Although we no longer have a director for the Office of Marriage, Family and Respect Life, these areas of formation are still very important and are being taken care of by the Discipleship and Evangelization staff. If you are seeking guidance in any of these areas, please reach out to us using the info below and we will make sure you are connected with the right person.
Marriage and Family: familylife@sfcatholic.org or 605-988-3755
Respect Life: respectlife@sfcatholic.org or 605-988-3755
Seminary Visits
Due to COVID, we will not have any seminary visits this fall. However, St. John Vianney Seminary will offer a virtual Vianney Visit on Thursday evening, November 19. This event will take place at 7 p.m. Central Time (8 p.m. Eastern Time), for all prospective seminarians. This will include videos on “A Day in the Life of a Seminarian” and “Prayer and Vocational Calling,” as well as testimonies from SJV seminarians, with Q & A to follow. If interested, please RSVP with SJV secretary Mary Frame at (651) 358-3335 or by email: mframe@vianney.net.
Vocation Discernment Retreat
The Diocese of Sioux Falls Vocations Office is trying something new this year. We have a silent directed retreat instead of our annual seminary visits, which have been cancelled due to COVID. You can sign up at https://seminarydiscernmentretreat2020.splashthat.com/. Please see the link below for an information poster for printing or emailing.
Seminary Discernment Retreat 2020 (1) (1)
Friday, November 6 | 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. | St. Thomas More, Brookings
Bishop DeGrood is calling us to focus on the formation of lifelong Catholic missionary disciples in God’s love. What does this mean for parish formation programs? How can parishes implement Bishop DeGrood’s vision? Those are some of the questions we’ll explore at this year’s PCL Day. There will be Mass, presentations from the diocesan Discipleship & Evangelization team, and discussion about how we can make Bishop’s vision a reality in your parish. Lunch provided. If you are a priest, deacon, discipleship coordinator, DRE, YM, or RCIA coordinator get your tickets today! Register here.
Youth Leader Meetings:
Tuesdays @ 1 p.m. – Zoom Meeting
Going Deeper Retreats:
December 11-13, 2020 -St. Mary Parish, Dell Rapids
April 9-11, 2021 – Abbey of the Hills
Encounter Events (NET):
October 11 – Jefferson
October 25 – Tyndall
November 8 – White Lake
November 22 – Dell Rapids
January 24 – Mitchell
March 7 – Ipswich
April 18 – Sisseton
May 2 – Watertown
Weekly Youth Leader Meetings
New for the 2020-21 school year. Every Tuesday at 1 p.m. there will be a Zoom meeting for all parish youth leaders around the diocese. Meetings will be one hour long. These meetings are recorded and available upon request. To get involved in these meetings, please ensure you are on the PCL email list. If you have topics or ideas to bring to the meeting, please let Eric know. If you are not already receiving these PCL emails, you can sign up for them from the For Youth Leaders page on the diocesan webpage.
Going Deeper Retreat – December 2020
Promotional material is available on the Going Deeper webpage.
Bulletin Blurb: Teens! Are you desiring to go deeper in your prayer life? Sign up for the ‘Heart Speaks to Heart’ Going Deeper Retreat December 11-13, 2020 at St. Mary Parish in Dell Rapids. Find all the info at www.sfcatholic.org/youth. Psst, this is not a confirmation retreat.
NET – Encounter Events
Promotional material is available on the NET webpage.
Bulletin Blurb: It’s time to re-energize your faith. Join the NET team for a night of fun at a parish near you. Encounter Jesus Christ and connect with other faith driven families. Check out the NET webpage for all the info! www.sfcatholic.org/youth/encounter-events-net/
Stay up-to-date by texting SFDIOCESE to 84576 or visiting sfdiocese.flocknote.com
October 20 | 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. | St. Lambert, Sioux Falls or online
How do I live as a faithful Catholic in the world today? According to St. Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict and Pope Francis the answer lies in the documents of the Second Vatican Council. Even though it concluded 55 years ago, the Council remains as relevant as ever. Come see how they can deeply change your life. Go to www.sfcatholic.org/conversations for all the info or to watch.
October 28 | 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. | St. James, Chamberlain or online
In a way few of us have experienced before, 2020 has been a year of widespread uncertainty and pain. Many of us wonder, where is God? And yet our faith tells us that He is here, that He is near to each one of us, and even more, that He desires to bring something good and beautiful from our suffering. Join Dr. Chris as he explains how we can strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ in times of turmoil. Go to www.sfcatholic.org/conversations for all the info or to watch.
Check out a complete list of Chris’s events.
We are excited to announce Emily Leedom has accepted a new position as the executive director of Catholic Family Services. If you want to contact her in regard to her new role, you can still reach her at eleedom@sfcatholic.org or 605-988-3776.
If you would like information or assistance related to the Office of Marriage, Family and Respect Life, please contact the Office of Discipleship and Evangelization at discipleship@sfcatholic.org or 605-988-3748.
Save the Date! Parish Catechetical Leader’s Day: Friday, Nov. 6, 2020
Calling all pastors, youth ministers, DREs, Directors of Discipleship, RCIA coordinators, etc.! On November 6th the diocesan Discipleship & Evangelization team will be offering a day for you at St. Thomas More in Brookings to explore Bishop DeGrood’s vision of forming lifelong Catholic missionary disciples in God’s love. More details will come in next month’s Ministry Forum, or sign up today for the PCL Email Newsletter.
South Dakota Right to Life Convention:
During a regular year it can take 2-3 weeks to process your order and 2 weeks to ship. Processing and shipping is taking even longer this year, so please expect that you won’t receive your order for at least 6 weeks. With that in mind, please place your orders soon.
Spots are filling up fast. Applications are due by September 15. www.sfcatholic.org/equip
Attention Priests and Deacons: Save the date Wednesday, September 23, 2020 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Father Kevin O’Dell and Mary Weber (interim director of Catholic Family Services) will be offering an in-service opportunity titled “Understanding Compassion Fatigue: Strategies to prevent it and recover from it.” Priests and deacons are welcome to join in person at the Chancery or join via Zoom. Mark your calendar and watch your email for additional details.
