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By Jay Gilchrist For The Catholic Messenger St. Thomas More Parish in Coralville is rolling out a new parish Laudato Si’ Plan during the Season of Creation this year. The parish Green Team has been working the past few months to create an interactive online plan with simple goals that make it easy for parishioners and parish groups to participate (https://tinyurl.com/3rf6nmhd). The plan’s goals are adapted from “Laudato Si’, On Care for Our Common Home,” the 2015 encyclical of Pope Francis. The four goals call the community to Learn from the Earth, Hear the Poor, Live Simply, and Help to Heal the Planet. This 10th year of the Church’s Laudato Si’ mission is a wonderful time to renew our practices of care for creation, and what better time than right after we dedicated a new worship space?

In Catholicism, we refer to the tradition in the same way that Peter referred to God in Matthew 16:16: it is living. This living tradition unfolds in the midst of our own living through the discernment of the Spirit. That brings us to our Diocese of Davenport. From the listening sessions that occurred during the winter and spring of 2022, we gained a three-year focus that has moved along one year at a time.

NOVEMBER 8-9, 2025 SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL, DAVENPORT For 8th–10th Graders Step into a weekend designed to unplug from the ordinary and connect with something real. The St. John Paul II Experience is a co-ed Catholic retreat for teens in 8th through 10th grade—filled with fun, faith, food, and fellowship. You’ll hear powerful talks, share in small groups, and discover what it means to make Christ your friend. This isn’t school, and it’s not a lecture. It’s an experience—a chance to be surrounded by peers on a similar journey, to ask big questions, and to encounter your faith in a new way. The retreat runs from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon, all for just $50. Space is limited—join us and and see what God might have waiting for you. Registration will begin in September of 2025: Email [email protected]

The Iowa Catholic Conference, which is the public policy voice for Iowa’s bishops, is asking Catholics to advocate on behalf of the following concerns: This week is the deadline for Congress to act on the White House’s request to cancel lifesaving funding for international assistance, called rescissions. The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed the request for cuts, which means your advocacy is necessary to move the Senate to oppose this package.

Separated from his beloved Nicaragua by a government that disowned him for speaking up for justice and peace, Bishop Silvio Jose Báez Ortega, OCD, accepted a peace award in Davenport that he dedicated to courageous Nicaraguans continuing that advocacy.

SAVE THE DATE & EXCITING NEW ANNOUNCEMENT – Iowa Catholic Youth Conference 2026: March 22, 2026 – Grades 6–8 NEW: March 21, 2026 – Grades 9–12 We are thrilled to announce the 5th Annual Iowa Catholic Youth Conference (ICYC) for grades 6–8 and their parents, happening on March 22, 2026. And now—something new! We’re launching a high school ICYC experience for grades 9–12 on March 21, 2026. Mark your calendars! Co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of Dubuque and the Diocese of Davenport, both events will be hosted at St. Ludmila Parish in Cedar Rapids and will feature the much-loved and highly requested Scally Brothers Band https://www.thescallybrothers.com

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 13th 2025 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM @ St. Mary’s in Riverside: Diocesan Catechetical Leader Summit & Kick Off – feat. Mike Patin & Bishop Dennis Walsh – A day of reflection and preparation for 2025 – 2026 programming year. All Catechetical Leaders are encouraged to attend (including: Dir., Coordinators of: Youth Ministry, Religious Education, Adult Formation, & Initiation Ministry (OCIA)). Lunch, cost, & further details are available on our website (linked below).

Eleven men in formation for the diaconate for our diocese have been called to the Second Year of Candidacy, Year 4 of a 5 year journey.

CRS Rice Bowl participants have contributed $350 million to ease hunger locally and worldwide since the program’s inception 50 years ago. “It’s miraculous,” said Deacon Kent Ferris, diocesan director of Social Action and of Catholic Charities. The annual Lenten collection helps Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to reduce suffering worldwide and provide assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, regardless of race, religion or nationality.

By Barb Arland-Fye The Catholic Messenger IOWA CITY — Escalating violence in Colombia forced Yirleny Rivera Castro, her husband and two daughters to flee their homeland. They survived the dangerous, grueling journey with hopes of receiving asylum in the U.S. and found refuge 10 months ago at the Iowa City Catholic Worker House.

By Barb Arland-Fye The Catholic Messenger Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport knew that the next bishop of the Diocese of Davenport would be checking into the hotel June 24 but the staff didn’t know his name. Vatican protocol required his identity to remain a secret until the official announcement June 25. Six months later, Bishop Dennis Walsh described his accommodations at Hotel Blackhawk as “the best room I’ve ever had in my life.”