Going to confession. A step-by-step instruction
1. PREPARATION: Before going to confession, take some time to prepare. Begin with prayer asking the Holy Spirit to shine His light into your heart. Ask that you can see yourself, and your life, since your last confession as He sees you. Then ask yourself whether you have — in your thoughts, words, and actions — neglected to live Christ’s commands to “love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:37, 39)?
As a help with this examination of conscience, you might review the Ten Commandments or the Beatitudes (Ex 20:2-17; Dt 5:6-21; Mt 5:3-10; or Lk 6:20-26). Or review an Examination of Conscience guide you can find online or on page 10 in this edition of Catholic Times. If you need to, you can jot down some notes to keep from forgetting anything that has surfaced during your examination but finish your examination either way with a prayer of gratitude to God and be at peace as you head to the confessional. When you enter the confessional, you can choose to say your confession behind the screen or face-to-face depending on whichever way will best allow you to encounter God’s mercy in the sacrament.
2. GREETING: The priest might say words of welcome to you; he may say a short blessing or read a Scripture passage. More often than not, however, he will go right to step
#3. THE SIGN OF THE CROSS: Together, you and the priest will make the Sign of the Cross. You may then begin your confession with these or similar words: “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been [give days, months, or years] since my last confession.” Note, some priests may not say anything at all at the beginning. If that is the case, do not hesitate to begin with that and say “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been [give days, months, or years] since my last confession.”
4. CONFESSION: Confess all your sins to the priest. Try to be as specific as possible. If you are unsure what to say, ask the priest for help and know that if he would like more clarity on something, he will gently ask you for more details. When you are finished, conclude with these or similar words: “I am sorry for these and all my sins.” Note, you can write down your sins on paper and read them if that helps you. However, after confession, you are to destroy the paper as soon as possible as these sins have been forgiven and are no longer part of your life.
5. PENANCE: The priest may first counsel you on how to better live a Christian life and may ask you some questions. Then, he will offer to you some act of penance. It might be prayer, a work of mercy, or an act of charity. You will know this step because the priest will say, “For your penance … .” Just remember to do your act of penance!
6. ACT OF CONTRITION: After the priest has given you your penance, he will ask you to pray an Act of Contrition out loud. A suggested Act of Contrition you can pray is below but know that you can also simply pray from your heart a prayer expressing sorrow for your sins and resolving to sin no more.
“My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In his name, my God, have mercy.” (Rite of Penance, no. 45)
7. ABSOLUTION: The priest will extend his hands over your head and pronounce the words of absolution. He will say:
“God the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” You respond, “Amen.”
8. PRAISE: The priest may then praise the mercy of God and will invite you to do the same. For example, the priest may say, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good.” And your response would be, “His mercy endures forever” (Rite of Penance, no. 47). Note, some priests omit this, or may use another phrase to offer God thanks for His mercy.
9. DISMISSAL: The priest will conclude the sacrament, often saying, “Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace.” You can thank the priest.
10. PENANCE: After confession, spend time in quiet prayer in the church, especially if given a penance of prayer. Thank God for His unconditional love and forgiveness!
This list is reprinted with permission from the USCCB. See more information and resources about confession at usccb.org/confession.
‘Burden lifted.’ Three things to keep in mind that can help alleviate your fear of going to confession
My sophomore year of college, a fraternity buddy invited me to a retreat, and I begrudgingly said “yes.” I am really glad I went, because I went to confession for the first time in a long time. After confessing all my sins and by the grace of God holding nothing back, I remember a brief silence. Was the priest mad? Was he going to tell me I should leave the retreat? I still remember looking up and him smiling, then he said, “Burden lifted” and offered me penance and absolution. That encounter with God’s mercy changed the whole direction of my life. I wanted to get to know Jesus after that, and I wanted others to know him and His mercy.
Here are a few things I think we all need to be reminded of from time to time about going to confession:
- Be direct and totally honest: You will not scandalize or startle a priest, no matter what you bring to the confessional. My favorite description of a priest is “God’s garbage man.” Name your sins specifically and tell the priest how many times they happened. You are good and created in God’s image, let the garbage man take care of the sins.
- The priest will never reveal your sins. Ever. Every Catholic priest is bound by what is called the seal of confession. He would go to jail or even give his life before he revealed anything said in confession. Under no circumstances is the seal permitted to be broken.
- Think of confession like a car wash. If you ever take your car through the mud, you get it to the wash right away. Or, if it has just been a while, it is still good to take it to the wash. If you believe yourself to be in a state of serious sin, be brave and go to confession right away. Or if it has been several months (or years!), it is still good to go and totally appropriate to bring smaller things as well, what are called venial sins. Just be sure to confess anything you know to be seriously sinful.
God wants to offer us His mercy, He literally died to do so. Go to confession, do not worry about doing it perfectly. I try to go every couple weeks, and honestly, I still get nervous most the time, so I just take a deep breath and remember Father saying, “Burden lifted.”
Father Rob Johnson is pastor at Perpetual Help in Maryville, chaplain at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and associate director for the Office for Vocations for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.
I am discouraged that I confess the same sins over and over when I go to confession. What advice do you have for me?
First, we look for God’s grace. As sin tends to shame us into silence and then convince us to quit the spiritual struggle altogether, that you acknowledge discouragement and ask for help prove God is already subverting the cycle of sin you mention.
Second, it is vital we familiarize ourselves with our ascetic tradition. By closely reading the Scriptures and vigilantly observing the human person, the Church has developed means to accurately diagnose and interrupt the progress of temptation.
For example, early Christian ascetics identified five progressive stages of evil as well as possible remedies to halt their advancement. Memorizing both the stages and their remedies will assist us immensely when tempted. They are:
1. Suggestion: Our first contact with the image, fantasy, or urge to do evil always presents itself in a pleasing manner. We cannot rid ourselves of these fleeting thoughts, but we choose whether to let them pass by or to entertain them. Remedy: Ignore them. Busy yourself with something else and they will depart. “Keep your mind warm with holy thoughts,” counsels St. Ephraim. “If the soup is hot, the fly won’t land in it.”
2. Conversation: But we do not always ignore them. Instead, we converse with the suggestion as Eve did with the serpent. We let ourselves be provoked by it and then begin reflecting on it. All day long we may consider the person who wronged us that morning. If there is no decision, there is no sin. But much time and vital energy has been wasted on these inner dialogues. Remedy: Continue the dialogue but change partners; instead of talking to yourself, talk to Christ. Reveal the conversation to Him and see where the discussion goes.
