Origin of Holy Angels Pastorate

We have been living in a post Christendom culture for over half a century.  Our good Bishop, the Most Reverend Donald DeGrood, did not want our diocese to continue declining in this present culture:

"This requires rejecting ungodly humanistic ways of thinking and acting, and asking God to renew us in a world so longing for peace and happiness that will only be found in and through him. It will require spending time and energy developing a deep personal relationship with God and reaching out to others in our parishes and Catholic institutions.  This will require a co-responsibility of parishioners in the life and mission of the Church and world in new and increased ways."

The bishop worked with others to develop plan:

"Reflecting on the great wisdom offered to us by St. Thomas Aquinas, it is my hope that we as a diocese might journey through this planning process in a way that teaches us how our passion (desires) should be governed by reason (what is prudent), enlightened by faith (what God has revealed through Scripture and Tradition), and motivated by love (with charity)."

"Lifelong Catholic Missionary Discipleship through God’s Love."

Bishop DeGrood has organized the diocese into twenty-five pastorates.  In our part of the diocese, the following parishes were united into what was initially called Pastorate #15: 

• St. Agnes in Vermillion (along with the parish’s Catholic School)

• St. Thomas More Newman Center located on the campus of the University of South Dakota

• St. Teresa of Calcutta at Dakota Dunes

• St. Peter in Jefferson (with its Catholic Day-Care Center)

• St. Joseph in Elk Point

• St. Teresa in Beresford

• St. Patrick in Wakonda

• Good Shepherd in Centerville 
  

It has been a time of faith and grace in which the parishioners in the Southeast corner of the Diocese of Sioux Falls gathered together to learn more, understand better, and implement Bishop DeGrood’s mission statement.

One of the first decisions that we made was the renaming of our pastorate (with Bishop DeGrood’s approval) to Holy Angels Pastorate.  We continue to as one Church, one pastorate, working to become better disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.