Contributors to the 1927 Cathedral campaign received these pledge reminders.

In October 1923, Pope Pius XI designated St. Mary Church in Springfield as the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, thus transferring the See from Alton to Springfield. Unfortunately, the "new" cathedral was old and many felt it was unfit to serve as the cathedral.

Bishop James A. Griffin wanted to build a new cathedral to coincide with the diocese's Diamond Jubilee in 1928. His goal was to create a magnificent cathedral that was "worthy of our Catholic faith." He wrote, "Let us go up now to our Episcopal City and there build the head fortress of our Diocese, the Mother Church of all our churches and people, a Memorial to our Immaculate Mother, a testimonial to the pioneer priests and laity of our Diocese, a Home worthy of our Eucharistic King."   

To make this goal a reality, Bishop Griffin organized the Diamond Jubilee Cathedral Fund to raise the $750,000 needed to build the new cathedral. On Jan. 11, 1927 the executive committee met to finalize plans for the drive. Two days later priests of the diocese, accompanied by two lay delegates from each parish, met at the Knights of Columbus auditorium in Springfield to hear the details of the campaign.

Attendance was nearly 100 percent despite a blizzard and it was reported that one priest appeared in hip boots to make his way through the drifts. Bishop Griffin said the "pep and resolve" the priests brought to the meeting would send the campaign "over the top with banners flying."

At the meeting, Bishop Griffin revealed a highly organized system to raise money for the cathedral. Each parish was designated as a "unit" with the priest and two lay persons serving as the parish committee. Each of the 171 units reported to one of eight executives in charge of each deanery. The deanery chiefs reported directly to the campaign headquarters at 801 South Sixth St. in Springfield. With the plan in place, Bishop Griffin was ready to start the campaign.

To kick off the fund-raising, Bishop Griffin donated $10,000, all the money he possessed, provided that the sum was matched by one or more contributors. The campaign officially opened on Feb. 14, 1927 with the slogan, "It is God's work. God wills it."

The campaign utilized 3,500 workers, who canvassed the field soliciting donations, often with great success. The support for the campaign was obvious, and within two days the campaign had raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars. The Western Catholic reported on the success of fund-raising efforts and acknowledged those parishes who were leading the effort. St. Joseph in Springfield was the first parish to reach $30,000 and St. Rose in Quincy was the first parish outside of Springfield to raise $10,000. The newspaper reported that Kincaid opened its campaign and by 4 o'clock that same afternoon the parish was $600 over its quota.

The campaign ended on Feb. 26, having raised almost one million dollars. This is all the more incredible when one considers that the average annual wage in 1927 was $1,358.

An editorial in the Illinois State Journal provided a nice summary of the campaign: "The enthusiasm with which Catholics of this Diocese have rallied to the support of their faith and given their pledges to their Bishop's plan for development has afforded a spectacle of religious fervor and devotion not often witnessed in these times. Money literally has poured into the Cathedral Fund, evidencing the faith of the givers as no other outward demonstration could."

Michele Levandoski is the archivist for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.