THE CATHOLIC MIRROR Vol. 55, No. 8 August 20, 2021 Capital campaign Back to school just around the corner Silent phase under way, public launch in 2022 By Anne Marie Cox Staff Writer The Diocese of Des Moines is launching a $45 million fundraising campaign to meet the growing needs of schools, parish- es and diocesan ministries well into the future. Bishop William Joensen, in consultation with pastors and other diocesan leaders, approved Photo by Anne Marie Cox the campaign last January after Classes begin soon in the 16 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Des Moines. “The challenges we faced last school year have changed a diocesan-wide feasibility study our schools for the better,” said Diocesan Schools Superintendent Donna Bishop. “We are more agile, collaborative, compassionate, and showed 72 percent of 1,200 Cath- inspired. I am confident that we have the resources and support in place so that our more than 6,300 students will experience the levels of olic participants were willing to achievement, growth and development they need for the next stage of their educational journey and beyond.” PIctured above are students support a fundraising effort. at Holy Family Catholic School in Des Moines. The campaign theme, Las clases comenzarán pronto en las 16 escuelas católicas en la Diócesis de Des Moines. “Los desafíos que enfrentamos el pasado “Ignite! A Life. A Church. A año escolar han hecho que nuestras escuelas sean mejores,” (dijo la Superintendente de Escuelas Diocesanas, Donna Bishop. “Somos más Community.” aims to enhance the ágiles, colaborativos, compasivos y estamos más inspirados. Estoy segura de que contamos con los recursos y apoyos necesarios para que capacity of the diocesan family– nuestros más de 6,300 estudiantes experimenten los niveles de logro, crecimiento y desarrollo que necesitan para la siguiente etapa de su priests, women religious, dea- proceso educativo y más allá.” cons, mothers, fathers, teachers, catechists, and, especially, our Foundation awards nearly children – to bear and communi- Devoted husband, father cate the message of Jesus within and beyond the Church to the and deacon inspired others $50,000 in grants larger society. “As one body of Christ, By Anne Marie Cox ities, science curriculum materi- By Rachel Seidl we are seeking to boldly ignite Staff Writer als, website enhancements, and Contributing Writer the faith with the apostolic zeal more. and spirit of the first Christians to “We are especially ex- settle Southwest Iowa. We want Deacon Dan McGuire died cited about this year’s grant everyone to claim and reflect our July 11, leaving a legacy of being a Technology, faith for- awards,” says Sue McEntee, the God-given dignity to others who devoted husband, father and deacon in mation resources and classroom foundation’s executive director. may not yet know that they are the Catholic Church. materials are among the many “As we are beginning to come out unconditionally loved by God. Deacon McGuire, born and projects that have been recent- of the pandemic, we know these Our greatest joy is found when raised in Minneapolis, married Mary ly funded thanks to the Catholic dollars are very needed to keep we enable our neighbors to dis- Kavanaugh in 1968. They had four Foundation of Southwest Iowa. projects alive within our parishes, cover the freedom and beauty sons. The foundation award- schools, and organizations, and that are too easily clouded by the “He was proud of his Irish ed 12 Catholic parishes, schools, we are excited to see them come present challenges families face heritage, loyal first to his family and and organizations with grants to- to fruition!” and the many voices that would faith, then to other things including his taling $49,870. Grant recipients are as distract us from hearing God’s favorite sporting teams,” said Deacon Two of the twelve grants, follows: personal invitation to friendship,” David Bartemes, who preached the called Cornerstone Grants, are • Assumption of the Bishop Joensen said. homily at the funeral Mass. Deacon Dan McGuire valued at more than $5,000. Blessed Virgin Mary, Granger, The campaign goals “He was devoted absolute- In its five years of grant $1,450 to enhance adult faith for- include the establishment of an ly 100 percent to his marriage and his giving, the foundation has award- mation endowment to provide more fi- wife,” said Deacon Ron Myers. ed more than $280,000 to various • St. Thomas More Cen- nancial aid to Catholic school He was also devoted to his faith. groups and organizations within ter, Panora, $1,500 to buy out- families. It will also provide ad- “Church was more than a Sunday obligation; it was part the Diocese of Des Moines. door games ditional funding for the Diocese’s