Illuminating Catholics

Send us Fan Mail Certified Catholic divorce healing coaching of Abounding Joy Ministry will be leading the online Build a New Life workshop for separated and divorced Catholics, offered through a partnership with the Diocese of Sioux City. The workshop begins Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. Central time. Register and find the generous discount codes for the 12-week workshop at scdiocese.org/divorce .  She talks...

Send us Fan Mail Fort Dodge St. Edmond Catholic School Chaplain Father Jake Rosenmeyer and Sioux City Bishop Heelan High School Campus Minister Grace Lange join us for the first episode of 2026. The two share how they keep the faith alive in their schools, helping to maintain the Catholic identity on the campus. Be sure to listen for a surprising experience that Father Rosenmeyer and Grace have in...

Send us Fan Mail Parishioners of Spencer Sacred Heart Parish want to make sure no one has to spend their Christmas dinner alone. The faithful volunteer on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to host a meal in their parish center for anyone who wants to come. The tradition began when Father Roger Linnan (now retired) was pastor and he wanted to host a Christmas dinner. Longtime volunteer and parishione...

Send us Fan Mail Retired diocesan priest and Ayrshire native (Emmetsburg Catholic High School alumnus) Father Emmet Farrell was ordained in 1965 and after three years left diocesan ministry for missionary work in Latin America. Returning to the United States in the 1980s, much of his focus was on social justice issues. After Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato Si (Care for our Common Home), was...

Send us Fan Mail Brandon Marsh, executive director of the Coralville John Paul II Medical Research Institute shares the mission of the institute, which is guided by Catholic moral teachings "and serving the sanctity of all human life." Founded by Dr. Alan Moy in 2007, the institute funds ethical research and advances in health care that reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. The i...

Send us Fan Mail Father Andrew Galles, our diocesan director of worship, shares the hopeful anticipation of the season of Advent with us. From the Isaiah readings at daily Masses to the weekend Gospel readings, O Antiphons, the collect (opening prayers) and the beautiful liturgical music of Advent, the church offers so much to help us truly experience Advent. Father Galles offers suggestions outsi...

Send us Fan Mail Diocesan archivist Cecilia Lopez shares the history of the diocese serving vulnerable populations. She takes us back in time to the establishment of the good Shepherd Home for Girls, St. Monica's Home for Unwed Mothers and St. Anthony's Orphanage. Each was located in Sioux City but served people in need from a much larger geographical area. Learn more about the issues of...

Send us Fan Mail We hear the term pastoral planning, but do we know what it is and what it entails? It’s a tough topic and often emotional and we have straight talk on this episode with Deacon Mark Prosser, director of pastoral planning and Bishop John Keehner’s chief of staff, and Father David Esquiliano, diocesan judicial vicar and pastor of the Sioux City Cathedral Parish, to help us understand...

Send us Fan Mail Norma Garza-Ramirez and Laura Duenas of Catholic Charities share the increase in requests for aid at their office - even before the SNAP cuts - for food, coats, help with utilities and rent, etc. They also refer people to the myriad of resources available in the event that they are not able to help. Those wishing to help can contact their local Catholic Charities office and contri...

Send us Fan Mail As we lead up to our observance of Veterans Day on Nov. 11, we had a conversation with two of our diocesan retired priests who also served as military chaplains. Msgr. Ken Seifried, Manson native, served as a U.S. Army chaplain and Father Francis Higgins, Fonda native,  served as a chaplain for the U.S. Air Force. They share their vocation stories and why they wanted to serve as p...

Send us Fan Mail As we prepare for National Vocations Awareness Week Nov. 2 through 8, we interviewed leaders of two groups in the diocese that focus on supporting vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Andrea Bengford of the St. Serra Club of Siouxland and Kris Boeckman of the Carroll Area Vocations Ministry. they share how their groups operate and some of their activities to help foster...

Send us Fan Mail For Respect Life Month, Prosser and Karmen Bower shine a light on Dawn Grimes of Mary's Choice Family Resource Center in Sioux City and Jason Schwarte of New Creation Pregnancy Resource Center in Carroll. Learn more about the great work of these organizations to support life and support moms and families in this episode. Find more information about Mary's Choice at:  Mar...

