  6:15 PM                    Faith Formation Confessions

Anointing of the Sick during Mass

Mar 23, 2025                     11:00 AM

Parish Mission

Surge of the Heart with Jon Leonetti

April 13, 14

            6:00 PM                    Potluck dinner

            7:00 PM                    Mission talk

Almsgiving

Supporting women in crisis

Alms:     JMJ Rehabilitation & Training Center           Kenya (Nazareth Sisters of the Annunciation)

Diapers, onesies, wipes:  Inner Visions                                                          Des Moines

Mass

Chant Mass: Kyrie, Gospel Acclamation, Sanctus, Mysterium Fidei, Pater Noster, Agnus Dei (see Part 1)

Silence in church for 15 minutes before and after Mass

Entrance Antiphon: Saint Meinrad tones

Silent recessional

Kneel after Mass to pray for those who will die

THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS

During Lent, we are going to learn two additional Mass parts from the simple Gregorian Chant.  In years past, we have learned the Kyrie,  Sanctus, the great Amen, and the Agnus Dei.  This year we are going to add two additional parts of the Mass Ordinary (parts that are used consistently in the Mass): the Pater Noster and the Mysterium Fidei.  To help you prepare for this, we are providing the following links:

Pater Noster.guitar with intro.pdf

Post Consecrationem.piano.pdf

Pater Noster: https://youtu.be/LHSyrFzpf_A?si=d8Dktq0BF13yuDjR

Mysterium Fidei: https://qr-code.click/i/p/67acc4568f01b

More to come!

If you haven’t yet heard, Saint Pius X will be hosting the relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis on Saturday, February 15 from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM followed by our normal Mass.  Blessed Carlo has gained popularity over the past few years as he is the first person of the Millennial generation to be canonized a saint.  His canonization will happen on April 27 in Rome.  We need help with the time when Catholics from across the Diocese and region will visit Saint Pius X, as well as when we have time for our community to venerate the soon-to-be Saint. You can sign up to help here.  

Second—Katie Patrizio, the Director of Faith Formation for Saint Francis Parish in West Des Moines, is leading a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi in December 2025.  One of the highlights of this pilgrimage is to visit the uncorrupt body of Blessed Carlo Acutis in Assisi.   You are welcome to sign up for this pilgrimage as well—the information can be found here.  

ALL SET FOR SUNDAY

This weekend we celebrate the “Second Sunday” of the Year—an anomaly as it is really the first Sunday after Christmas.  Many others have already written about this and other anomalies we experience in the Liturgical Calendar.  

As we are in “Year C,” the time where most of our Sunday Gospel readings come from the holy Gospel according to Saint Luke, we have another anomaly in that the year with the longest of Gospel takes its reading from the Gospel according to Saint John.  Ok, now, I’ll get to the point…we have the reading of the beginning of Jesus’ miracles and the story of the Wedding Feast at Cana. The readings can be found here.

The wedding feast of Cana gives us so many different invitations to encounter Jesus in a new way.  One way is to see how Jesus wants to provide for the Church in abundance.  The Bridegroom gives His Bride jars filled to the brim with water.  He transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.  We simply have to receive from His great gifts to us.

NEWS IN THE PEWS

Blessed Carlo Acutis Relic visit: Hope fully you saw in the Catholic Mirror the announcement that we will be hosting a first-class (actually body part) relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis.  The relic comes from the Shrine of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and is accompanied by an exhibit from Blessed Carlo’s work on cataloguing Eucharistic miracles throughout the world.  We will have time for the public (outside of our parish) to come and venerate the relic while seeing the Eucharistic miracle exhibit on Saturday, February 15.  We will be sharing with you time for our parish family to experience the exhibit and venerate the relic of Blessed Carlo.  If you don’t know who Blessed Carlo is, check this out.  This is very exciting that we are able to host this amazing soon-to-be Saint in our parish.

Inclement Weather: As we are in winter, it’s good to remind you about our approach to inclement weather.  When school is in session, if either school or evening activities are cancelled for Urbandale, Saint Pius X will also cancel activities on campus.  When school is not in session, we rely upon the National Weather Service, the Iowa DOT and the county and city governments to advise us.  Generally, if 3 inches of snow or more, or if we have extreme ice, we will cancel activities on campus.  