3. Struggle: A suggestion grown through conversation has wormed its way into the heart and is now a struggle. It will not be easily dispelled, but with much exertion it can be done. Remedy: Hold firm and prayerfully repeat: “Jesus, you do not want this for me; neither do I. I freely decide the opposite.” Or “God come to my assistance; Lord, make hast to help me!”
4. Consent: If the will surrenders to the struggle and consents to the suggestion of evil, one sins. Remedy: Make an Act of Contrition. Go to confession if necessary. Let God love you in this moment of weakness.
5. Passion: The final and most tragic stage, passion indicates the continual consent to evil which weakens both the will and the character of the person. Sin becomes something like an addiction, and the sinner a slave to it. Remedy: The will needs to be re-awoken. Devote yourself to prayer, the sacramental life of the Church, and seek help if needed. Some passions can’t be overcome alone.
God desires our freedom from sin. Knowing the cycle of evil and patiently sabotaging it at every step will go a long way in living into that freedom.
Father Seth Brown is pastor of Mother of Dolors in Vandalia and St. Joseph in Ramsey. He is also chaplain of Our Sorrowful Mother’s Ministry, chaplain of the Vandalia Correctional Center, and research theologian for the Diocesan Curia
A view from the other side of the screen. What priests think when hearing a confession
I had been a priest for a very short time when I was in the old-style confessional on a Saturday afternoon. A young family came in and the mother and the father went into the two side doors. Their young son, who had received his first Communion recently, not knowing quite what the procedure was, opened the middle door. And there I was! We began the ritual, and I was overwhelmed by his childlike innocence and complete trust in God’s mercy and love. That child opened my heart to love this sacrament more than ever.
The Father invites us to come, sit in his lap, and experience his love and mercy. As a priest, I am there not to judge or to reprimand, but to forgive in God’s name and on behalf of the Church. When I am in the confessional, I experience peace as penitents are reconciled. It fills my heart with joy. Some come to confession carrying heavy burdens of sin and guilt. In the words of absolution all that melts away. The words, “I absolve you from your sins” are powerful and affirming. There is nothing else like it.
I am humbled by the power bestowed on me in my priesthood ordination. I can still feel the coolness of the marble at the Cathedral as I lay prostrated during the Litany of Saints. I still feel the strong hands of Bishop Joseph McNicholas on my head. I still can smell the sweetness of the sacred chrism as my hands were anointed for service. I still feel the warmth of the embraces as my fellow priests welcomed me. But most of all I remember were the tears that flowed for three days as my heart was so full of joy that I thought it would burst. I was a priest! I had the privilege and the power to be able to stand at the altar for the rest of my life as I would take bread in my hands and say, “This is my body,” and take the cup of wine and say, “This is my blood.” I had the privilege and the power to welcome sinners and declare, “I absolve you.”
The gift of being able to confect the Eucharist and to absolve sins as an alter Christi, another Christ, still brings tears to my eyes. The ability to hold in my hands the very body and blood of Jesus and to extend my hands over a penitent in absolution continues to make me shudder at the power of God working through me. I stand in awe!
I know that it is hard to admit that I am a sinner, especially to another person. Frequent confession and a regular confessor have helped me. Several years ago, I received a young woman into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. She is a dentist and told me, “You know Father, confession is like flossing your teeth. You hate to do it, but afterward you feel so much better.” She is my dentist to this very day. Such insight!
Someone asked me one time if hearing all these sins depressed me or if it changed the way I viewed someone. I told them that I focus not on the sins, but rather on the mercy and love of God. I listen to the sins since there might be something that we need to discuss, but what I really listen for is sorrow for sin, and what I experience again and again is the overwhelming power of Divine Mercy.
A couple of years ago I was sitting at the bedside of a dear friend as she was dying. She was surrounded by family and friends. At one point she asked them all to leave so that she could talk to me privately. When she asked me to hear her confession the tears started as I realized that I was in a grace filled moment of a death bed confession. I was overwhelmed by her childlike innocence and her complete trust in God’s mercy and love. A few hours later she breathed her last, at peace with God. It is very humbling to be able to be part of such incredible moments.
The incredible moments continue to happen as people come with their burdens trusting in God. I always give thanks to God for his love as I stand in awe before such a powerful and beautiful sacrament. The grace given on that first Easter Sunday in the upper room when Jesus said, “Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven,” continues to give life to the Church.
Father Donald Wolford is pastor at Holy Angels Parish in Wood River.
I am ready to go to confession! Where can I go?
Remember, you can always call a parish and schedule your confession with a priest if these days and times do not fit your schedule.
SPRINGFIELD
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Sunday, 4-4:45 p.m.
Monday-Friday, 4:15-5 p.m.
Saturday, 9-10 a.m., 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Blessed Sacrament
Monday-Friday, 7:30-7:45 a.m.
Saturday, 7:30 a.m.- 7:45 a.m., 3-4 p.m.
Christ the King
Sunday, 4-4:45 p.m.
Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m.-6:50 a.m.
Wednesday, 5-5:45 p.m.
Saturday, 3-4 p.m.
Little Flower
Saturday, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
St. Agnes
Saturday, 3-4 p.m.
St. Aloysius
Saturday, 3:30-4 p.m.
St. Joseph
Saturday, 3:15-4 p.m.
St. Katharine Drexel (Sacred Heart and St. Patrick churches)
Before all Masses, seven days a week
ALEXANDER
Visitation BMV
Saturday, 3-4 p.m.
ALTON
St. Mary
First Friday, 4-5 p.m.
Saturday, 4-5 p.m.; 7-8 p.m.
Ss. Peter and Paul
Saturday, 3:15-3:45 p.m.
ARCOLA
St. John the Baptist
Thursday, 6:45 p.m.
ARENZVILLE
St. Fidelis
Saturday, 3:30-4 p.m.
AUBURN
Holy Cross
Sunday, 7:30-8 a.m.
BEARDSTOWN
St. Alexius
Third Sunday of the month, 6 p.m.
Thursday, 6 p.m.
BETHALTO
Our Lady Queen of Peace
Monday, available 45 minutes before Mass
Saturday, 3:30-4:15 p.m.
BETHANY
St. Isidore
Sunday, 7:30-7:50 a.m.
Tuesday, 7:30-7:50 a.m.
Saturday, 7:30-7:50 a.m.
