At Mass this Sunday we heard the Sermon on the Mount—the Beatitudes. It is a passage we are all very familiar with, in part because it is commonly chosen for funerals. Unfortunately, as I mentioned in my homily, the reason it is often chosen is not always the right one. As I have said several times before, we seem to have lost a sense of what a funeral truly is, and we sometimes expect it to be all about eulogizing—or even canonizing—the deceased.
I experienced this a few years ago when I was speaking with a family about the funeral of a loved one who was nearing death. I mentioned that I often prefer to choose the readings for the Mass, which can also be helpful to the family since it is one less thing to worry about. Their response was very telling of how many people see funerals today: “How can you choose the readings if you do not know our dying family member?”
“The homily in particular must ‘avoid the literary genre of funeral eulogy’ and illumine the mystery of Christian death in the light of the risen Christ,” says the Catechism of the Catholic Church (no. 1688). In other words, the point of the homily is not to focus primarily on the deceased, but on how Christ’s death and resurrection opened the gates of paradise—for the deceased and for all of us.
Furthermore, the readings are an integral part of the liturgy, not simply a way to personalize the celebration. As with every part of the Mass, there are norms we must follow. For example, during the Easter season the first reading is not taken from the Old Testament, as it is during the rest of the year.
The Church does allow families to choose the readings, and therefore we allow it as well. But if you ever find yourself planning a funeral, please don’t hesitate to let the priest choose the readings. Here at the Cathedral parish, we usually offer that as the first option. We may not know every detail about your loved one, but we know Christ—and we know how His death and resurrection have won salvation for your loved one, for you, and for me.
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Parish Announcements
Parish Giving
Masses this Week
Monday, February 2
12:00 pm - Cathedral (English)
Tuesday, February 3
12:00 pm - Cathedral (English)
Wednesday, February 4
9:00 am- Cathedral (Spanish)
Thursday, February 5
Friday, February 6
Saturday, February 7
Sunday, February 8
8:30 am - Cathedral (Spanish)
10:30 am - St. Boniface (Spanish)
12:00 pm - Cathedral (Spanish)
12:30 pm - St. Joseph (Vietnamese)
Fr. Nguyen’s intention
Liturgical Ministries
Saturday, February 7 , 4 pm at St. Boniface
Lector
Lector
Heidi Grimaldo
Servers
Juanita, Mercedes & Fatima Orozco
Cantor
Dawn Prosser
Sunday, February 8, 8:30 am at St. Joseph
Lector
Lector
Michelle Rethman
Servers
James Plautz
Megan Trierweiler
Cantor
Erin Nelson
Sunday, February 8, 8:30 am at St. Boniface
Altar Servers
Cole Hughes
Peter DeWitt
Sam Bouma
Paxton Bouma
Patrick Kanaly
Sunday, February 8, 10:00 am at Cathedral
Lector
Lector
Cecilia Lopez
Servers
Jasmine Magana
Leopoldo Guevara
Kenny Calderon Perez
Cantor
Kristen Santos
Mass Counts
A Family of Faith
Wednesday, February 4th is the next Parent and Sacramental Preparation Night.
Consider attending the Spanish Mass at 5:30 p.m. to begin the evening with prayer (optional). Both parents are expected to attend the class with Father Esquiliano in the church. Father Esquiliano will be discussing Lesson 8: Praying to the Virgin Mary and Lesson 9: Expressions of Prayer.
Students should report to their assigned classroom or space. The catechists will be discussing Lesson 8: Praying to the Virgin Mary and the Vocabulary Words. When the parents join the class, they will review the activities for Lesson 7: The Holy Spirit and Prayer together, then choose the appropriate activity based on their child's age and explain the homework (the remaining activities) that their child should complete at home and bring to the next class.
Knights of Columbus
Contact - Check out our Facebook page for activities and updates “Knights of Columbus Council 743 USA”.
Email: KofC743USA@gmail.com.
Phone:
English -
Brent- 712-490-0410
Spanish -
Jorge 308-383-2517
- Next meal: next meal will be February 28 & March 1.
