Our Parish Life Committee is on a roll and is excited to bring back BINGO to Blessed Sacrament. Join us for a night of BINGO games in the Parish Center, SATURDAY, OCT 14 @ 6:00 PM. If you go to Mass at 4:30, just come on over after! Bring an appetizer to share and your own beverage. School-aged children who wish to participate in the BINGO game are welcome to play, but childcare will not be provided. SIGN-UP IS APPRECIATED, BUT NOT REQUIRED. If you know you're coming, please sign up in the Gathering Space or on our website. This will help the committee prepare for set-up and prizes. SIGN UP BY CLICKING THIS ARTICLE.

The Torch of Our Lady of Guadalupe is visiting Waterloo! The torch is traveling from the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City to the Cathedral of St. Patrick Catholic Church in New York City. As part of this event, Queen of Peace Parish will host a replica of the torch and images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego. The torch and images will travel from Immaculate Conception Parish in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, October 3rd to Immaculate Conception Parish in Gilbertville. Columbus High School students will run the torch from there to Queen of Peace Parish in Waterloo. Upon arrival of the torch and images, Bishop Pates will celebrate the 12:05 PM Mass (English). From October 4-6, the images will visit 10 homes each day and care centers with Catholic residents. On Friday, October 6th, the visit will conclude with Mass in Spanish at 7:00 PM, followed by a light reception in the parish hall. All are welcome!

Would you like to join the Blessed Sacrament Team? We are looking for a part-time Pastoral Minister for Funeral and Bereavement. This position offers flexible hours, up to 20 hours a week. Training will be provided. Funeral & Bereavement Ministers share compassionate mercy with people at a very difficult time in their lives by assisting them and the Pastor in planning funerals for their loved ones and providing additional bereavement care to the deceased's family in the months following. If you have a desire to walk with grieving families during this time and have good organizational skills, this rewarding ministry could be the right fit for you! We have a wonderful team of volunteers in place ready to help you learn. Interested in applying? Contact Amy Johnston, Business Manager, in the office for more info at 319-233-6179 or email: a.johnston@dbqarch.org.

Annie Zeets and the NCYC group is looking for individuals and businesses to sponsor our group t-shirts! We have more than 100 high school youth and 30 adult chaperones who will be attending the National Catholic Youth Conference in November. If you, or your business, would like to be a shirt sponsor, please contact Youth Minister Annie Zeets by September 27th at aaniezeets@gmail.com or 319-239-0163.

The Blessed Sacrament Early Childhood Center Parent Advisory Board is now holding its Fall Fundraiser by selling $25 vouchers to Dew on the Rose Greenhouse in Cedar Falls. Vouchers can be purchased directly from the Early Childhood Center Front Desk through September 30th. We earn $5 for each voucher sold, which will be used throughout the year for both teacher appreciation and family-centered events. Vouchers can be used for any plant material (no cash value) and must be redeemed between September 11 - September 30, 2023. The greenhouse is well-stocked with beautiful mums, pumpkins & gourds to decorate your space for autumn. Thank You!

Next weekend (Sept 23/24) is our regularly scheduled Food Pantry collection in support of those in need who frequent St. Vincent de Paul for help. Food is, once again, needed, and there are blue bags in the Gathering Space to help. Here are the needs: Cereal, Soup, Saltine Crackers, Peanut Butter, Spaghetti, Spaghetti Sauce, Fruit Juice, Canned Diced Tomatoes, Chili Mix, V-8 Juice (for chili), Chili Beans, Stove Top Stuffing, Au Gratin Potatoes.

A relic of St. Jude Thaddeus, an Apostle of Jesus, will be available on Tuesday, Sept 26th, for one day for veneration at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 7075 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines, IA. Veneration begins at 1:00 pm and continuing until shortly before a 7:00 pm Mass in the saint's honor. Following Mass, veneration will resume until 10:00 pm. To learn more, simply click on the article Title.

Join Deacon Chris this Fall for an Acts of the Apostles Study! The study begins on Tuesday, September 19th starting at 7:15 PM, following Eucharistic Adoration. This is a six-week course that will run Tuesday evenings at 7:15 pm and ending at 8:30 pm. If you've gone to Alpha, if you enjoy small-group discussions, then give this study a try - it's free and you've got nothing to lose. Questions? Contact Deacon Chris at: c.evans@dbqarch.org. To register, simply click on the image.