BRUSSELS
St. Mary
Saturday, 5:45-6 p.m.
CAMP POINT
St. Thomas
First Fridays, 5-5:45 p.m.
CHATHAM
St. Joseph the Worker
Saturday, 3:15-4 p.m.
CHARLESTON
St. Charles Borromeo
Saturday, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Wednesday morning before Mass
COLLINSVILLE
Ss. Peter and Paul
Saturday, 3-3:30 p.m.
DECATUR
Holy Family
Saturday, 3:30-4 p.m.
Our Lady of Lourdes
Tuesday, 12-1 p.m.
Thursday, 5-6 p.m.
Saturday, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Ss. James and Patrick
Monday, 7:30-7:45 a.m. at St. James
Wednesday, 7:30-7:45 a.m. at St. James
Friday, 10:30-11 a.m. at St. Patrick
Saturday, 11-noon at St. Patrick; 3:15-3:40 p.m. at St. James
St. Thomas the Apostle
Saturday, 3 p.m.
DIETERICH
St. Isidore the Farmer
Sunday, after 10 a.m. Mass at Island Grove
Tuesday, after 8 a.m. Mass at Bishop Creek
Thursday, after 8 a.m. Mass at Island Grove
Saturday, 4:45 p.m. at Bishop Creek
EDWARDSVILLE
St. Boniface
Wednesday, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Thursday, 6-6:30 p.m. (bilingual)
Saturday, 3:30-4 p.m.
St. Mary
Saturday, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
EFFINGHAM
Sacred Heart
Monday-Thursday, 8-8:25 a.m.
First Monday of the month, 7 p.m. during adoration
Saturday, 3 p.m.
St. Anthony of Padua
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 7:45-8:15 a.m.
Saturday, 3:15-4 p.m.
FIELDON
St. Mary
Saturday, 5:15-5:50 p.m.
GLEN CARBON
St. Cecilia
Monday, 6-6:30 p.m.
Saturday, 3:30-4 p.m.
First Saturdays, 7:30 a.m.
GODFREY
St. Ambrose
Saturday, 3:30-4 p.m.
GREEN COUNTY
All Saints (White Hall)
Sunday, 9:15-9:25 a.m.
St. John the Evangelist (Carrollton)
Saturday, 5:15-5:45 p.m.
St. Michael (Greenfield)
Saturday, 3:15-3:45 p.m.
GREENVILLE
St. Lawrence
Saturday, 4:45-5:15 p.m.
GRANITE CITY
Holy Family
Saturday, 3-3:30 p.m.
St. Elizabeth
Saturday, 3-4 p.m.
GRANTFORK
St. Gertrude
Tuesday, 8:30-9 a.m.
HIGHLAND
St. Paul
Saturday, 3 p.m.
JACKSONVILLE
Our Saviour
Saturday, 3:15 p.m.
JERSEYVILLE
Holy Ghost
Sunday, 7:15-7:50 a.m.
Saturday, 3-3:50 p.m.
St. Francis Xavier
Saturday, 3:15-3:45 p.m.
LIBERTY
St. Brigid
Saturday, 3:50-4:20 p.m.
LITCHFIELD
Holy Family
Saturday, 3:15-3:45 p.m.
MATTOON
Immaculate Conception
Sunday, 7:30 a.m.; 4:30 p.m.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 6:30 a.m.
Tuesday, Thursday, 5 p.m.
Saturday, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
MARINE
St. Elizabeth
Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
MARSHALL
St. Mary
Wednesday, 6 p.m.
MARYVILLE
Mother of Perpetual Help
Tuesday, 5-5:45 p.m.
Saturday, 3-3:45 p.m.
MENDON
St. Edward
Saturday, 7:15-7:45 p.m.
MONTROSE
St. Rose of Lima
Saturday, 4:30-5 p.m.
MT. STERLING
Holy Family
Saturday, 4-5 p.m.
MT. ZION
Our Lady of the Holy Spirit
Sunday, 10-10:20 a.m.; 5-5:20 p.m.
Monday, Thursday, Friday, 7:30-7:50 a.m.
Wednesday, 4:15-5:15 p.m.
Saturday, 4-5 p.m.
NEWTON
St. Thomas the Apostle
Wednesday, 4:15-4:30 p.m.
Saturday, 8-9 a.m., 3:30-4 p.m.
NOKOMIS
St. Louis
Saturday, 3-3:30 p.m.
NORTH ARM
St. Aloysius
Sunday, by appointment
PANA
St. Patrick
Saturday, 2:45-3:25 p.m.
PARIS
St. Mary
Saturday, 4-5 p.m.
PETERSBURG
St. Peter
Saturday, 3-3:45 p.m.
PIERRON
Immaculate Conception
Thursday, 5:30-7 p.m.
PITTSFIELD
St. Mary
Friday, First Friday after 8 a.m. Mass
Saturday, after 6 p.m. Mass
POCAHONTAS
St. Nicholas
Saturday, 3:45-4:15 p.m.
QUINCY
Blessed Sacrament
Sunday, 4-4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, 4:30-5:10 p.m.
Saturday, 9-9:30 a.m.
St. Joseph
First Saturdays, 9-9:20 a.m.
St. Francis Solanus
Saturday, 8:30 a.m.; 3-4 p.m.
St. Peter
Saturday, 7:30-7:50 a.m.; 3:30-4:30 p.m.
St. Rose of Lima
Sunday, 7:30 and 10:30 a.m.
Monday, 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, 6:30 a.m.
Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, 7:30 a.m.
RAMSEY
St. Joseph
Sunday, 7-7:45 a.m.
RIVERTON
St. James
Saturday, 3 p.m.
ROBINSON
St. Elizabeth
Saturday, 3:45 p.m.
ROCHESTER
St. Jude
Tuesday-Friday, 6:45-7:15 a.m.
Saturday, 3:15-4 p.m.
SHELBYVILLE
Immaculate Conception
Saturday, 45 minutes prior to Mass
SHERMAN
St. John Vianney
Wednesday, 5-5:30 p.m.
Saturday, 4-4:45 p.m.
SHUMWAY
Annunciation
Wednesday, 7:45-8:15 a.m.
Saturday, 4:15-5 p.m.
SIGEL
St. Michael the Archangel
Saturday, 3:15 p.m.
STAUNTON
St. Michael the Archangel
Sunday, 7:30-7:55 a.m.
Saturday, 3:30-3:55 p.m.