- KoC meeting: Tuesday, March 17, 2026 starting with the Holy Rosary at 6:15 pm
Knights in Action: Knights serving breakfast to Cathedral Dual Language students in celebration of Catholic Schools Week.
Community Announcements
Siouxland Catholic Radio:
Tune into Faith in Action at 9 a.m., Monday, Feb. 9, on Channel 88.1FM. Host Joanne Fox features the Seven Sisters Apostolate: Prayer Warriors who strengthen the Church by ensuring a Holy Hour is prayed each day of the week for the sole intention of a specific priest or bishop. This program replays at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14. Faith in Action is brought to you by Mary's Choice, a Sioux City Pregnancy Resource Center.
Other local programming also on Siouxland Catholic Radio includes:
Divine Mercy airs at 3 p.m. Daily
Mass from Mater Dei Parish 9 a.m. on Sunday’s
Life Plan airs on Sunday’s at 8 p.m.
Catholic Ministry Professionals airs on Tuesday's 4 p.m.
Draw Near airs on Wednesday's at 4 p.m.
Father Knows Best on Wednesday's at 9 p.m.
Programming is subject to change
St Serran Club will meet Tuesday, Jan 27th beginning with a 5:00 pm Rosary at St. Michael’s Chapel. A 5:30 pm Mass and meeting will follow
If you would like to submit announcements for Lines of Faith, please send them to Blanca at bcancino@sccathedral by 10am Friday.
Carmelite Nuns Celebration
All parishioners and friends are invited to attend a celebration commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Carmelite Guild Board of Directors and Carmelite Nuns of Sioux City. The event will take place on Tuesday, April 18 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at Holy Cross St. Michael Parish Center, 2223 Indian Hills Drive. Doors open at 12:30pm.
The day includes a dessert bar, beverage, information on the Carmel Guild and peace cards, display of Carmel memorabilia, and a slide show. Cards may be played until 3:00pm. Raffle tickets can be purchased until 2:30pm at $1.00 each, and the winners will be announced at 3:00pm. There will be a free will donation. For more information please call 212-0248 or 635-4488.
Bible Study
We will have a new 5 week Bible Study during Easter entitled “The Power of the Resurrection” led by Fr. Jeremy Wind. We will meet Thursday’s at 6:45pm starting April 20-May 18th. Please contact the office for more information.
We need volunteers to help with the occasional funeral luncheons at St. Boniface, St. Joseph, and the Cathedral. Time commitment would be from approximately 9:30am-1:00pm. No cooking or prep work is involved; all the luncheons are catered. Responsibilities include setting up, greeting the caterer, possibly making lemonade or coffee, assisting the family, and light clean up afterwards. We are happy to provide families and friends a space to gather for sharing, which is an important part of the grieving process. Please call Julie at 712-255-1637x109 or email jkrogh@sccathedral.org Thank you!
Calvary Cemetery will have a Memorial Day Mass at 9:00 am Monday, May 29.
Calvary Cemetery
Help Wanted: Caretaker at Calvary Cemetery
Duties include groundskeeping, maintenance & customer service.
This is a full-time position with 401K, PTO, health & life insurance.
For more information, contact Bob at (712) 259-0603 or bobr@scdiocese.org.
The Cathedral Hall will be closed for the entire month of June as work will be undertaken to replace the flooring.
Deacon Jake Rosenmeyer extends his thanks and gratitude to the Cathedral parishioners for their prayerful support, especially those who attended his Ordination Mass this weekend. Please pray for Deacon Jake as he prepares to go to his summer assignment at John Paul II Parish in Carroll and as he prepares to finish his last year of seminary in St. Louis.
Sunday Vespers will not be celebrated during the summer months at the Cathedral due to low attendance. The last Vespers of this season will be on June 2, Corpus Christi Sunday. 4:00 pm Vespers will resume on Sunday, September 8.
Sunday Vespers will not be celebrated during the summer months at the Cathedral due to low attendance. The last Vespers of this season will be on June 2, Corpus Christi Sunday. 4:00 pm Vespers will resume on Sunday, September 8.
Please remember to either silence or turn off your phone before you come into the church. We have recently had several instances of phones going off during the Mass and it is a good reminder to please observe this act of courtesy and respect for both our Lord and other parishioners.