Send us Fan Mail National Catholic speaker Braden Johnson will serve as keynote for the Nov. 2 Called Youth Conference in Granville. He shares his faith journey from attending parties and working in the entertainment industry to an invitation to spend time in adoration, which changed his life to focus upon his relationship with the Lord. Find out more about why he is driven to "awaken hearts...

Send us Fan Mail The Diocese of Sioux City is offering four Cycle Prep sessions for mothers and their young daughters starting Oct. 22. Andrea Ault, Bishop Garrigan High School alumna, will serve as facilitator for the Cycle Prep sessions. She shares how she learned about the Cycle Prep program and how it aligns with church teaching about the human body and God's design for our bodies.  For m...

Send us Fan Mail Maybe you've heard of Rachel's Vineyard or read about an upcoming retreat in your parish bulletin, but do you really know what it's about? Stormy Poss of Rachel's Vineyard is our guest, helping us to understand what the retreats entail and how they can help heal those hurt by a past abortion. Whether it's been a few years or decades, taking the time to ste...

Send us Fan Mail Longtime priest for the Diocese of Sioux City, Fort Dodge native and St. Edmond graduate, Father Bill Schreiber of parishes in Jefferson, Churdan and Grand Junction joins us as we are celebrating Catechetical Sunday this week.  Father Schreiber shares his experiences in adult faith formation throughout his ministry, including the "pre-RCIA" years and how it has evolved t...

Send us Fan Mail Following up from an episode last March, producer Savannah Crossfield of Lucidity Pictures discusses an upcoming 6-part docuseries, Cradled in Glass - the cold, hard truth about IVF. The producer walks us through her curiosity about the hundreds of thousands of abandoned frozen embryos in the United States and how that sparked the desire to produce a docuseries that explores some...

Send us Fan Mail The Msgr. Lafferty Tuition Foundation has been around for many years, providing scholarships for Catholic school parents and Iowa tax benefits for supporters. But do we still need MLTF with ESAs helping so many families? The answer is yes and Danbury Catholic School Principal Molly Petersen helps us to understand what this program really is and how it's crucial to help famili...

Send us Fan Mail Elizabeth M. Kelly, award-winning speaker and author is the keynote speaker for the Nov. 15 diocesan Women's Gathering in Fort Dodge, Love Like a Saint, based up on her book of the same name. She contributes content to numerous publications, Relevant Radio, EWTN and others.  She shares how the book came to be, how to read and pray with it and what Women's Gathering parti...

Send us Fan Mail Father Michael Cronin, pastor of St. Rose of Lima in Denison, recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of his priestly ordination by participating in a Camino this summer. He shares the history behind this spiritual and physical journey, why pilgrims are called to walk the Camino and how he prepared for the walk. Thank you for listening to this episode of Illuminating Catholics –...

Send us Fan Mail *Note to parents - some of the content discussed regarding human trafficking and sex trafficking may not be suitable for younger listeners.  Sister Shirley Fineran, OSF, longtime social work professor is a regular speaker on human trafficking in our nation and even in northwest Iowa. She shares what human trafficking is, how men and women and children become trafficked and the men...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Ryan Allen of the FIRE Foundation of Northwest Iowa and diocesan Superintendent of Catholic Schools Patty Lansink share what the foundation does to facilitate inclusion in the 15 Catholic school systems in the diocese. Through grants and professional development opportunities, the foundation is supporting all diocesan schools. Students with disabilities can attend the same sch...

Send us Fan Mail Revathi Vongsiprasom, immigration attorney, and Norma Garza-Ramirez, case manager, of the Welcome program of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Sioux City serve many of the immigrants and refugees in northwest Iowa. They shared the challenges and struggles of their clients and ways they can assist. With the increased immigration enforcement in recent months, there is growing fea...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Illuminating Catholics, Matt Willkom of Iowa Catholic Radio shares where the station has recently expanded within the Diocese of Sioux City. Learn about Iowa Catholic Radio's local programming and some areas where they look to expand in the future. Thank you for listening to this episode of Illuminating Catholics – shedding light to understand the modern ch...

Send us Fan Mail For our 40th episode - Co-host Karmen Bower shares some of the efforts from her office during this busy summer (no rest for faith formation staff) including Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training in Le Mars. The Office of Worship and the Office of Faith Formation offered a number of informational options regarding OCIA including a webinar, podcast episodes and regional meetings...