As the Mass is the most important thing we offer and Father Daniel and I live near the church, we will still offer Masses in the church.  We will only cancel the 7:00 AM Mass because we want to give the plows a chance to work before people could come to church, and we would offer the 9 and 11 AM Masses.  Even if our livestream crew, servers, lectors, musicians, sacristans and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are not here, Father Daniel and I can still offer Mass.  Please know that if it unsafe for you, or you would be placing the life of another (including snow plow operators, emergency service professionals, other drivers) in danger, you do not have the obligation to attend Mass.  You should spend time in prayer, praying for the safety of others and our parish family.

THANK YOU

Father Daniel and I were very touched by the outpouring of love during the Christmas season.  We received offerings of prayer, food, cards and gifts.  We tried to send notes of gratitude to folks, but we know we missed some and some we didn’t know who sent them to us.  Please know we are both extremely grateful and touched by your words and kindness.  We love being a part of this parish family.

Merry Christmas everyone!  

As we enter these days of Christmas, we realize that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the Father’s greatest gift to us.  One of the monk professors in my former community would often say: “It’s all about the Incarnation!”  He wanted us to know that the Word made Flesh is an integral part of the Father’s plan to restore our relationship with Him.  Sin and Death would not be conquered without the birth of Jesus Christ.  I encourage you to spend time in praise and gratitude before the manger scene for the gift to have a relationship with our God.

A Blessed New Year of our Lord 2025!

As we conclude this present year and move into the new year, it is great to reflect upon the Lord’s movement in the past year and to ask His blessing on the coming year.  We have definitely felt His presence in our parish family’s life this past year.  We have seen our family grow.  We have experienced new ministries and ways to form familial bonds.  While we have not always known where the Lord is bringing us or even what His plan for us has been, He has taught us to be patient and to trust more deeply.

The coming year will continue to be filled with new and amazing opportunities.  We ask the Father to open our minds and hearts so that we might continue to surrender our plans to His plan for us.

Rejoice!  Again I say rejoice!

The third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday—the Church bids us to rejoice that Christ’s coming is near.  In one of my devotionals for Advent, the author asked the question: for which coming are you preparing?  It’s an important question because if we are only preparing and rejoicing about the first coming in Bethlehem, we are missing the hope promised to us.  Even in the darkest days of the year or our life, Christ is coming.  We know that the future is bright and filled with joy.  We rejoice not only for what God has done, but for what He is doing and will do forevermore!

Our parish vision: Saint Pius is a home where our Catholic parish family is nourished to live to our mission.

Many of you speak very warmly and fondly of this parish family.  Many weekends we have the great honor to welcome new members—babies through the Sacrament of Baptism, young men and women who have recently moved to Des Moines, families who have relocated here, folks who retire here.  Over and over again, Father Daniel and I hear folks tell us how welcome they feel, how warm and inviting this community is.  As one person said, “I feel at home here.”  

When I think of home, I think both of people and of place.  Home is always familiar and comforting.  Home is where one feels loved and honored.  Home is a place of encounter and relationship.  Home is where you are noticed, called by name and known.  Home is where you can take your shoes off, open the refrigerator and relax.  Home is where we learn because we feel safe to fail.  Home is a place where we gather around the table to share life together.  Home is a foretaste of heaven.

Parish News

Please join Father Daniel and me for an evening where we can share with you in a more informal way what we have been up to in these past few months.  We are gathering at 6:30 PM on Monday, December 16 in the Martha and Mary Fellowship Hall.  

Please spend time with Jesus in Adoration this week.  We have opportunities at different times of day on different days of the week.  Monday mornings after Mass until 10 AM, Wednesday evenings after Mass until 7 PM, Thursdays over the lunch hour from 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM.  We also have times in the Adoration Chapel on Mondays from 6 to 10 PM and Tuesdays from 6 AM to 12 Noon.  This is a time for you to spend some quiet, quality time with the love of your life: JESUS!

Pastoral Council meets this coming Thursday at 6:00 PM.  Our Council begins with prayer together before the Blessed Sacrament and then will move into discussing how we realize our parish vision based on what we are hearing in prayer.  

If you would like to help make our church and Parish Center ready for Christmas, please come next Sunday, December 22 at 1:30 to help in church or Monday, December 23 at 12 Noon to set up the Parish Center.  There are sign up sheets in the Gathering Space.

Please keep praying for our parish family!

