Keep our star shining! Join St. Mary’s Ball Chairs Dr. John and Lindsay Armstrong and Colin and Trisha Schmitt on March 6, 2021 for the St. Mary’s Virtual Ball and Charity Auction. Dr. John Armstrong is a general surgeon at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center and Lindsay is an active member of St. Mary’s PTP group. They are parents of three children – Will in second grade, Blair in kindergarten, and Quinn in three-year-old preschool. Colin and Trisha Schmitt join the leadership of the auction this year with Armstrongs and will chair the 2022 event. Colin is a local farmer. Trisha is Vice President of Corporate Marketing at VT Industries. They have three children – Bella in fifth grade, Leo in third grade, and Dylan, two years old. The event is the single largest fundraiser of the year for the local Catholic preK-12 School. This year the event will be held as a virtual event. Follow Storm Lake St. Mary’s School Facebook page for updated event information.

Place orders online, by sending your scrip pouch to school, drop orders off at Rust’s Western Shed, or drop an order form in the locked drop box outside the parish offices.

Attached is the sign up sheet for The Advent Angel Tree that the National Honor Society is sponsoring. We will be picking up the presents at Mass during the weekend of December 12/13. We ask that the presents are not wrapped and they are clearly labeled with family number, age and gender of the recipient. If you would like to drop off the presents early, please drop presents off at the school office.

Join us for the Road to Bethlehem, a journey that includes daily Advent reflections and enrichment from FORMED. We will be sending you handpicked videos, talks, and texts every day throughout Advent to nourish your spiritual life. Sign up today to prepare for the coming of our Lord Jesus at Christmas!

11 CHANCES TO WIN CASH! 1 - $5,000 cash 4 - $1,000 prizes 4 - $500 prizes Purchase your tickets before December 31, 2020 to be entered into the early bird drawing - two lucky winners will win $2,000! All drawings will be Saturday, March 6, 2021. *Winner is responsible for all taxes and fees.

Please look at the updated Mass protocols.

Last spring, we began to address our worn-out liturgical vessels and items used for the Sacred Liturgy, mindful that we owe the Lord our very best when it comes to the celebration of Mass. I have claimed several items from the liturgical inventory of the diocese from closed and merged churches. These vessels need some extra attention and care due to their age and use. It is time to give them new life and a new use. I currently have them at Koley’s in Omaha awaiting restoration and re-plating. I’d ask you to consider adopting one or more of these vessels so that the work may begin and we can then in turn use them during liturgical celebrations here at St. Mary’s. Thank you for your consideration and generosity. If you have any questions, please let me know. -Father Lingle

St. Mary's Ball & Charity Auction
Saturday, March 6, 2021 More information to come.

This past year was a successful appeal year, even given the difficult circumstances with Covid-19, and that is due to the support of the faithful in Northwest Iowa. We are still unsure about how the future will look, as we continue to cope with changes in our lives due to the pandemic, but one thing is for sure: we always have our Catholic faith! 2020 St. Mary's Goal: $47,355

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 7AM - 6PM East center doors will be open for private prayer. *There will be sanitizer on the table in the front entrance, please sanitize after you pray. Thank you!

Jon Hartje and Matt Tennyson are two of our RCIA candidates who joined the Catholic Church this Saturday, August 29.

- Parents who serve as lead Catechists in classrooms by making a weekly commitment to the program will receive a discount for their child(ren)’s tuition. Catechists are expected to be active Catholics who attend weekly Mass and live in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Please contact Kathleen Eckerman if you would like more information on volunteering. - School of Faith classes will begin September 16. Payment in full is required before children may attend - A copy of each registered child’s birth certificate and baptismal certificate should be given to the Director of Faith Formation before the first night of classes on September 16, 2020 Deadline for Registration - September 11, 2020

Are you interested in knowing more about the Catholic Church’s faith or teachings? Beginning September 1, these classes will be on Tuesdays from 6:00-7:30PM in St. Mary’s Parish Center. Face masks will be worn and social distancing practices will be observed. Classes in Spanish are also available. If you have questions or wish to register, please call the office at 732-3110

The Book of Ecclesiastes tells us, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” It is once again time for us to seriously engage the pastoral planning process in the Diocese of Sioux City and our parish grouping. As your pastor, and as the former Director of Pastoral Planning for the diocese, I understand that this is inevitable and difficult for all of us. The process of change and adjusting to new realities will be painful. Change is never easy, yet it is a necessary part of life. (READ MORE)

We are going to begin a gradual resumption of public Masses on the weekend of July 18-19 and slowly return to “normal” in the following weeks. Remember, the protocols for public liturgies will be in place from the Diocese of Sioux City.

With regard to resuming public Masses in our parishes, the Diocese of Sioux City has based and will continue to base decisions on scientific data and reliable projections. There is a number of criteria the Diocese is waiting to be met before it is deemed safe and responsible to open up churches again. This includes the downward trajectory of new COVID-19 cases reported within a 14-day period, the downward trajectory of hospital bed, intensive care, and ventilator usage, and the downward trajectory of daily death reports. In addition to these things, it is necessary to have adequate contact-tracing and a robust testing program. Achieving these conditions will indicate that it is reasonably safe to resume, with precautions, the public celebration of the Mass.

As your pastor, I have a responsibility to see that our stewardship of time, talent, and treasure is lived out even in the midst of difficult circumstances. ​

All public celebrations of the Mass will be suspended. A bilingual Sunday Mass will be celebrated by Fr. Michael and I and will be available on the Storm Lake St. Mary’s Parish Facebook page on Sunday at 8:00 a.m.