Get ready for Lent

Join our email list for Living Lent to receive weekly video reflections and recommended resources & activities for the whole family.

CRS Rice Bowl Grant Applications Open

Organizations that focus on alleviating hunger and poverty are invited to apply for a CRS Rice Bowl grant.

Learn More

Upcoming Youth Retreats

Have a junior high or high school student looking for retreat opportunities? Explore upcoming retreats for 8th graders, high schoolers, and high school seniors.

Learn More

Let the Jubilee Begin!

2025 marks a Jubilee, with a call from the Vatican to focus on being "Pilgrims of Hope".

Learn More

Catholic Schools

There are millions of reasons why a Catholic education is the best education around. Witness the difference!

Learn More

Prayers for Vocations to the Priesthood & Religious Life

This month, Pope Francis shares his personal story: "When I was 17… I wasn’t thinking at all of being a priest. But one day, I went into the church…and God was there, waiting for me!”

Quick Links

Annual Diocesan Appeal Jubilee 2025 Eucharistic Adoration Marriage and Family Life

News & Blog

Pope Francis diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia

February 18, 2025

After undergoing a CT scan Feb. 18, Pope Francis was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia, the Vatican said.

Why wait for fish fry season?

February 19, 2025

Abstinence helps us to see the world as it is, and not as our disordered appetites would fantasize it to be.

Meeting poverty face to face

January 24, 2025

At each stop, we found real poverty beyond what the mind can imagine. And yet, at each stop we found individuals offering hope.

Diocesan Events

YOUTH 2000 Retreat

February 21, 2025 12:00 AM - February 23, 2025 12:00 AM
Location: St. Francis of Assisi 7075 Ashworth Rd West Des Moines, IA 50266

The YOUTH 2000 retreat is a joyful weekend experience that includes the celebration of the Mass, Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, talks, music, workshops, and fellowship.

Bishop Mark J. Seitz – Broken at the Border

March 2, 2025 2:00 PM
Location: Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University, 2507 University Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50311

Mark J. Seitz has served as the Bishop of the Diocese of El Paso, Texas since 2013. As a leader in a borderland community adjacent to Mexico, Bishop Seitz has focused his work and heart on the poor and vulnerable, including migrant families and refugees.

Ministries & Services

Giving

Your continued generosity each year helps provide the needed funds for programs and ministries throughout our Diocese. These programs provide services that no one parish could provide on its own. Every gift matters!

Catholic Charities Annual Appeal

Donors who commit to an annual gift help strengthen and empower individuals and families through some of the most difficult times in their lives. Consider an annual gift that will help all year!

Mental Health Ministry

Mental Health Ministry is the process of spiritual accompaniment with others as they experience God's presence, love, and healing.

Catholic Foundation of Southwest Iowa

The Catholic Foundation of Southwest Iowa (CFSWIA) is a non-profit, charitable organization that assists individuals, parishes, schools, and Catholic organizations across the 23-county Diocese of Des Moines as they seek to secure and provide long-term financial support.