Well folks, I have gotten very far behind on the blog.  I am truly sorry for this.  There is a lot going on these days, and I feel like I am really behind on everything at this point.  I sincerely welcome these Advent days with the hope that with God’s help I am able to renew my own vision of seeing all the different elements as a form of prayer while still maintaining dedicated time for prayer.  

The Sacrament of Reconciliation: December 8

Please join us at 4:00 PM on Sunday, December 8 for our communal celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Advent.  We will have a short service before offering individual confessions.  We have many priests from the Des Moines area joining us for this opportunity to celebrate God’s mercy and grace.

Immaculate Conception: December 9

In other years, December 9 is the memorial of Saint Juan Diego, the one who encounter the apparition of our Blessed Mother on the Tepeyac hill in Mexico in the 16th century.  However, this year is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  In short, the Sundays of Advent are more important than the celebration of Mary and the Saints.  However, because the United States is placed under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception, we move the feast day to Monday.  With the move of the feast day also comes a move in the obligation to attend Mass on Monday, December 9.  We will offer Mass at 8:15 AM and at 5:15 PM for the Solemnity.  Please join us.

New Confession Time: Wednesday evenings

We have moved our regular time for Confessions from Saturday mornings (a popular time for many parishes) to Wednesday evenings (a rare time).  With our regular Confessions, we will have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Wednesdays.  Please note that on the first Wednesday of the month, confessions will be in the vesting sacristy as our Faith Formation students will be in the church for prayer services.  Please look for the signs to see where the priest will be.

We are blessed in that Father Frank Palmer generously is available to hear confessions on Friday mornings.  Father Palmer hears confessions in front of the Marian Shrine (the west corner of the church).  We will continue to offer these confessions as long as Father Palmer is available to do so.  

Council updates

Our Pastoral and Finance Councils met in joint session during the month of November to look at our 5-year vision and how to be wise stewards in order to realize our vision.  The Councils identified several areas that we need to invest our resources of time, energy and finances in order to allow our family of disciples to live our mission.  We spoke about both present and future needs, especially as we develop a roadmap for discipleship here at Saint Pius.  The Councils engaged in a fruitful discussion that will be continued in the coming months.

Our Focus on the Eucharist

This year we are seeking to focus on the Eucharist.  In the fall we shared with you the book Beautiful Eucharist, a compilation of essays published by Dynamic Catholic, to provide a foundation for developing a more Eucharistic spirituality at Saint Pius.  Additionally, we announced an expansion of offerings of Mass during the week as well as time for Eucharistic adoration.  Last weekend we passed out The Little Yellow Book created by the Veil Removed, a program developed in the Diocese of Des Moines to foster growth in devotion in the Eucharist.  I want to renew my invitation to you to attend daily Mass—we celebrate Mass daily at 8:15 AM and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays (except the first Wednesday of the month) and Thursday at 5:15 PM.  We have periods of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament for your adoration following Mass on Monday mornings until 10 AM, on Wednesday evenings until 7 PM, on Thursday over the noon hour in addition to the already established times in the Adoration Chapel on Monday evenings (6 to 10 PM) and Tuesday mornings (6AM to 12 NOON).

December 16: An evening with the priests

Please join Father Daniel and me on Monday, December 16 at 6:30 PM.  Father Daniel will give us an update about the Saint Pius X House at the Sacred Heart Parish in Atase, Ghana, and I will share about the pilgrimages I had in October.  We are excited to be able to share our experiences with you in a more cohesive way—we have done bits and pieces at Mass.  This will be a bit more expanded.  We both look forward to these presentations.

Projects, projects, projects

We have some pretty amazing folks here at Saint Pius who are helping with some projects.  I am hoping you’ve noticed that we have a new sanctuary lamp next to the tabernacle.  We also have other projects around our campus that have been done by folks who don’t want a lot of attention.  I am grateful for everything being done to make our spiritual home a more beautiful and attractive space.

HAPPY NOVEMBER!

First, many have asked if I could repost the blog from the pilgrimage and Camino.  You can read it here: www.piuspilgrim.wordpress.com.  Sorry about repeating this message: this is a free service from Wordpress.  I do not have any control over the advertisements you might see.  Please know that any ad you might see does not carry with it an endorsement in anyway.

