Hurricane Ian struck the west coast of Florida with monstrous winds and flooding rains that have left millions without power and many without drinkable water. Make an emergency donation to Catholic Charities USA today and 100% of your gift will help provide lifesaving resources through the Florida Catholic Charities agencies. CLICK ON THIS ARTICLE to donate to these relief efforts and continue to pray for the families who lost so much during this tragic natural disaster.

Most of us have our struggles and burdens in life, whether they be physical, emotional, or spiritual, and more often than not, we might keep it to ourselves and not allow others to pray for us. Wednesday, October 12th, from 7pm to 8:30pm, there will be an opportunity for you to be prayed for by members of our prayer team here in the Church. We will also have Eucharistic Adoration during this time frame if you just want to come and pray and be present with Jesus. All are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to let members of your parish family pray for you on a personal level. ALL ARE WELCOME!

Monday, October 10th, 6:30-8:30 PM, offered online via Live Video Discussion. This 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. Participants must have the ability to download and print material in advance. Register online at waterloocatholics.org/baptism-registration or CLICK ON THE IMAGE.

If you have a child receiving First Sacraments, plan to attend one of these meetings: - October 2nd at 1:00 PM: Sacred Heart (Burmese) - October 2nd at 4:00 PM: Queen of Peace (Spanish) - October 4th at 6:00 PM: St. Edward School Cafeteria - October 5th at 6:00 PM: Blessed Sacrament Putz Hall If you have not registered your child for one of these meetings, please contact Gen Wandro at (319) 233-0744 or email: dbqwcff@dbqarch.org.

It's not too late to get in on this next Alpha course! We have a great group of people already signed up and would love to have you join! This is an opportunity to explore the meaning of life in a relaxed, friendly setting. Alpha meets once a week for 10 weeks and each session includes a meal, followed by a short talk, and then time to discuss the topic. Alpha is for everyone! Come and see what it's all about on MONDAY, OCTOBER 3 AT 6:00 pm IN PUTZ HALL. It's free, so you have nothing to lose! Register online or contact Maggie in the office.

TESTIFY! Youth grades 6-12 from our Waterloo parishes are invited to be part of this exciting music ministry group. An informational meeting for youth and their parents is set for Sunday, October 2nd at 5:30 PM in the Commons at Blessed Maria Middle School. The mission of Testify is to bring joy to our parishes by providing music at masses each month. Can't come to the meeting but want to join the fun? Contact Annie Zeets: dbqwcym@dbqarch.org.

This Tuesday, September 27th, Blessed Sacrament is hosting the Catholic Witness Hour at 6:15pm in the Church. Our very own new member to the faith, Jimm Ites, will be giving this year's witness talk. Many have asked about Jimm's story and how his journey led him to the Catholic Church. We invite you to join us this Tuesday for Mass at 5:30pm, with the Witness Talk shortly after Mass at 6:15pm, and then ending with a light meal in the Parish Center afterward. Get to know Jimm more by learning of his journey and how the Eucharist and the Church's teaching on Purgatory were instrumental in his conversion. No cost or preregistration is required.

You're invited to join Archbishop Jackels for a live-streamed ArchdioceseOne kickoff on September 28, 2022 at 7:00PM. Archbishop Jackels will launch the parish phase of ArchdioceseOne by showing our appeal video, talking to you about our financial beneficiaries, as well as the spiritual benefits we hope to achieve. At the end, we'll answer questions that come in ahead of time or live through the chat function. Please register for this event now by using this link: https://archdioceseone.org/live-launch-event. Once there, click on the button titled: Register for the Live Launch Event HERE.

Next weekend, September 17th & 18th, our Offertory Collection will be donated to St. Vincent de Paul to help support all the good works they do in our community. Please give generously, thank you.

Waterloo Faith Formation Wednesday/Virtual Religious Education registration is now open. If your child is needing Sacraments this year and/or goes to a public school, be sure to register your child for Virtual or Wednesday RE. Wednesday RE runs from 6:20 pm - 7:15 pm at Sacred Heart School. Click on this article to register today!

Christ Our Life Catholic Conference will be held September 24 & 25, 2022 at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, IA. Tickets are $25 for adults and $25 for students/youth. Livestreaming will be provided so that more can be a part of this wonderful and uplifting Catholic event. Many vendors will also be there selling Catholic and Christian items. There will be some awesome speakers, singing, reconciliation, mass and rosary for the family to enjoy. Please come for part of the time or spend both days worshipping with local and out of state Catholics. You'll never regret taking time for God and your faith. Please click on this article for the website "Christourlifeiowa.com" for info on purchasing tickets for either in-person or livestreaming and the schedule. Any questions or to purchase in-person tickets, please call Shirley O'Connell at 319.415.4438.