SULLIVAN
St. Columcille
Wednesday, 5-6 p.m.
TAYLORVILLE
St. Mary
Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-noon
TUSCOLA
Forty Martyrs
Saturday, 5 p.m.
VANDALIA
Mother of Dolors
Saturday, 3-3:45 p.m.
VIRDEN
Sacred Heart
Sunday, 9:45-10:10 a.m.
VIRGINA
St. Luke
Tuesday, 6-7 p.m.
WINCHESTER
St. Mark
Sunday, after 10:30 a.m. Mass
WOOD RIVER
Holy Angels
Saturday, 3-4 p.m.
Confession in Spanish
Our Lady of Lourdes, Decatur:
Tuesday, 12-1 p.m., Thursday, 5-6 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., or by appointment:
St. Thomas the Apostle, Decatur:
Saturday, 3-3:45 p.m. or by appointment:
Sacred Heart, Springfield:
Last Thursday of the month, 6 p.m. or by appointment: (217) 523-4501
St. Boniface, Edwardsville:
Thursday, 1 p.m. or by appointment: (618) 656-6450
Sacred Heart, Effingham:
By appointment: (217) 347-7177
St. Mary, Alton:
By appointment: frpaul@stmarysalton. com / (618) 465-4284, ext. 227
Immaculate Conception, Mattoon:
30 minutes before daily Masses, 3-4 p.m. on Saturday, or by appointment: 217-235-0539.
Forty Martyrs, Tuscola:
By appointment: (217) 253-4412
St. John the Baptist, Arcola:
Thursday, 6:45 p.m.
Other languages
Philippines (Tagalog and Cebuano): by appointment: (715) 207-9575 (textable); or email Father Nick at or
Indian (Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil): by appointment: email Father Chowrappa:
Vietnamese: by appointment: (217) 961-6404, ask for Father Dat Hoang
Italian and Igbo (language in Nigeria): By appointment: Father Freddy, (217) 220-1837
Polish: By appointment: Father Michal Rosa, (217) 347-7177 or by appointment: Father Augustyniak, , (217) 774-3434
American Sign Language: Our Saviour Parish, Jacksonville: By appointment:
Can you please explain the suffering servant from the book of Isaiah?
Can you please explain the suffering servant from the book of Isaiah?
Pat in Ramsey
“The suffering servant” is a famous passage from Isaiah 53, which theologians claim is a messianic prophecy about Jesus. It talks about the suffering this “servant” will endure, however, to get the full picture, you need to look at four Songs of the Servant of the Lord.
The four Songs of the Servant of the Lord (Is 42:1-9; Is 49:1-7; Is 50:4-11; Is 52:13-53:12) describe the mysterious figure of the “Servant of God” who in some respects resembles Israel — the Servant of the Lord from many other texts (Is 41:8), but in His other features, He is someone completely different, a very distinguished and distinctive personality, having no equal (Is 49:5).
The “Servant of the Lord” is chosen by God for His mission while still in the womb, fashioned by Him, filled with His spirit (Songs I and II). He is a docile, attentive, and a faithful disciple of the Lord, diligently listening to His teachings to be able to teach people in turn (Song II). The task and role of this Servant is to announce a new religious law for all nations, not only for Israel. It is to be a light for the nations and a covenant for Israel, to bring people messianic good and salvation (Song I, II, III).
Although persecuted and despised by people, the Servant will not be afraid and will carry out His mission bravely, trusting in the power of God, who will constantly support Him and surround Him with His care, and finally, reward and glorify Him (Songs III and IV). The fourth song presents and ponders the sufferings of the Lord's Servant. Though innocent, He suffers severe physical torments and spiritual humiliation inflicted upon Him by people, up to and including a shameful death, as if He were the worst villain. He, however, suffers these torments voluntarily as an expiation for the sins of others, namely all sinful people, because He took them upon Himself. The Lord acknowledged and accepted His Passion as universal satisfaction. Therefore, the Servant of the Lord will receive as a reward eternal glory and immense descendants forever, that is, of the people He redeemed, both from Israel and from other nations.
In various texts, the New Testament recognizes and sees in Isaiah's “Servant of the Lord” a prophetic announcement — a type of Jesus Christ Himself, the Messiah and Savior (Mt 3:17; Mt 8:17; Mt 12:17-21; Lk 2:31; Lk 4:17-21; Acts 3:13). More often, the words of the fourth Song of the Servant of the Lord are used or quoted (Is 53) in Mk 9:12; Jn 12:38; Acts 8:32-35; Rom 4:25; Rom 10:16; Rom 15:21; 1 Cor 15:3; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pt 2:22-25.
Christ combines in His person both the features of the glorious Messianic King of the Davidic family (2 Sm 7:12-17; Is 7:14; Is 9:5; Is 11:1-5) and the suffering Servant of the Lord (Is 52:13-53:12; Ps 22). Christ Himself identified Himself as the Servant of the Lord (Lk 22:37).
Father Michal Rose is pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Effingham.
Founder of HSHS Passes Away
A Cinderella story of a visionary who went from the kitchen to the board room
Sister Marianna Kosior, OSF, age 99, passed away on Dec. 11, 2021 at St. Francis Convent, Springfield. Sister Marianna was the founder of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS), a multi-institutional health care system in 14 communities in Illinois and Wisconsin with 15 hospitals, health centers and clinics, physician partners, and colleagues.
In the early 1970s, “Sister Marianna found herself responsible for 12 Catholic hospitals at a time of considerable flux in sponsorship and organizational arrangements within Catholic health care,” said Sister Jomary Trstensky, OSF, chair, Hospital Sisters Ministries, and HSHS president from 1989 to 2006. “She led the way with her creative vision and unwavering belief that the future of Catholic health care would be built on strong systems and lay leaders. With no blueprint she established Hospital Sisters Health System and entrusted others to give life to her vision.”
In a 2006 interview, Sister Marianna stated, “As the Lord served people and washed his Disciple’s feet, I have tried to live my life in service to others.”
When she entered the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in 1943, she was ready to devote her life to God and the service of his people. The path that God paved for her was something that most women, including those not in religious life, could not imagine would be possible. In 1978, Sister Marianna was one of the first women CEOs of a multibillion-dollar corporation as she founded HSHS and was named its executive vice president. At this time in U.S. history, health systems had only been formed by three other religious communities, and Sister Marianna, the provincial superior of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis from 1973 to 1979, pioneered the process for the hospitals the Sisters had founded.