A lot happened at Saint Pius X in October.  It was great to see that amazing things continue to happen in our midst.  Father Daniel did an amazing job in keeping our ship on course.  He loved fulfilling his true role as the Parochial Vicar (which means representative of the Pastor).  I’m hoping he’ll have many more opportunities to exercise this role in the future.  I enjoyed being able to disconnect for such a period of time.

Remembering our dead

On November 2, the Church celebrates the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, commonly known as “All Souls Day.”  We read the names of our parishioners who died in the past year, and families came forward to light candles in memory of loved ones who died.  Throughout the month of November, our banners and candles will remain to remind us of our responsibility to pray for the dead.

Adoration 

During this year we are focusing on Christ in His gift of the Eucharist.  We have expanded our opportunities for you to spend time with Him, allowing Jesus to simply gaze upon you and show you His love.  Let me encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities: Mondays after from 8:45 to 10 (church) and from 6 to 10 PM (Adoration chapel); Tuesdays from 6 AM to 12 Noon (Adoration chapel); Wednesday from 5:45 to 7:00 (church); Thursdays from 11:45 to 1:00 (church); and First Fridays from 7 to 8:30 PM (church).

Confessions

After consultation with the Pastoral Council and in dialogue with Father Daniel, we are changing our confession times beginning on November 30.  The new confession schedule will be:

     Wednesdays at 6:00 PM (with Adoration)

     Fridays at 9:00 AM (with Father Frank Palmer)

     First Fridays at 7:15 PM (with the Encounter experience)

Please know that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered at the following neighboring parishes at these times:

As I am setting out for the travels, just a few final thoughts for you all:

Please think about the new logo for Saint Pius.  Even if you’re not an artist, please think about ideas, themes or elements that you might suggest.  The more input we have, the more it will represent our community.

If you want to follow my travels, check out the blog: piuspilgrim.wordpress.com.  Please keep me in prayer as I pray for all of you.

ALL SET FOR SUNDAY

Our readings, which can be found at the USCCB website (www.usccb.org) speak to us about God’s plan for the human race.  While speaking about the gift and Sacrament of Marriage, God is also reminding us that we need others in order to understand His plan.  We are joined together by God.  It is not good for us to be alone.  We need communion—with each other and with God.  Pray this week for the grace to live as God has called you.

NEWS IN THE PEWS

Folks, it is time for Father Daniel to experience the great role of Pastor.  He will spend the next three weeks standing in my place while I join a pilgrimage group to Lourdes in France and Fatima in Portugal.  After the group returns to the United States, I am going to remain in Portugal walking the Camino de Santiago by the way of the Portuguese Way from Porto to Santiago de Compostela.  I will return hopefully for All Saints’ Day on November 1.  If you need anything, please do not be afraid to ask Father Daniel.  He is excited about being pastor for the rest of the month.

I will be setting up a special blog for the pilgrimage and the Camino.  While I would love to post on our website, that’s not as easy to do from the phone.  Instead, I will set up a wordpress.com blog.  Please note—if you read the blog, you will see ads that I cannot control.  Please know that I do not suggest clicking on any of them; they do not reflect my perspective or endorsement, nor do I know what you will see.  I will post the link on Sunday after I set up the new page.

Let’s pray for each other during these October days.

ALL SET FOR SUNDAY

The readings can be found here.

Our readings this weekend make me really uncomfortable because they call me out for my ambition, pride and lack of charity.  You know that person in the office that we all talk about?  Jesus through the Book of Wisdom is calling you and me out about our behavior.  Why are there divisions in our world, in our Church, in our homes?  Jesus, through the Apostle James, is calling us out because we foster the division because we are seeking our own interests before those of others.  What were talking about over coffee or as we were waiting in line?  Jesus is calling us out because our conversations and posts miss entirely what He is trying to tell us.

Jesus makes me uncomfortable because He reminds me of who I am created to be—and shows me the way to His Father.

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

Last weekend was amazing at Saint Pius—or so I was told!  I was with a good friend from seminary who is celebrating 60 years of life.

We celebrated over 80 new families who registered in our community since our last Newcomers’ Breakfast.  We are so blessed to welcome folks into our parish home.  Special thanks to our Newcomers’ Committee and the Knights of Columbus who helped put on an amazing breakfast.

We celebrated our Altar and Rosary JOY Society.  They shared what’s happening in our community and how they continue to help make Saint Pius our home.  They put on a wonderful Hospitality Sunday after the 7 and 11 AM Masses.  Thank you Altar and Rosary JOY Society!