We know it's last minute, however, while Fr. Tony is away on Spiritual Retreat, Aug 22-26, we ar looking to have volunteers come in and do some deep cleaning of his home. If you can spare some time this coming week during the weekday, we can put you to work here at the Rectory. Please contact Amy Johnston in the office for more information and if you can help. Thank you!

Participation in one of the many liturgical ministries is such a powerful witness to the dignity of all baptized Catholics. We continually need people to share in these sacred roles. Volunteers will be trained and provided guidelines and background information. As we begin to gear up for another school year, we need more altar servers (youth and adult), ushers, eucharistic ministers, sacristans, and camera operators for livestream (great for high school kids). Want to be more behind-the-scenes? If you have an eye for decorating or a green thumb, our church environment (decorating) group is always looking for more help. Please contact Maggie England in the office if you can help us with any of the above.

St. Vincent de Paul is in need of peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, noodles for tuna casserole, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, tomato soup, chicken noodle soup, saltine crackers, V8 tomato juice, chili dry mix, chili beans, petite cut tomatoes. We need laundry soap, bath soap, toothbrushes, shampoo (2-in-1 preferred), dish soap, bathroom cleaner. We are asking for lightly used small appliances, toasters, crockpots, George Foreman's, coffee pots, pots and pans, silverware. Thank you so much for your generosity.

This summer is slipping by far too fast! One project we want to get underway before summer is over is a reformation of our parish bulletin, both in design and in content. Blessed Sacrament is a vibrant parish community and we want to make sure that our bulletin always reflects that and can serve you better in hearing and living out God's call to be a disciple. In order to do this, we need your input. What do YOU want to see in the weekly bulletin? What information is most beneficial to you? We want to create something that is valuable to you, is visually appealing, and, most importantly, is another tool to help you hear God's voice in being a Spirit-led disciple of Jesus all throughout the week. Please take a moment to fill out our short survey by clicking on this article, and thank you in advance for your help!

Part-Time Youth Ministry Assistant for the Waterloo Catholic Faith Formation Team Do you enjoy working with young people, especially middle-schoolers? The parishes are looking for someone who is passionate about their own faith to help with our youth ministry program. The ideal candidate would be energetic, positive, have some experience working with youth and be excited about the Catholic faith. This person would be responsible for leading our Wednesday night grades 6-8 religious program and planning some additional faith activities for middle school youth each month. If you are interested in this position, email Annie Zeets at dbqwcym@dbqarch.org for an application or more information.

Is this your first time back to Mass in a while, or have you been coming to Blessed Sacrament for some time now, but have not yet registered with the Parish? It is not something that everyone thinks about, but it is important. We invite and encourage you to register with Blessed Sacrament. By registering with a parish, one is provided with a sense of belonging, a sense of identity. It also provides us a way to welcome you, to support YOU in times of JOY, and in times of STRUGGLE. It gives us a way to connect and communicate with you. If you are just visiting us from out of town, do you belong to a parish near your home? If not, we encourage you to do the same there. Find a parish to call home. In this world, which seems to be off its axis once again, we all need a faith community to call home, and to come home to. TO REGISTER, PLEASE CONTACT MAGGIE ENGLAND in the office: 319-233-6179, email: dbq208s2@dbqarch.org.

We need more altar servers! We recently conducted altar server training and are very thankful for those who have begun to serve again; however, we are in need of more servers, especially at our 4:30pm Mass. Remember, altar server training is for anyone from 4th grade up to 100 years of age! It is a great opportunity for adult friends to work together, or parents and children to serve together -- Moms/Sons, Fathers/Daughters, Moms/Daughters, or Fathers/Sons. Training will be provided for you - do not be afraid! Please contact Server Coordinator, Greg Bazan, at 319-415-8810 or gpbazan57@gmail.com, or the Parish Office, if interested. Thank you!

SCAM ALERT!!! We have another Scam Alert to pass on to you. This time it is in the form of an email from "Anthony Kruse" saying he needs a favor from you and asking that you email him as soon as possible.. If you receive an email claiming to be from Fr. Tony soliciting your help, do not click on any links or respond to it. Simply delete the email or report it as Spam. Thank you.

The Columbus National Honors Society will host a blood drive on Tuesday, July 19th, from Noon to 5:00 PM in the Parish Center. Signup online at redcrossblood.org/give.html/donationtime or email Rebecca DuFour at 23rdufour@cvcatholic.org. Drop-in appointments are also available the day of the blood drive. All presenting donors will receive a coupon for a pint of Culver's famous custard!