Sister Marianna was born in 1922 in Indiana. After graduating from high school, she worked as a secretary, and as her friends were signing up to help in the war effort in 1941, she wondered if she should find ways of serving God. A friend invited her to a weekend retreat where Sister Marianna asked the retreat leader if he thought she had a religious vocation. He sent her to visit a “nice Franciscan group in Springfield, Ill.,” and Sister Marianna recalled that her visit to the Motherhouse felt like home. She entered the community in 1943 and professed first vows in 1946.
Despite her lack of interest in nursing, she attended St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing, Springfield. “I remember sitting in the balcony of the chapel facing a picture of the healing Christ and I said, ‘Well Lord if this is what you want, you’re just going to have to help me.’ I was in tears because I just didn’t know how I was going to do it.”
Throughout the following years, Sister Marianna worked at St. Mary’s Hospital (Decatur) and St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital (Effingham). An election by the Hospital Sisters in 1969 brought Sister Marianna to the Motherhouse as a member of the leadership team and four years later, she was elected Provincial Superior and served until 1979.
During this time in the U.S., religious congregations were closing their Catholic hospitals or turning them over to be run as community facilities because of Medicare regulations. While facing these challenges, the Hospital Sisters also faced the decline of women entering their community and so they began discussing the future of their hospitals. Sister Marianna and her team researched options for an organization that would oversee the management and operations while keeping the Sisters involved with sponsorship and governance.
One of the first steps she implemented was the establishment of a holding company in the late 1970s with a parent corporation and subsidiary corporations. The members of the parent corporation were the Sisters’ leadership team, who were similar to major stockholders. The health system was the holding company, and the hospitals were the subsidiary corporations.
“The Catholic Church has a long history of care for the sick, which is a work of mercy,” Sister Marianna explained in a 1981 interview with the Catholic Health Association. “The religious congregations have been given this apostolate almost as a trust and if congregations can’t continue in the same way, then what can we do to preserve that work as a mission of the Church? If we develop strong systems and begin to pass our torch to laypersons who see health care as a mission, possibly it could survive through lay leadership,” she added. “It is the age of the laity, and even if they are not in the traditional religious congregations, they have an obligation to do the works of mercy. They find a different working environment in Catholic hospitals with value other than profit and the bottom line.”
On Dec. 26, 1978, HSHS was incorporated, and Sister Marianna was named president in August 1979, a position she held until her retirement in October 1989.
“My Cinderella story of my life as a Hospital Sister took me from the kitchen to the board room, and throughout my life, I was open to the Spirit and waited to see where the Lord was calling me,” she stated. “All people are called to holiness, and so it is my hope that we should always strive to develop a greater love with our neighbor, and in doing so, we will share our love with the Lord.”
Three things you didn't know about Christmas
By DAVID BERTAINA
Special to Catholic Times
1. Why is Dec. 25 the date for Christmas?
Matthew and Luke are the only two Gospels that mention the birth of Jesus Christ. Although they do not provide a clear date for Jesus’ birth in their narratives, they did leave implicit clues. As Christians began to be interested in celebrating Jesus’ birth as a special feast date annually, they used the Gospels to calculate Dec. 25 as the specific date for the Nativity.
In Luke 1:9, the Gospel author notes that Zechariah “was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense.” This location was the altar of incense just outside the Holy of Holies in the inner sanctuary of the Temple. Early Christians, who believed that Zechariah was serving as high priest that year, associated this special event with the feast of Yom Kippur, or the Day of the Atonement, which usually falls in late September. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, he gave him the news of the coming of his son John the Baptist. In fact, the Church recognizes the conception of John the Baptist on Sept. 23.
The second key point from Luke is the date for the Annunciation. According to Luke 1:26-27: “In the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy], the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.” Based upon this information, we can determine that six months from late September brings us to a date in late March. The Feast of the Annunciation is in fact held on March 25. Continuing with this information, three months later (June 24) is the date for the birth of John the Baptist. And finally, nine months from the Annunciation brings us to the 25th day of December. This biblical information is what led early Christians to celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25. In the fourth century, St. John Chrysostom even explains these calculations in one of his Christmas sermons as the reason for celebrating the feast on this date.
Early Christians also believed that God had chosen Dec. 25 because it fulfilled biblical prophecies of the Old Testament and because of its cosmic significance. As for biblical prophecy, Malachi 4:2 predicted the coming of God’s judgment with his Messiah: “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.” Early Christians noticed that the Sun of Righteousness was a symbolic sign for the Messiah, who would come when the sun would rise. In the Julian calendar of the ancient world, the winter solstice fell upon Dec. 25. Therefore, the image of the sun rising held significance as the date predicting the birth of the Messiah. This is further confirmed in the New Testament. The Gospel of John points to cosmic solar symbolism as a sign of Jesus Christ: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it … . The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world.” In John 3:30, John the Baptist admits that “He must increase, but I must decrease.” In other words, Jesus Christ, the light of the world, came at the time when light was increasing. Since the winter solstice is the beginning of the increase in light, early Christians recognized that God had given His Son this auspicious birth date to prove his divine origins to all people. The Old Testament, New Testament, and cosmic symbolism all suggested to Christians that Dec. 25 was the birth date of Jesus Christ.
2. Where was Jesus born?
According to Luke, the Holy Family traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem (the city of David), and the Virgin Mary gave birth to him and “wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7). The ancient term for an inn was not meant to convey a formal place for travelers, but mostly likely a simple lodging where one could stay at a residence.
Imagine a Nativity scene like the one that many Catholics have in their homes. There is a stable made of wood, with farm animals such as an ox, donkey (Isaiah 1:3), and sheep gathering around the Holy Family. This image comes from the popularity of the manger scene spread by St. Francis of Assisi (d. 1226), who celebrated a Mass at a stable with living animals. Later, living Nativities and artistic Nativities became widespread across medieval Europe.
However, the typical Jewish stable would not have been made from wood, which is a plentiful source in Europe but was already depleted in Israel by the first century. Instead, caves functioned as stables for animals in the region. An early second-century Christian tradition about the Nativity recounts the cave birthplace. It notes how as onlookers approached the cave, a dark cloud hovered over the cave and Mary’s midwife declared it a miracle. As the cloud withdrew, suddenly a great green light appeared in the cave. Then when the light subsided, the child Jesus was born.