of their lives,” said Deacon Bartemes. “They did more than par- Grant awards for 2021 • St. Mary of Nazareth growing number of seminarians, ticipate, they led.” range from $1,450 to $6,890 and Parish, Des Moines, $1,600 to Deacon McGuire visit- Continued on page 11 are being used for projects like Continued on page 11 ed the sick and incarcerated. He upgrading livestreaming capabil- Continued on page 11 2 www.dmdiocese.org The Catholic Mirror August 20, 2021 Still together after all these years Our August celebrations loved ones grow dim through de- But these attitudes rep- they bear may not be fully alle- of the Feast of the Assumption mentia or stroke, depression, bu- resent a fundamental mistaking viated until Christ destroys all and the displaced feast of Mary, By limia or other mental condition. of our essential human identity authority and power, including Queen of Heaven—the patronal Bishop As Robert Sokolowski observes, as original body-soul compos- death itself, and hands us over feast of our Diocese—spur some William when we become sick, our very ites who are vulnerable from the to his Father as the most prized sunny musings on what it means Joensen “I” becomes an issue as we pon- moment of conception to all the possessions of his Kingdom. We to become gracefully united with- der the disruption of our personal disruptive forces of disease and take comfort in the Gospel truth in ourselves and as a local church subjectivity, and are tempted to original sin (including the un- that those who share most fully in bound by Spirit ties of faith, view ourselves as a heap of parts fortunate instances of genetic or the cup of Christ’s suffering will friendship, and unfolding oppor- set against one another, a bag of physical anomalies such as her- be filled to overflowing with the tunities to lift one another up in of joy, and is a sublime vocalist objects that are destined to dis- maphroditism or intersex). Each new wine of Spirit joy. love. This month also marks the as her “soul proclaims the great- solve into oblivion unless some- of us is created by God from the Meanwhile, on this side celebration of the 110th anniver- ness of the Lord, her spirit rejoic- one takes drastic action. Soul and first moment of our being—as for of the vale of tears, we commit sary of the founding of our Des es in God my Savior.” She keeps body can be seen as antagonistic Mary and Joseph—to be this par- ourselves to love one another Moines Diocese: Happy Birth- her wits about her as she gives competi- ticular soul unconditionally, to be present to day, sisters and brothers in Christ! birth and then flees with Joseph tors who intended accompany one another through Our genesis as a Dio- to Egypt and eventually returns are foreign “We take comfort in the Gospel to activate whatever personal crises we ex- cese was anything but an easy to the hidden life at Nazareth. rather than truth that those who share most this par- perience on the path of life, in- delivery, as Davenport bishops She grieves but does not despair friendly fully in the cup of Christ’s suffering ticularly cluding whatever crosses we feel Henry Cosgrove and his succes- when Joseph dies, when her Son powers in- will be filled to overflowing with the sexed body, powerless to carry by ourselves. sor James Davis were not ea- embarks on his public ministry herently new wine of Spirit joy.” which is the We enlist the Spirit to be pru- ger to loosen the ties within the whose meaning she does not al- dependent root of our dently discerning, to distinguish southern half of Iowa and let the ways grasp (see Mark 3:21, 31- on one an- Bishop William Joensen vocational voices that ultimately scatter and western counties form their own 34). Yet she trusts and remains other. calling to divide persons within themselves organic body of the faithful. But truly present with all her being accompany from those that solidify the bond with the pope’s ratification of the to the flesh of her own flesh up One of the acute chal- one another on the pilgrimage of shared trials and anguish that request to form a new diocese on until Jesus’ last earthly breath on lenges facing families and our where we take our proper place in by God’s grace unite us ever Aug. 6, 1911, and the Aug. 31, the Cross. society is the rising attention de- the company of God’s children. more closely to one another in a 1911 directive to Bishop Davis Mary is privileged to voted to the situation of persons The emerging medical compact of compassion and care. by U.S. papal nuncio Archbishop anticipate the first breath of her suffering from gender dyspho- data confirm that so-called gen- When we respect our Diomede Falconio to pay admin- Son’s Resurrection Spirit, and ria/gender-identity discordance.