Bishop Paprocki to preside at ecumenical prayer service for life

Dr. Alveda King, pro-life proponent and niece of the late civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, will join Bishop Thomas John Paprocki at an ecumenical prayer service for life at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The service will be followed by a prayerful walk and peaceful protest at the Planned Parenthood of Springfield.

The Office for Catechesis of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, in conjunction with local parishes, will once again offer faith formation courses for adults, according to Jonathan Sullivan, director. Courses are designed to assist Catholics who want to know more about their faith, respond to questions about the church, and make faith-filled decisions in their lives.

Knights of Columbus Council 364 in Springfield is hosting the 89th Annual K. of C. Cooperative Barbecue from noon until 8 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 29.

TAYLORVILLE — Handmade baby quilts and hand-knit and crocheted baby covers are on their way to Haiti to help the smallest of victims in the aftermath of last year’s earthquake in the island nation.

Bishop Paprocki's public schedule for the weeks of August 29 and September 5.

Approximately 70 educators met at the invitation of the diocesan Office for Catechesis' Catholic Schools Office in the Cathedral atrium in Springfield Aug. 12 to learn more about equitable participation in federal education programs.

Sister Ann Bailey, 89, of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis died Aug. 12 at St. Francis Convent, Springfield.

The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is already preparing for the First Sunday in Advent in 2011, when the new English translation of the Roman Missal will be used for the first time, according to Eliot Kapitan, director of the Office for Worship and the Catechumenate.

Daily events occuring throughout the Diocese.

This summer and fall, members of the Effingham Deanery Right to Life group are taking their pro-life message to the streets — literally.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki has reassured a victims’ rights group that there are no priests with proven, admitted or credible accusations of child abuse currently in ministry in the Springfield diocese.

At least five groups totaling more than 100 people from the Springfield diocese are already making plans to participate in the 2011 World Youth Day next summer in Madrid, Spain. The WYD pilgrims are from: St. Anthony High School, Effingham, led by Father Daren Zehnle; a Spanish ministry group, led by Father Christopher Brey; a group led by Becky Bauerle from Mother of Perpetual Help, Maryville, and Mother of Dolors, Vandalia; a group from St. Paul, Highland led by Jack Cygan; and a group organized by Kyle Holtgrave, associate director of youth in the diocesan Office of Catechesis, which includes youth from Our Lady Queen of Peace in Bethalto, Sacred Heart in Virden, and St. Mary in Alton.

EDWARDSVILLE — Middle school students from St. Mary School in Edwardsville came off as big winners in the 14th International Botball Robotics Tournament held in conjunction with the Global Conference on Educational Robotics, July 8-10, on the campus of nearby Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville.

The Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (DCCW) will hold its 82nd annual convention Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield. The convention will begin at 7 a.m. with registration and refreshments and conclude at 3:30 p.m. The theme will be “You Are Called … Go Forth.”

The Office for Marriage and Family Life is hosting its annual diocesan celebration for couples married 50 years or more on Sunday, Sept. 26. The celebration will take place at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, beginning with a musical program at 1 p.m., followed by 2 p.m. Mass celebrated by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki and a reception held in the new Cathedral atrium.

With the 2010-2011 academic year just about to get under way, principals and teachers all over the Springfield diocese are preparing to share their knowledge with the thousands of young people who attend Catholic schools. This year principal Ron Niebrugge is returning to once again lead St. Anthony High School in Effingham and several Catholic grade schools will be under new leadership. The majority of these six men and women were at the diocesan pastoral center in Springfield on Aug. 4 for the annual new principal's meeting and took time to share their thoughts on the upcoming school year.

At the end of each school year, teachers and catechists in parish schools and religious education programs in our diocese are honored for special service anniversaries.

Recent state legislation has the potential to make big changes in the way Catholic cemeteries operate, said speakers at a July 28 meeting at Ss. Mary and Joseph Parish in Carlinville. The meeting was held for those who serve Catholic cemeteries in the diocese, including pastors of parishes with cemeteries, cemetery managers, cemetery board members and volunteers who work in Catholic cemeteries. An estimated 100 people were in attendance.

QUINCY — In celebration of the parish’s 150th anniversary, St. Francis Solanus in Quincy is sponsoring a Catholic Christian concert by Steve Angrisano from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at Quincy University’s Pepsi Arena.

Holy Family Food Pantry in Springfield needs help gathering school supplies to fill almost 600 requests for children in needy families so they will be able to have the supplies necessary to start the new school year feeling confident, prepared, on an equal plane with their peers and ready to learn.

ALTON — Natural Family Planning classes will begin Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. on the first floor of Saint Clare’s Hospital at 915 E. 5th St.

DECATUR — Several Decatur Catholics are working hard to establish a Decatur Catholic radio station. A capital campaign to raise $300,000 is under way, with $135,000 raised so far. The new station’s call letters will be WDCK. Organizers promise the FM station will offer genuine Catholic programming.

Daily events occuring throughout the Diocese.

Bishop Paprocki's public schedule for the weeks of August 15 and 22.

NEWTON — Thunderstorm warnings earlier in the day and a sweltering heat index had little impact on the hundreds of parishioners, former parishioners and friends who came out Sunday afternoon, July 18, to see Bishop Thomas John Paprocki dedicate a new St. Thomas Church in Newton.

Twenty-five parishes in the Springfield diocese have received catechetical grants totaling over $16,000 from the diocesan Office for Catechesis. The grants are funded by contributions to the Harvest of Thanks, Springtime of Hope campaign, which was held in conjunction with the diocese’s 150th anniversary in 2003.

Chairpersons of pro-life committees in parishes throughout the Springfield diocese are invited to a luncheon from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Catholic Pastoral Center, 1615 W. Washington St. in Springfield.

Official Appointments from the Office of the Bishop

ALTON — The Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George will celebrate the profession of first vows and the reception into the novitiate of several sisters during Mass at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 15. Four novices will make their first profession of vows, and three postulants will be received into the novitiate.