The tradition of Jesus’ birth in a cave is found in the writings of early Christians such as Justin Martyr (d. 165) (“he took up his quarters in a certain cave near the village”). The Christian teacher and theologian Origen also confirmed the cave as a sacred site of veneration in the early third century: “There is shown at Bethlehem the cave where He was born, and the manger in the cave where He was wrapped in swaddling-clothes. And this site is greatly talked of in surrounding places, even among the enemies of the faith, it being said that in this cave was born that Jesus who is worshipped and reverenced by the Christians.” This location was a shrine by the second century where Christians venerated Jesus’ birth at the site of the Church of the Nativity, which was built around the cave by Constantine in the fourth century.
The cave also had theological significance for pointing out how God uses signs to prove the coming of His son Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus’ birth was in a cave, so his body would be placed in a cave at his death. Just as he was wrapped in swaddling clothes at his birth, Jesus was wrapped in cloths at his death. Just as angels announced his birth, so too they would announce his resurrection. These theological parallels and the early Christian traditions indicate that Jesus was born in a cave.
3. Who were the Magi and why did they bring gold, frankincense, and myrrh?
The Magi are mentioned only in the Gospel of Matthew. According to Matthew, “wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have come to worship him’.” After speaking with King Herod, “the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”
The term Magi (plural) comes from the singular Magus, which means someone who examines the stars for auspicious signs that point to real world events. These wise men were in a sense like astrologers, who had noted the star of Bethlehem and came from the East. The Magi were known as religious adherents to Zoroastrianism in the ancient world — so why would they be interested in a Jewish king? An Old Testament prophecy predicted that when the Messiah appeared, wise men from the East would arrive. In Numbers 24:17–18, Balaam, a wise man from the East, tried to put a curse on Israel, God made him speak only words of blessing, saying: “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh: a star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” Jews knew that the appearance of a star would signal the coming of the Messiah King. This passage was a foretelling of the coming of Magi following their guide, the star of Bethlehem. The ones who worshipped stars were taught by a star to worship the true star and light of the world, Jesus Christ.
In the western Church, there developed a tradition that there were three wise men: Balthasar, Melchoir, and Gaspar. By the fifth century, there were already mosaics of the Magi offering their gifts to the Christ child with their names mentioned in the artwork in the Basilica of St. Apollinarus in Ravenna, Italy.
The three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were both a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah as well as a symbol of the status of Jesus Christ. In Psalm 72:10-15, the author affirms that kings of nations will bow before the son of David, bringing him gifts of gold. This passage is where we get the tradition that the Magi were also kings. Likewise in Isaiah 60:3 and 6, we read that kings will come at the rising of the Messiah, and that “they shall bring gold and frankincense.” Therefore, the Magi represent all of humanity across the world acknowledging that Jesus Christ is Lord. As for the symbolic significance of these three gifts, they also demonstrate Jesus’ rank. Gold is the sign of a king. Frankincense is the sign of worship for a divinity. Myrrh, which is a burial ointment pointing to Jesus’ eventual death, is the sign of his humanity. Therefore, Jesus’ kingship, humanity, and divinity are revealed through the gifts of the Magi.
This Christmas season, think about the gift of Jesus Christ to the world. Remember the gifts of the Magi. Gift-giving does not have to be a materialist and consumer-driven motivation to acquire more things. God is the ultimate gift giver. And in return we can be like the Magi and offer our gifts to the only one worthy of worship this Christmas season.
- David Bertaina, PhD, is a professor of history at the University of Illinois Springfield and is a parishioner at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield.
Hey, Father! What is the distinction between Venerables, Blesseds, and Saints?
Laura in Springfield
The titles of Venerable, Blessed, and Saint are given at various stages to those whom the Catholic Church is considering for canonization, the title of Saint, of course, being the last one.
Once a local bishop receives permission from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome to investigate the life of a person who has died and who had a reputation for holiness, the title of Servant of God is given to the person. The bishop then begins a formal inquiry into the biography of the Servant of God to be certain he or she actually existed, has died, and researches the Servant of God’s writings looking for anything contrary to the faith. When the investigations are complete, a report is sent to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
After the cardinals and bishops who are members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints read through the report, they make a recommendation to the pope as to whether or not the pope should declare that the person in question lived a life of heroic virtue. If the Holy Father so declares, he grants the title of Venerable to the person because his or her life is worthy of imitation by the Christian faithful.
After a person is declared Venerable, the Church begins looking for possible miraculous healings that can be attributed to the intercession of the Venerable. When such a case is reported to the bishop, an investigation is done which involves a team of medical professionals to ascertain whether the healing can be attributed to any natural means. If the investigation finds the contrary, another report is sent to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. If the cardinals and bishops who serve on the Congregation judge the healing to be miraculous, they recommend it to the pope. If the pope finds it to be a miracle, he grants the title of Blessed to the person in question through a formal declaration that the Blessed is in Heaven because he or she has been shown to have interceded before the throne of God. When a person is declared Blessed, liturgical prayers for the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours may be prayed in the location where he or she lived and/or died, but not throughout the universal Church.
After a person is declared a Blessed, a search begins for a second miraculous healing that can be attributed to the Blessed’s intercession. If such a miracle is found and so determined by the pope, he names the Blessed a Saint, which allows for liturgical prayers to be prayed in the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours in honor of that person throughout the whole world.
Father Daren Zehnle is pastor at St. Augustine Parish in Ashland and is the director for the Office of Divine Worship and the Catechumenate for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.
St. Francis Solanus - Quincy
By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor
Founded by the Franciscan friars from Germany in 1860, St. Francis Solanus Parish in Quincy is rich in history and deeply Catholic. The church, built in 1885, is home to beautiful statues, gorgeously colored Stations of the Cross, a towering ceiling that makes you look up toward heaven, and a high altar unlike any in the diocese.
“This church is so spectacularly built, so well appointed, and so beautiful,” said Father Steven Arisman, pastor. “They put so much effort into making sure it lasted and truly it has because all these years later, it is still standing.”
One of the biggest parishes by family count in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, St. Francis Solanus Parish was known for 160 years as having the Franciscan friars minister to the people of the parish. This included decades ago when dozens of Franciscans would offer Mass every half hour starting at 5 a.m. until 8 a.m. at the five different altars in the church. In 2020, the order transferred the staffing of the parish to the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.