We celebrated our new Sacramental Preparation Program for those who will receive First Reconciliation and First Communion this year.  Last Sunday over 100 folks, young and old came, for a potluck, a scavenger hunt and formed small groups to begin this year of preparation to receive Jesus in His Mercy and in His Body and Blood.

We shared nearly 500 books—Beautiful Eucharist—and we ran out!  It was great (well, not so great if you were looking forward to getting one) because there is a hunger at Saint Pius for us to grow closer to Jesus in the Eucharist.  We will order more—but also, once you’ve finished, please share.

We celebrated the Sacrament of Baptism last weekend as well—it’s always such a joy to see the gift of eternal life shared with babies and to see the Saint Pius family welcome our newest members.  It’s pretty awesome.

Other news:

We also have begun a new year of preparation for Christina Initiation.  If you know someone who wants to become Catholic or a Catholic who wants to be confirmed or come back to the Church, it’s not too late—find Mary Sue Lone and she will help them out.  We have 2 people who will be received into the Church in October, and we have about 10-15 who are inquiring about receiving Sacraments at Easter.  Keep praying for folks to respond to wherever the Spirit is calling them.

Our Pastoral Council met last week.  Their main task is to help us plan 5 years out and 10 years out.  The Holy Spirit is speaking to us, and they are helping me listen to what the Spirit is saying to our parish family.  We have been spending time praying together and sharing what the Spirit is saying.  

Our School Council met the week prior.  Their main task is to help our community members who engage with our school ministry to remain connected to the larger parish family.  One of the biggest challenges within parishes today is that it is easy to isolate any one ministry—and our School Council listens to the Holy Spirit on how to bring us together rather than being pulled away.  They seek to connect families with Christ through our parish family.

Let’s keep praying for each other as the Holy Spirit keeps guiding us to make this community home.

ALL SET FOR SUNDAY

The readings can be found here.

This weekend we are invited once again to place Christ at the center of our life.  This sounds so repetitive, but we are constantly being pulled away from Him.  One of the things we hear is that we need to place ourselves, our families, even Church first in our lives.  Yet, Jesus does not ask us to make any of these first—He is asking us to place Him first.  This will be shown in what we do, how we spend our time, how we relax.  

It is not easy to keep Him in the center.  Like Peter, we can sometimes forgot to let Him tell us what will happen.  Sometimes, we can let our good intentions get in the way.  Sometimes we get pulled away by laziness.  But we are always called to place Him first and centered.

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

This weekend we will be distributing the book Beautiful Eucharist.  It is a collection of essays written to inspire us to keep Jesus in the center by focusing on Him present in the gift of the Blessed Sacrament.  It is a good book to bring with you as you spend time with Him in adoration.

This weekend we are also bringing back our regular HOSPITALITY SUNDAYS.  Each month a different parish ministry or group will be providing an opportunity for a get together after the Sunday morning Masses (we will work later on adding in the Saturday night Mass).  This month the Altar & Rosary JOY group will be hosting and serving.  Please take some time to stop, enjoy some good conversation and refreshments.

We also will have a Newcomer’s Breakfast following the 9:00 AM Mass.  The Knights of Columbus and Hospitality Ministry members will help the AR JOY groups serve breakfast and welcome those who have joined our community.

We are also honored to host representatives from the Ut Fidem organization this weekend as they share an opportunity for our high school students—no matter where they attend school—to form small life sharing groups.  Ut Fidem is a national organization that works with Catholic parishes and high schools to pass along the faith to our next generation by inviting them into a small community of care and concern.

What is Eucharistic Adoration?

How to Pray During Eucharistic Adoration

ALL SET FOR SUNDAY

The readings can be found here.

I was listening to a podcast on an evening walk recently where the podcaster asked a very concrete question: “What are you doing right now to actively bring someone to Jesus?"  He went on to speak about how we worry and fret about folks we know who have left the faith, but then asked: “Are you fasting for the person or are you just worrying?  … Are you living joyfully so that another sees something desirous in you?”  We read in the Gospel: “people brought to Jesus a deaf man … and begged him to lay hands on him.”  

We have opportunities all the time to bring a deaf, a mute, a blind person to Jesus.  He desires to give them healing…are we willing to do the hard work of bringing them to Him?

