Cedar Rapids Area Central Pastorate

09/13/2026

You're invited to join us Sunday, September 27 from 11:30 am-5:00 pm for the 104th annual Czech Goulash Day at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church!

There will be tasty food (goulash, wenceburgers, kolaches, and more), historical tours of St. Wenceslaus Church, Bingo, a Kid Zone, and live entertainment provided by the Iowa Accordion Club and Barefoot Becky.

There will be fun for the whole family!

09/11/2026

All in the Central Pastorate are invited to a picnic this Sunday at St. Patrick! This is a great opportunity to meet other parishioners and grow in community.

Join us THIS SUNDAY for the annual picnic!

Full details: stpatrickscr.org/events/annual-picnic

The picnic runs from 10:30 am-12:30 pm in St. Patrick’s Leonard Cox Parish Hall & Courtyard. This event is open to all in the Central Pastorate. This is a great opportunity to get to know the wider community! St. Patrick will provide burgers, hot dogs, buns, table settings, and refreshments. Last names beginning with A-M, please bring a dessert to share. Last names beginning with N-Z, please bring a salad/side to share. Activities include games with prizes, face painting, cake walk, and fun for all!

WE NEED YOUR HELP! In order to make our picnic a success, we are asking for donations of cakes for our cake walk and new or gently used used toys for prizes. Donations of cakes for the cake walk can be droppd off on Friday, September 11th during office hours (9:00am-12:00pm) or Sunday, September 13th, before the picnic, 9:00-10:30am. Prizes can be dropped off anytime during office hours prior to the picnic (Monday-Thursday 9:00am-4:00pm or Friday 9:00am-12:00pm). All are welcome!

09/10/2026

REMINDER: If you are interested in serving as a reader or Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, join us this evening for training at Immaculate Conception!

REMIDNER: Join us THIS THURSDAY, September 10 for new Reader and Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion training at Immaculate Conception.

Consider lending your God-given gifts to the Cedar Rapids Area Central Pastorate as a Reader or Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. We encourage all who are interested to attend new minister training this Thursday.

09/09/2026

Coffee and Catholicism, scheduled for September 12 at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church has been canceled.

09/09/2026

Greetings, friends of the Central Pastorate. This is Fr. Sean Smith writing.

My mother, Betty Wyatt (Phifer) Smith, died yesterday, September 8, at the age of 84. She has been sick for quite a while, so while her death is not a surprise, it is still a shock to my family and me. My father, Bob Smith, is 85 years old, and is himself not in the best of health, and caring for Mom has taken a great toll on him. I am heading to Lewisville, North Carolina, to be with my father and the rest of my family, and to prepare for my mother's funeral next Monday.

Fr. Neil Manternach will be covering the 4:00 pm Mass at St. Matthew this weekend. Fr. Dustin Vu will be covering the 8:30 am and 10:30 am Masses at St. Matthew. Frs. Aaron and Tom will cover the remaining Masses for the weekend. I expect to be back in Cedar Rapids next Friday, Sept. 18.

Fr. Tom will also be gone next week on a long-planned, 10-day pilgrimage to Medjugorje, so Fr. Aaron will have his hands full with both of us gone. Please be flexible and offer grace to the priests and staff and each other during this challenging next week.

+Peace, Fr. Sean

Send a message to learn more

09/09/2026

Praise God for the good work being done at St. Matthew! Check out this recap from the recent Meals That Matter event.

Learn more about the Meals That Matter program here: https://www.stmatthewcr.org/meals-that-matter

09/08/2026

Here is the September calendar for the Magnificat Women's Ministry.

09/08/2026

This Sunday, following the 9:30 Mass at St. Patrick, join for the Annual Picnic, open to all in the Cedar Rapids Area Central Pastorate!

Join us THIS SUNDAY for the annual picnic!

Full details: stpatrickscr.org/events/annual-picnic

The picnic runs from 10:30 am-12:30 pm in St. Patrick’s Leonard Cox Parish Hall & Courtyard. This event is open to all in the Central Pastorate. This is a great opportunity to get to know the wider community! St. Patrick will provide burgers, hot dogs, buns, table settings, and refreshments. Last names beginning with A-M, please bring a dessert to share. Last names beginning with N-Z, please bring a salad/side to share. Activities include games with prizes, face painting, cake walk, and fun for all!

WE NEED YOUR HELP! In order to make our picnic a success, we are asking for donations of cakes for our cake walk and new or gently used used toys for prizes. Donations of cakes for the cake walk can be droppd off on Friday, September 11th during office hours (9:00am-12:00pm) or Sunday, September 13th, before the picnic, 9:00-10:30am. Prizes can be dropped off anytime during office hours prior to the picnic (Monday-Thursday 9:00am-4:00pm or Friday 9:00am-12:00pm). All are welcome!