Diocese well-represented at March for Life Carrying rosaries and signs and wearing identifiable hoodies, scarves and warm outerwear, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, hundreds of young people, dozens of adults, several seminarians and members of the clergy from the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois walked for life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 18. The theme of this year’s March for Life was “Unique from Day One: Pro-life is Pro-science.” Read More

Hansen named editor, director of Communications On Jan. 14, Andrew Hansen joined the Curia staff for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois as director of Communications — and is also now editor of Catholic Times. Hansen replaced Marlene Mulford and Scott Mulford, who retired on Dec. 31, 2018 as director of Communications and as editor of Catholic Times, respectively. Read More

Sister Ann (Elizabeth Frances) Connolly, ASC, died on Jan. 12 at the Ruma Center in Ruma. She was 91 years old and had been a professed member of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ for 72 years. Sister Ann was born on May 15, 1927 in Assumption. She was the only child of the late Ernest and Catherine (Shannon) Connolly. Sister Ann made her first vows on July 1, 1946 and her final vows on July 1, 1951. Read More

The Springfield Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (SDCCW) is offering four 0 scholarships to recognize outstanding Catholic female high school seniors. Applicants will be judged on how they exemplify the SDCCW’s mission values of leadership, faith and service. Young women who are interested in applying for the scholarship should contact their high school principal, high school guidance office or parish office for applications. The application, essay and two letters of recommendations are required. The application deadline is March 30. Read More

Before moving forward in A Disciple’s Journey to Holiness, let’s review the four R’s of mental prayer: read, reflect, relate and resolution. We end our meditation by choosing a practical concrete resolution to keep in mind and live throughout the day. Resolve to apply the grace from this meditation to transform you. You can, also, take a phrase or word that struck you—and repeat it throughout the day. This will keep your mind on the meditation and help to focus your thoughts and heart on God and following the example of Jesus. Read More

Bishop Paprocki's public schedule for the weeks of February 3 and 10, 2019. Read More

Daily events occuring throughout the Diocese Read More

For several decades now, well-meaning catechists, priests and deacons have told candidates for the sacrament of confirmation something along the lines of this: “Confirmation is when you decide to accept the Catholic faith for yourself.” If this were true, it would mean that my own reception of the sacrament of confirmation means nothing because I was confirmed the same day I was born; at such a young age, I could not possibly make such a momentous decision. The sacrament of confirmation, then, cannot be about an individual’s choice. Indeed, such an understanding was never present in any official document or… Read More

Daily Scripture readings for the weeks of February 3 and 10, 2019. Read More

Students from Covington Catholic School in Kentucky went to the March for Life, advocating for the most defenseless among us — the unborn. When they left Washington, it was those students who felt defenseless after a barrage of inaccurate reporting in the mainstream media and attacks on social media hit them like a ton of bricks. A viral video showed one of the students, Nicholas Sandmann, and Nathan Phillips, an activist for indigenous people’s causes, confronting each other. The video showed Phillips beating a drum while Sandmann stood there with his group. At one moment, Sandmann smiled. Someone took that picture.… Read More