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

We’re in September, and things are picking up.  We had over 150 people gather on two night to learn more about the Fiat Lux Small Groups!  It was amazing to see so many who are willing to take the first steps to form life sharing and life giving communities within our Saint Pius X family.  In order for us to make Saint Pius home, we have to live together, share life together.  As we heard in the Information session: home is where people know us and love us anyway; home is where we are known by a familiar name.  Home is where we can be ourselves.  If you missed out on the Information Sessions, please contact Dr. Cheryl in the Parish Offices.  We are still working on the census of small groups and will soon be able to start connecting people with groups that are forming or ready to receive new members.

The next few weekends are really going to be full at Saint Pius—we have Sacraments of Initiation scheduled during our Sunday Masses, we have groups who are sharing enrichment opportunities, we have a Newcomer’s breakfast, we have Anointing of the Sick, and we have Children’s Liturgy of the Word returning soon!  Lots and lots will be happening.  Home is where we celebrate with family the major moments of life, and support each other when needed!

I am going to be away for a few Sundays in the coming months.  I have a good friend from seminary, a priest who serves in the Archdiocese of New York, who will be celebrating a milestone birthday in grand fashion in New York.  I also will accompany a group on a pilgrimage as well as taking about 10 days of vacation walking a Camino.  It also happens that the annual priest workshop will take place in the middle of these dates.  While some may think I am trying to allow Father Daniel an experience similar to mine while he was away—it honestly was more of the “God is giving me opportunities” that are fitting in His time rather than mine.

Please continue to pray for our Saint Pius community.  We are on this journey together—and we need each other’s prayers!

ALL SET FOR SUNDAY

The readings can be found here.

It seems like we have lots of rules that we need to obey: honor your parents, be truthful, respect the property of others, return what you have borrowed, respect life from the moment of conception until natural death, respect your relationships and the relationships of others, refrain from meat on Fridays, especially in Lent, fast on days of penance, feast on solemnities, love God, love others, make disciples.  There are a lot of rules—some of which we might readily embrace, others of which we might feel are difficult or impossible.  Some of the rules might feel like the infringe on my freedom or the freedom of others.  Some rules feel like they are arbitrary or cruel.

Before we decide whether or not we obey or disobey, we should change our perspective and seek to discover where they rule comes from and why it’s in place.  In the development of the conscience, we are called to first surrender, submit, and subordinate ourselves to God.  We do this with one simple sentence: I am not God.  When God gives us laws and commandments, which we call DIVINE LAW, we are called to surrender.  When a law or commandment comes from a government or authority, we are called to discern whether or not it is in accord with divine law—if it is, then we are asked to give the government or authority the benefit of the doubt; however, if after we pray, read, study and pray more, and find that we cannot follow it, then the conscience takes priority.  The conscience is more than a feeling or a thought.  The reading and studying requires that we seek input from folks we might agree with as well as from folks that we might not—it requires the use of our intellect and reason which have been given to us by God.

In a time when authority is constantly challenged and questioned, it is hard to give it the benefit of the doubt.  The change in perspective is that while people can be selfish, arrogant or prideful, they can also be selfless, humble and loving.

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED!  Yes, Father Daniel has returned.  I am so happy to have him back.  His energy and joy is contagious.  We are so blessed to have him with us.  My prayer is that his Bishop and ours forget that he is here.  Please join with this prayer.

A humble request: I realize that requests made to me are falling through the cracks.  This is not malicious or intentional, but often because there is a desire to go to the Pastor for things.  If you can ask one of the ministry team members first about something, please do so. Their contact information is listed on the ministry team page found here.  If I haven’t responded to you as quickly as you like, please reach out again—if I direct you to another person, please know it’s not because I don’t think it’s important; it’s probably because my plate is full and someone else is better able to assist you.  The final part of the request: if you see a problem, offer a solution as well.  No one enjoys reading a bunch of problems; we love helping to create solutions with others.

Our Finance Council met this past week.  We had a great meeting and are working on our annual report to you later in September.  

We had our first Information Session for the Fiat Lux small groups.  Fiat Lux means “let there be light.”  It is the first words that God speaks in the Bible in the first chapter of Genesis.  This is the desire for these groups—that God’s light will be present within our community by coming together.  We will offer the same Information Session on Tuesday, September 3 at 6:30!

