Dress up as your favorite Saint and enjoy a night of fun for all ages! Hot dogs, chips, and dessert will be provided. Parishioners are needed to decorate a saint/religious themed trunk or table for the event.

Through the years I have subscribed to various periodicals, some for a year or two and others much longer (as such with Mother Earth News). When my father unexpectedly subscribed to Sports Illustrated back in the sixties, my brother and I were elated. I still remember the cover of the first issue we received: Roberto Clemente hitting a home run...

Altar servers, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, ushers and gift bearers are needed at ALL weekend Masses. Please check your schedule and sign up for the ministries you can help with.

“Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, ‘You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’” Too many years ago I was visiting New Mellerrey Abbey outside of Peosta, Iowa.  A Trappist Monastery started by Irish monks in the 1800’s, it is located in the rolling hills near Dubuque, always welcoming to visitors or those who wish to quietly pray or share in their times of prayer throughout the day.  Along with my aunt and great aunt we paid a visit, shared a time of prayer and was invited to eat in the guest dining hall.  (I didn’t hesitate to accept.)  A simple meal (buffet style) embellished with monastic hospitality prompted me to find the cook to thank him. 

Hot dogs, s'mores and new friends! All Boone County Catholic Community 5th-8th graders are invited to our bonfire at Sacred Heart.

Join us for an informational meeting October 10 after the 8:30 am mass in Hanson Hall at St. Malachy.

Every three years Bishop Nickless gathers the priests—active and retired—for a Convocation, with a guest speaker guiding the daily sessions.  Fr. Ross and I will be attending the Convocation this upcoming week at the Lakes region.  Such a gathering allows us to pray together, share meals together, socialize and, hopefully, affirm and grow deeper in our priestly identity and ministry within parish life.   Our diocese has held such Convocations for a number of years, sometimes meeting in Omaha or Sioux City, at a retreat center in South Dakota, and for the past few gatherings, at the lakes region.  I can recall the guest speaker at the first Convocation I attended nearly thirty years ago in Sioux City.  Each priest is impacted differently by the message/topics offered during the morning/afternoon sessions, and hopefully such will be the premise of our upcoming conference.  One obvious difference from the past Convocations is the number of active priests present.  We continue to trust in the movement of the Holy Spirit bringing forth the courage and openness to those who are called to ordained ministry and religious life.  Convocation gatherings re-affirms our calling, and the hope of Sacramental Ministry within our parishes.  Thank you for allowing us this time.

Together In Christ, our Diocesan Annual Appeal, has recently reached the households of each adult parishioner within the diocese.  Bishop Nickless’ letter and a pledge card was received in each household, (as well as to each priest in the diocese).  I’m remiss in my reminder of our Annual Appeal’s significance.  Probably not the piece of mail that one is eager to open immediately.  Nonetheless, your prayerful consideration and financial gift is a significant boost to the programs that we as a parish attempt to offer for the faith and wellbeing of our families and individuals.   Whatever our donations or pledges, such supports the ongoing outreach of Hispanic & Migrant Outreach, Religious Education Programming, Social Justice Office, Ordained Ministry Training, the Vocations Office and Seminarian formation.  All these programs on the Diocesan level affect the ministries and programs we as a parish offer to build the faith of our parishioners and visitors.

A thank you to our parishioners who volunteer their time, faith and hope for our youth within our Religious Education classes.  Not always what is accomplished or achieved in the classroom, but your presence, character and belief in the goodness and purpose of each child and teenager.  Your presence and faith is a ministry, allowing young individuals to discover or renew their relationship with God—and hopefully drawn to participate in the community surrounding the Eucharist.  Thank you. 

Thank you to those who donated toward the efforts of our Catholic Church (through Catholic Relief Services) to reach out to the individuals and families in Haiti devastated by the hurricane last month.  They were struggling prior to this natural disaster and now seeking some semblance of hope in their daily lives.  If you still desire to offer help through a donation please drop it off at our office or place it in the collection.  Nearly sixty percent of Haiti’s population is Catholic.  Interestingly, the majority of the countries in South America have a greater percentage of Catholics than that of our own, with Paraguay nearly ninety percent Catholic.  Other countries who like Haiti have a majority of Catholics to no one’s surprise: Poland, Italy, Croatia, Ireland, Portugal, Philippines, Mexico, France, Cuba, and little Timor-Leste (nearly 95 percent so).

We will be placing an order for a county-wide t-shirt.  Shirts are available in youth and adult sizes.   Click on this news story to place your order before Sept. 20th.  

Register now for the diocesan Rekindle Youth Conference. Open to all 7th-12th graders. Theme: "I Fly Unto Thee"

Thank for your generosity towards the people of Haiti, supporting the ongoing outreach of Catholic Relief Service in that country.  Our donations, alongside that of other parishes in our diocese, will eventually go directly towards the efforts of CRS workers who are attempting to bring some light of hope to so many individuals and families whose conditions are so meager.  You may bring any donation to the office after the weekend to be included in the collection.  With the raging fires in the western states, the devastation to the gulf states, extreme flooding in Tennessee, we may forget our blessings of security we enjoy in the rural land of the Midwest.  Again, thank you.

Who are you? What do you seek? Why a God? Who is Jesus? Why a Church? Answer these questions in more in our 10 part study on The Search from FORMED.

In the past two weeks it seems our news coverage has been fixated on the human drama and tragedy surrounding the refugees at the Kabul airport and the fate of Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Closer to home we certainly have our concerns domestically, but more so in the impoverished island of Haiti, our neighbor...

Our past year and a half has been a bit of a learning curve for our parishes and those throughout the diocese and the entire Catholic Church.  Though the coronavirus has abated somewhat, there is still concern for one’s personal health.  We will continue to allow our gatherings for the Eucharist and parish events to be welcoming and safe as possible.  For those who have volunteered their presence and faith for the ministries within our parishes (usher/greeter, lector, music, cantor, sacristan, altar server, Eucharistic Minister, Religious Education teacher, assistants, filming the Masses, Homebound Communion, Social Justice outreach, etc.) - - Thank You!! 

“Whenever we look to Mary, we come to believe once again in the revolutionary nature of love and tenderness. In her we see that humility and tenderness are not virtues of the weak but of the strong who need not treat others poorly in order to feel important themselves.” (Pope Francis)

Again this week we hear in John’s discourse the reference to Jesus as the “bread of life.”  Such teaching on His part would incur a natural understanding amongst his disciples and believers.  Bread was the significant food for the people inhibiting the holy land at the time of Jesus’ presence, so essential that it became the “staff upon which people supported themselves.”  Bread was considered the gift from God, almost always shared in community with family and friends; thus, the reference ‘breaking bread’ with others. 

“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” (Mahatma Gandhi) Our gospel passage this Sunday is summed up in Jesus’ proclamation towards the end: “my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread from God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Thus, it is fitting to consider the Church’s guidelines on the elements of Holy Communion, sanctified into the Body and Blood of Christ Jesus. CLICK TITLE TO READ MORE

Classes begin in September for our Religious Education classes. We offer PreK-10th grade classes at St. Malachy and K-10th grade classes at Sacred Heart and St. John.