“This parish was the Franciscan’s novitiate, this is where they would do some of their studies, and formation as Franciscans,” Father Arisman said. “Beyond that, at one point, there were 55 priests who at one point lived here that took care of this parish and the people at Quincy College and St. Francis Solanus College, which is now Quincy University. Those Franciscans have left such a legacy of building a Catholic culture and people who follow the Lord as disciples.”
Inside, the church is a treasure of everything Catholic. Relics of saints can be seen including St. Francis Solanus, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Anthony of Padua. Franciscan saints line the main area of the pews, towering above the faithful. Nearly 1,000 people can be seated inside. Most eyes, however, are immediately drawn to the white and gilded high altar. It was designed by 19th century designer, Franciscan Brother Adrian Wewer and built by Henry Schenk of Quincy. Standing more than three stories tall, the base includes a replica of Leonardo DaVinci's Last Supper and closer to the top, the statue of St. Francis Solanus. The statue depicts St. Francis baptizing a native of Peru while he was a missionary in South America.
The statue of the crucifix that is just above the tabernacle is unlike any in the diocese. That is because there are three crucifixes with three different backgrounds. All the priest must do is spin the mechanism and depending on the solemnity or what the priest wants to portray, that is the crucifix and background that is displayed.
To side of the high altar is the friar’s choir, where the Franciscans would pray together. In the etching of each of the dozens of wooden seats is a phrase from the Psalms that when you read them from one side to the other, it reads that Psalm out in Latin.
“One of the other unique things about the church is the stained-glass window on the font of the church which depicts St. Francis Solanus playing the violin for the native people,” Father Arisman said. “That was one of the ways he drew them to Christ — the beauty of music.”
Other interesting spaces in the church include the library, which includes a ladder and stairs so readers can find books on two levels. In the basement, under the sacristy, is an area where altar servers used to get ready for Mass decades ago. The old cabinets their vestments would hang in are there and are still in good shape. This changing area for the servers was accessible by an outside door. That is because with so many Masses going on daily, this allowed the dozens of daily servers to enter and exit the building without making any noise for the faithful praying in the church.
The church itself is 75 feet high, with the steeple climbing to 217 feet high, making it one of the prominent structures in the Gem City. Right next to Quincy University and Underbrink’s Bakery, in one of the most historic parts of Quincy, St. Francis Solanus is a refreshing reminder of the dedication and faithfulness of Catholics from the past and the present.
“There have been so many different people who have walked through here with so many stories,” Father Arisman said. “There are so many families who are tied to this parish, and they have very large families. With that, some have been tied to this parish from the very beginning. The work the Franciscans and these families have done to build up this parish community is quite beautiful. The work they have done with native peoples, the work they have done with the Hispanic culture, and the work they did with (Venerable) Father Augustine Tolton, and to think that Father Tolton was in this building at one point in his lifetime, is quite astounding to us as a parish — to have that kind of history to stand on, a foundation rooted on Christ with Him as our cornerstone and the people of this parish following after Him.”
Christmas Mass Schedule
SPRINGFIELD
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 7 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
Blessed Sacrament Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 11 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.
Christ the King Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m.
Little Flower Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
St. Agnes Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m.
St. Aloysius Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 7 a.m.
St. Francis Cabrini Parish
Christmas Eve, 7 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m.
St. Joseph Parish
Christmas Eve, 5 p.m., 9:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m.
St. Katharine Drexel Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 7 a.m., 8 a.m. (Latin), 9 a.m. (St. Patrick Church), 10:30 a.m. (Spanish), 12:30 p.m. (Latin)
All Masses are at Sacred Heart Church, except 9 a.m. Christmas Day, which is at St. Patrick Church.
ALEXANDER
Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
ALTAMONT
St. Clare Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m.
ALTON
Immaculate Conception Parish (St. Mary)
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 10 a.m.
Ss. Peter and Paul Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 8 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m.
ARCOLA
St. John the Baptist Parish
Christmas Eve, 7:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m.
ARENZVILLE
St. Fidelis Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.
ASHLAND
St. Augustine Parish
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
ASSUMPTION
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.
ATHENS
Holy Family Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m.
AUBURN
Holy Cross Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.
Overflow seating in the parish center.
BEARDSTOWN
St. Alexius Parish
Christmas Eve, 7:30 p.m. (Spanish);
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. (English/French)
BENLD
St. Joseph Parish
Christmas Eve, 5:30 p.m.
BETHALTO
Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m., 9 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
BETHANY
St. Isidore Parish
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 7 a.m. (Latin)
BRUSSELS
Blessed Trinity Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m. (St. Mary Church, Brussels);
Midnight (St. Joseph Church, Meppen);
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. (St. Barbara Church, Batchtown)
CAMP POINT
St. Thomas Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 pm.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
CARLINVILLE
Ss. Mary and Joseph Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
CHARLESTON
St. Charles Borromeo Parish
Christmas Eve, 5 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m.
CHATHAM
St. Joseph the Worker Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m., 9 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
COLLINSVILLE
Ss. Peter and Paul Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 7 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.
DECATUR
Holy Family Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 9 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 7 p.m. (Spanish);
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m.
Ss. James and Patrick Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m. (St. James Church), 6 p.m. (St. Patrick Church), 11 p.m. (St. James Church);
Christmas Day, 10:15 a.m. (St. Patrick Church)
St. Thomas the Apostle Parish
Christmas Eve, 5 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m.
DIETERICH
St. Isidore the Farmer Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m. (St. Aloysius Church, Bishop Creek), 7 p.m. (St. Joseph Church, Island Grove), 10 p.m. (St. Aloysius Church, Bishop Creek);
Christmas Day, 10 a.m. (St. Joseph Church, Island Grove)
No 6 p.m. Mass on Dec. 25.
EDGEWOOD
St. Anne Parish
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
EDWARDSVILLE
St. Boniface Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:15 p.m., 9:15 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m. (Spanish)
St. Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
No 5 p.m. Mass on Christmas
EFFINGHAM
Sacred Heart Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m., 5 p.m. (Spanish)
St. Anthony of Padua Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
FARMERSVILLE
St. Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.
FIELDON
St. Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.
FRANKLIN
Sacred Heart Parish
Christmas Eve, 6:30 p.m.
GILLESPIE
Ss. Simon and Jude Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m.
GIRARD
St. Patrick Parish
Christmas Day, 4 p.m.
GLEN CARBON
St. Cecilia Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m., 4:30 p.m.
GODFREY
St. Ambrose Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 7:30 p.m. (St. Michael Church, Beltrees), 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m., 4:30 p.m.
