By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
IOWA CITY — Plans continue for the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commission (FDLC) national meeting in Iowa City Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. The fall gathering is being hosted by the Diocese of Davenport. The public is welcome to attend the study day on Sept. 30.
Kay Temple, a liturgy office volunteer for the Diocese of Davenport, said the FDLC was founded by the Bishops’ Committee on Liturgy in 1969. The national organization is composed of members of diocesan liturgical commissions and directors of worship offices established by the local bishops. Its members may also include others who support the liturgical life of parishes, universities or other Catholic institutions.
This is the first time the FDLC national meeting has been held anywhere in Iowa. The 2026 meeting’s conference topic is “Word of God: Living and Effective.” Sessions are at the Graduate by Hilton unless otherwise noted.
“While the conference is attended by members of the FDLC, the study day will be open to anyone interested in liturgy, including parish staff and parish liturgical commission members,” Temple said.
Deacon Frank Agnoli, director of liturgy for the Diocese of Davenport, said, “Each year, when the FDLC gathers for its national meeting, a day is set aside to explore pastoral issues related to the topic at hand. The study day gives those engaged in parish ministry an opportunity to come together with liturgists from around the country and take a closer look at the place of the Scriptures in our liturgies and how the Word can be even more ‘living and effective’ in parish life.”
“The study day offers an opportunity for those involved in parish ministry to come away for a bit, be renewed by time spent in prayer and study, and then return to their communities with a renewed sense of the place of the Scriptures in the Church’s life and liturgy,” Deacon Agnoli added.
The conference opens Sept. 29 with Morning Prayer and a welcoming address. Bishop Dennis Walsh will preside at Mass, which begins at 5:30 p.m. at St. Patrick Church-Iowa City.
Sept. 30 is the study day, Temple said. It is open to all, not just diocesan or parish staff.
Speakers include Christina Condyles, assistant professor of liturgical and sacramental theology at Aquinas Institute in St. Louis, will talk about “The Word of God in the Life of the Church: Stories That Tell Us Who We are and Whose We Are.” Father Paul Turner, pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri, and director of the Office of Divine Worship for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, will talk on “Word of God as Lived in the Church.”
In the afternoon, attendees have the choice of workshops to attend, Temple said. Session A includes the choice of presentations by Todd Williamson, director of the Office of Divine Worship for the Archdiocese of Chicago talking on “The Word of God in Christian Initiation.” Mary Elizabeth Sperry, associate director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Office of the Biblical Apostolate, will talk on “Translations of the Bible.” And Deacon Agnoli talks on “The Use of Scripture Outside Mass.”
Session B includes a presentation by Jeremy Helmes, director of worship and director of the Center for Parish Vitality for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, on “Lord, Hear Our Prayer.” Dolores Martinez, recently retired director of the Office of Worship for the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas, will talk about “Proclaiming the Psalms.” David Pitt, professor of sacramental and liturgical theology in the Catholic Studies department at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, will talk about “Meditation on the Word of God.”
Later that day, Archbishop Thomas Zinkula of the Archdiocese of Dubuque will preside at Mass at 5:15 p.m. at the Newman Catholic Student Center in Iowa City.
Oct. 1 kicks off with regional caucuses, then updates on liturgical texts and activities of the Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship.
Father Michael Connors will then speak on “The Word of God as Dialogue Between God and his Church.”
The afternoon includes business sessions and conversations. Bishop Michael Woost, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio, will preside at Mass at 5:30 p.m. at St. Mary Church in Iowa City.
The evening wraps up with a banquet and awards and invitation from Region XII.
For more information, a full brochure, study day brochure and exhibitor/advertiser information visit https://fdlc.org/upcoming-national-meeting/
To register, visit https://fdlc.org/2026-fdlc-national-meeting-registration/ Prices increase after Sept. 1.