Our weekday Mass schedule expands this week.  Please join us for an evening weekday Mass on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays at 5:15 PM.  

Our expanded times of Adoration will also begin this week.  The first time is Thursday at 11:45 AM.  (Monday is a holiday and Wednesday is a first Wednesday of the month).  Also, join us on First Friday for the Encounter experience at 7:00 PM.  We have amazing music, heartfelt reflections and a powerful encounter with Christ in the Eucharist.  

Happy Labor Day!  Our offices are closed in observance of the holiday.  Morning Mass is still at 8:15 AM.  Please join me in praying for all who sustain our lives by their labors, as well as for those who are underemployed and unemployed.

ALL SET FOR SUNDAY

Please check out the post below for the readings.  As you will see, last week we celebrated our Patron, and so this week we have a bit of catching up to do with some very rich readings on the Eucharist.

Jesus tells us quite plainly that He is the Living Bread.  His flesh is true food; His Blood is true drink.  "This is My Body.”  “This is My Blood.”  We hear these words at every Mass.  It can be too easy to think He is saying something to the effect of “think of me when you eat this bread.”  He is literally telling us to believe Him, to trust Him and know that the bread is changed at the very core of what it is into His Body.  The wine is changed at the very core of what it is into His Blood.  This is hard because our senses tell us differently—but our senses do not always perceive all of reality—they are limited and perceive only what they are capable of.  They do not perceive everything—just think about what your dog can hear that you cannot.  This weekend pray for the gift to trust and believe even when it is difficult.

CENTERED ON THE EUCHARIST

This year we are taking up the invitation from our Bishop and the Bishops throughout the United States to center our parish on Jesus in the Eucharist.  The National Eucharistic Congress held in July in Indianapolis was a monumental moment in the life of the Church as Christians gathered from all over the US to focus entirely on Jesus in the gift of the Eucharist.

This year at Saint Pius we are working on cultivating a connection with Christ through our invitation to spend time with Him during a period of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.  This time, called Adoration, is as structured as you need it to be.  The point of Adoration is for you to reconnect with the Lord whom you love.  Some people bring a Bible to this time and read the Word of God in front of the Word made Flesh.  Others will sit in silence and just allow Him to speak to their heart and soul.  Others will bring devotional books or prayers to pray.  Others will bring headphones to listen to music that lifts their souls to Him.  Others will bring a journal and write, allowing Him to lead and guide the conversation.  Still others will cry.  Still others will create a to-do list.  And others will do a combination of these things and more.  What is most important is spending time with Jesus, worshiping, praising and adoring Him in the gift of the Blessed Sacrament.

Starting on Tuesday, September 3, we will begin our new schedule with more opportunities throughout the week to come and spend time with Jesus.  Our goal is not to offer 24 hour a day Exposition, but to allow more times of Exposition so that you can spend time with Him.  We will also start our 5:15 PM Mass on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays the day after Labor Day.

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

Father Daniel returns from his well-deserved and much needed time of vacation and visit with his family this week.  While he touches down in the great State of Iowa on Tuesday, he will need a few days to re-acclimate to Iowa time.  Please be gentle with him.  I know I have a list that is really long for him to do!

School began on Friday, August 23.  It is great to have our young people back in the building and to see them so eager to be here.  I really love having a Catholic school—as a former teacher, there is an excitement that I still feel at the beginning of each academic year.  Please pray not just for our SPX students, but all students as they begin this new season of learning, so that they might be filled with the Holy Spirit in their search for wisdom.

Our Year Centered on Christ in the Eucharist will also bring several changes in how we live together and celebrate the Sacraments.  Our families with young people who will prepare to receive First Reconciliation and First Communion this year will be meeting monthly in small groups to prepare the young people as the first teachers of their children in the way of faith.  I know many are nervous about this change—but it is an important one.  We want our young people to fall in love with Jesus, and this first requires that they see us model being in love with Jesus—starting with parents but including the whole community.  We live in a new age which requires us to be bold and be different.

