As Bishop Thomas John Paprocki remarked at the beginning of the Mass for Couples Married 50 Years or More, the afternoon of the first full day of autumn was beautiful both outside and inside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield. It was a joyful day, he said, not just because the weather was near perfect on Sept. 23 but also inside the church hundreds of people were there to celebrate the beauty of long marriages. A great number of the couples taking part were married in 1968 and celebrating their golden wedding anniversary this year, but some had… Read More

WASHINGTON (USCCB) — The Catholic Church in the United States will observe National Vocation Awareness Week, Nov. 4-10. The annual event, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations is a special time for parishes to foster a culture of vocations for the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life. Read More

A 20-something couple comes in to ThriVe Metro East for confirmation of pregnancy. They admit this: They are not ready to be parents. There has been no prenatal care and they have no insurance. Moreover, they are struggling with substance abuse and are recently homeless and jobless. Their world is crashing in around them. The potential birth mom thinks she may be “feeling movement.” All the pregnancy options and educational brochures are explained. The couple voices adoption and states everyone around them would support this decision. Read More

Springfield Dominican Sister Mary Pauletta Overbeck died Oct. 13 at Sacred Heart Convent. She was born in Dieterich, on Jan. 4, 1915, and named Pauletta Madonna by her parents, Frank and Kathryn (Petry) Overbeck. She made her profession of vows in 1935 at Sacred Heart Convent. She had been the oldest professed Springfield Dominican and was inducted into the Sacred Heart-Griffin High School Hall of Fame in 2011. Springfield Dominican Sister Mary Pauletta Overbeck died Oct. 13 at Sacred Heart Convent. She was born in Dieterich, on Jan. 4, 1915, and named Pauletta Madonna by her parents, Frank and Kathryn (Petry)… Read More

Seven college students in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois are among those who shared nearly ,000 in the Father Yunker Student Assistance Fund this academic year. Read More

Past articles of A disciple’s journey to holiness have offered systematic information of some of the truths of our faith to guide us to a personal knowledge and relationship with our Lord. Knowledge of the Lord is good. Yet, this good is also designed to achieve something even more magnificent — holiness. So, it may be helpful to discuss a very practical way to synthesize what we have said thus far and put it to good use. To do this, let us discuss and understand what spiritual writers mean by the term “plan of life.” Read More

Bishop Paprocki's public schedule for the weeks of November 11 and 18. Read More

Daily events occuring throughout the Diocese. Read More

At the opening of the Fifth National Encuentro in Grapevine, Texas, San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller said, “You are right to be heartbroken.” Much attention by church leaders is directed at new promises to take abuse seriously, encourage reporting, care for victims and establish safeguards. Yet little is said of the brokenhearted laity. Read More

Daily Scripture readings for the weeks of November 11 and 18. Read More

One of the things I am most grateful for in my life of prayer has been the praying of the psalms during the Liturgy of the Hours. Before I began to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, I had never had close contact with the psalms. There were a couple that I had read or heard that I loved, but outside of that, there were at least 145 psalms to which I had never truly paid attention. However, after three years of praying the Liturgy of the Hours, though I am still a child in the practice, I have found… Read More