A preparation program for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion is available for baptized children in grades 2-8. The child must attend Catholic school or a Religious Education Program. Enroll online at: www.waterloocatholics.org/sacprepreg. Parent information meeting at Blessed Sacrament on Tuesday, September 12 @ 6:30pm in the Church. Questions? Contact Annie Zeets: annie.zeets@gmail.com or 319.233.0744.

The team is currently being built, but we are excited to offer another Alpha Course at Blessed Sacrament. GET THE DATES SAVED NOW! Alpha will run on Wednesdays from 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM starting October 4th. There are 10 session and one Saturday 1/2-day retreat. REGISTRATION INFO COMING SOON! Contact Maggie in the office if you are interested in participating or can help!

Registration is now open! The Waterloo Parishes do confirmation preparation together. High School juniors (and seniors) who are baptized and have received their other sacraments of inititation are invited to register online at: waterloocatholics.org/hs-confirmation. A registration fee of $35 covers materials, class snacks, and celebration supplies. Contact Youth Minister, Annie Zeets, with questions: 319.239.0163.

Join us Wednesday, August 30th @ 6:00 PM to kick off the 2023-2024 school year at Cedar Valley Catholic Schools! Mass will begin at 6:00PM. Following Mass join us at T.J. McLaughlin Field (Columbus Catholic High School) for FREE walking tacos, carnival games, and more! All members of the Catholic parishes in the Cedar Valley are invited to join!

Last weekend, we bid farewell to our own Matthew Evans, who is starting classes this week at Loras College for seminarian formation. If you would like to stay in touch with Matthew by sending him a card or letter of support from time to time as he walks this journey, his address is: Matthew Evans, Vianney House, 1235 Mt. Loretta Ave., Dubuque, IA 52003.

Sending someone off to college this Fall? If you're concerned about the faith formation of a young adult in college, the most important thing you can do is help them get connected to a Catholic campus ministry program or the local Catholic parish near their school. Contact cards which you can send to a campus ministry or parish office are available in the Gathering Space.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2023, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM. LIVE VIDEO CONFERENCE. This online preparation program is for first-time parents in the Waterloo parishes who are planning to baptize an infant or young child in the near future. Parents should be registered members of a parish and may either register at the class or coordinate registration soon. To register for the baptism class, CLICK ON THIS ARTICLE. To register with Blessed Sacrament Parish, please contact Maggie in the office: m.england@dbqarch.org or 319-233-6179.

A PILGRIMAGE WITH FR. TONY - GREECE & TURKEY, Sept 3-13, 2024. Explore the vibrant cities of Athens & Corinth, where St. Paul wrote some of his most powerful letters that continue to inspire and guide us today. Cruise to the enchanting city of Ephesus in Turkey, where tradition holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary spent her last days on earth. Step onto the sacred grounds of Patmos, where the Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelations, and walk in the very footsteps of St. Paul and his disciples as they traveled to Greece to share the Good News! Cost: $5,500. Contact Eddie Abufarha at 800-687-0306.

Attention Parents! Wednesday Night Religious Education Registration for the 2023 - 2024 School Year is now open! Visit www.waterloocatholics.org/reregistration or reach out to Becky McElroy in the Faith Formation Office with any questions: beckymcelroyff@gmail.com.

Are you interested in joining a bus trip to the National Eucharistic Congress NEXT year? Waterloo Catholic Parishes are considering sponsoring a bus to the Congress, which will be held July 17-21, 2024 in Indianapolis, but we need to know if a sufficient number of people are interested. Participation is limited to 50 persons and priority will be given to members of the Waterloo parishes prior to January 1, 2024. To learn more, simply CLICK on this article.

Some of our liturgical ministries need more help, and all of us make up the Church, the Body of Christ. Please consider stepping forward to help as Altar Servers, Eucharistic Ministers, Greeters & Ushers, and Music Ministry (all ages). Training will be provided for all of them. Please contact Maggie in the Parish Office if you are willing to join any of these ministries.