This Sunday we will also have our first Information Session for our Fiat Lux Small Groups.  “Fiat Lux” means “let there be light!”, the first words God speaks in the Bible.  God wants to shine His Light in our lives, but we must create spaces for this happen.  When we gather in small groups, we invite His Light to shine on the ordinary parts of our lives.  These groups are meant to be invitational—places where you can invite someone to join knowing that he or she will experience His Light.  When you think about it, we often think that we should first bring someone to Mass; this is actually the last place the early Christians would bring someone.  Our forebears in the faith knew that we should first let them encounter God through us, then allow them to have a personal experience of Him, then begin to teach them about Him and finally bring the person into Communion with the Church by joining the community at Mass.  Come to learn more about these life sharing groups either Sunday, August 25 at 5 or Tuesday, September 3 at 6:30.

Have a great week!  Please pray for each other on this journey.

POPE SAINT PIUS X, PRAY FOR US!

This weekend we celebrate our patron saint, Pope Saint Pius X!  The readings for this Sunday are found below as a separate entry for the blog.  We will read the Gospel for the 20th Sunday of the Year next week with the Gospel reading for the 21st Sunday of the Year.

A short biography of our Patron Saint can be found here.

Pope Pius X was known for his love of Jesus in the Eucharist, his love for children and his love for the poor.  These three elements of his life are invitations to us as a parish community.  When we love Jesus in the Eucharist, our children and the poor, we announce to the world our magnificent message of hope, joy and charity.  

Our Discipleship Prayer

This weekend we are introducing our new discipleship prayer for our community.  It is based on our mission statement and also serves to help us become disciples after the heart of Saint Pius X.

Lord our God,

You came in mercy to your Chosen People, time and again renewing covenants with them until You restored all things in Christ.  

Give us the grace today to love You above all things and our brothers and sisters with a love worthy of You, so that we might make disciples of all nations. Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Saint Pius X, pray for us.

LET'S GIVE PEOPLE SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT! 

With Saint PIus X as our model, we are inviting you to live our faith in new and different ways.  When we live differently, people are going to talk--and let's take up the challenge to give others something POSITIVE to talk about!

The Eucharist: This year we are taking up the challenge to keep the Eucharistic Revival alive in our parish.  We are focusing on Jesus in the Eucharist through a number of ways--none of them new, but renewals of what are already doing.

1. On September 1, we will be bringing back the 5:15 PM weekday Mass on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  If you have felt the Lord invite you to attend Mass on a weekday in addition to Sunday, this is a reinforcement of His invitation.  If you feel like you need something more in your prayer life, this is a reinforcement of that invitation.  Please join us!
2. On September 1, we will be adding in times for adoration.  On Monday, we will have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church following the morning Mass until 10:00 AM.  We also have Exposition in the Adoration Chapel (lower level off the East parking lot) from 6--10 PM.  On Tuesday, we have Exposition in the Adoration Chapel from 6 AM--12 Noon.  On Wednesdays (except the first Wednesday of the month) we will have Exposition following the 5:15 PM Mass until 7:30 PM.   On Thursdays we will have Exposition from 11:30 AM --1 PM in the church.  On First Fridays we have Exposition with our Encounter experience from 7--8:30 PM.  Please sign up and make this a part of your routine.  A simple guide for Adoration can be found here.
3. We will be handing out books from DYNAMIC CATHOLIC on the Eucharist in September.
4. We will be moving all of our sacramental celebrations of Baptism, First Communion and Anointing of the Sick to our regular Sunday Masses.  This means that we won't be baptizing after Masses--we will be including these celebrations in our Sunday Masses.  We won't have separate "Healing Masses"--we will be celebrating the Anointing of the Sick within a regular Sunday Mass for our parishioners who need prayer.  We will celebrate First Communion at our regular Sunday Masses.  Too often we believe that these are "private celebrations"--and they are not.  We need to support and be supported by the praying community.

The children: This year we will be inviting our children into our relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist.  Our school will be offering the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to our 3 year-old preschool program.  The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd uses the Montessori model to teach children about the Mass and the Catholic faith.  Our school and faith formation ministries will be offering our students time for adoration, eucharistic processions and more.

The poor: This year the Pastoral Council will be discerning how we can better love the poor in our midst.  Too often we think of being poor as solely a financial problem--we certainly have folks who are poor spiritually, relationally, emotionally and other ways.  Our first way of serving is through the process of forming small life groups within our community.  When we gather to share life with each other--we are feeding the other through a relationship rooted in Christ.  We will be hosting an Information night twice--Sunday, August 25 at 5:00 PM and Tuesday, September 3 at 6:30 PM.  This Information Night will give you a better idea of the small life groups and our vision.