Masks are highly encouraged. Seating is limited. Two sections remain “safe distanced” seating.
GRAFTON
St. Patrick Parish
Christmas Eve, 6:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
GRANITE CITY
Holy Family Parish
Christmas Eve, 8 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m.
St. Elizabeth Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 11 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m., 10 a.m.
No 4:30 p.m. Saturday Mass on Dec. 25 in anticipation of Sunday, for Sunday obligation.
GRANTFORK
St. Gertrude Parish
Christmas Eve, 7 p.m.
GREEN CREEK
St. Mary Help of Christians Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
GREENVILLE
St. Lawrence Parish
Christmas Eve, 5:30 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
HIGHLAND
St. Paul Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m. (St. Paul Church), 4:15 p.m. (K.C. Hall), 6 p.m. (St. Paul Church), 11 p.m. (St. Paul Church);
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m. (St. Paul Church), 10 a.m. (St. Paul Church)
HILLSBORO
St. Agnes Parish
Christmas Eve, 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
HUME
St. Michael Parish
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
ILLIOPOLIS
Resurrection Parish
Christmas Eve, 8 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10:15 a.m.
JACKSONVILLE
Our Saviour Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
The 4 p.m. Christmas Eve and 9 a.m. Christmas Day Masses will both be LIVE streamed and interpreted for the deaf.
JERSEYVILLE
Holy Ghost Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 8:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
St. Francis Xavier Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 8:30 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 10:15 a.m.
LIBERTY
St. Brigid Parish
Christmas Eve, 7 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
LILLYVILLE
Sacred Heart Parish
Christmas Eve, 9 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m.
LITCHFIELD
Holy Family Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m.
MADISON
St. Mary and St. Mark Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.
MARYVILLE
Mother of Perpetual Help Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 7 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
MATTOON
Immaculate Conception Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 9 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
MENDON
St. Edward Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m.;
Midnight
MONTROSE
St. Rose of Lima Parish
Christmas Eve, 5:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
MORRISONVILLE
St. Maurice Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.
MOUNT OLIVE
St. Pope John Paul II Parish
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m.
MOUNT STERLING
Holy Family Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 9 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 7 a.m.
MOUNT ZION
Our Lady of the Holy Spirit
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
MOWEAQUA
St. Francis De Sales Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m.
NEOGA
St. Mary of the Assumption Parish
Christmas Eve, 7 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m.
NEW BERLIN
Sacred Heart of Mary Parish (St. Mary)
Christmas Eve, 4. p.m.
NEWTON
St. Thomas the Apostle Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 11 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m.
NOKOMIS
St. Louis Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 9 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
NORTH ARM
St. Aloysius Parish
Christmas Eve, 7 p.m.
OBLONG
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.
PANA
St. Patrick Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 8 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
PARIS
St. Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
PETERSBURG
St. Peter Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
PIERRON
Immaculate Conception Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m.
PITTSFIELD
St. Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 8 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m.
POCAHONTAS
St. Nicholas Parish
Midnight
QUINCY
Blessed Sacrament Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 11 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
St. Anthony of Padua Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
St. Francis Solanus Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m., 10 a.m.
No 4:30 p.m. Mass on Dec. 25.
St. Joseph Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
St. Peter Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m., 10 a.m.
St. Rose of Lima Parish
Christmas Eve, Carols at 11;20;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 11 a.m.
RAMSEY
St. Joseph Parish
Christmas Eve, 8 p.m.
RAYMOND
St. Raymond Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
RIVERTON
St. James Parish
Christmas Eve, Carols 3:30 p.m., Mass 4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m.
ROBINSON
St. Elizabeth Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.
ROCHESTER
St. Jude Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
SAINTE MARIE
St. Mary of the Assumption Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
ST. ELMO
St. Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.
ST. JACOB
St. James Parish
Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m.
SHELBYVILLE
Immaculate Conception Parish
Christmas Eve, 8 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m.
SHERMAN
St. John Vianney Parish
Christmas Eve, 5 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
SHUMWAY
Annunciation Parish
Christmas Eve, 5:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m.
SIGEL
St. Michael the Archangel Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m.
STAUNTON
St. Michael Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 9 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
SULLIVAN
St. Columcille Parish
Christmas Eve, 6:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m.
TEUTOPOLIS
St. Francis of Assisi Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
No 4:30 p.m. Mass on Dec. 25
TROY
St. Jerome Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m.
TUSCOLA
Forty Martyrs Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
VANDALIA
Mother of Dolors Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
VILLA GROVE
Sacred Heart Parish
Christmas Eve, Carols 4 p.m., Mass 4:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m.
VIRDEN
Sacred Heart Parish
Christmas Eve, 5:30 p.m.
VIRGINIA
St. Luke Parish
Christmas Eve, Carols 5 p.m., Mass 5:30 p.m.
WAVERLY
St. Sebastian Parish
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m.
WINCHESTER
St. Mark Parish
Christmas Eve, 5 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m.
WOOD RIVER
Holy Angels Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
What happens when we dip our fingers in holy water and make the Sign of the Cross?
There are a couple of things that happen. First, we are reminded of our baptism. The blessed water, which fills the baptismal fount, calls to mind for us that we were immersed in water or had water poured over our head as infants or perhaps as adults when we came into full communion with the Church at the Easter Vigil, in the case of non-baptized persons.
We recite the doxology, the holy names of the persons of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to remind us that we were baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity. We became children of God and adopted as His sons and daughters and brothers and sisters in Christ upon being baptized.
Second, we make the Sign of the Cross reminding us that in our baptism we entered into the death of Jesus on the cross. The cross also reminds us of Jesus' prescription to His Disciples that if they wish to follow Him, they must take up their cross and follow Him. In a deeper way, we recognize that we belong to a community of believers and are connected more closely to the Church.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that sacramental signs point us toward the reality of what we receive in the sacraments. Dipping our fingers in holy water and making the Sign of the Cross are sacramental signs which point to the salvific grace we receive in the sacrament of baptism. It is also true, as the Church teaches, that participation in these sacramental signs cleanses us of venial sin and provides protection against evil.
There is a tradition that in Catholic homes families have small founts in the home to remind them of the sacramental signs of baptism, and if regularly used, provide the grace necessary to live out their discipleship in Christ. The use of these sacramental signs will also help us to remember that our baptism had a cleansing effect of original sin and the need for ongoing repentance of our sins.
It is important to remember that when we perform these sacramental signs that we do so with great reverence.
Father Stephen Thompson is pastor of Holy Family Parish in Granite City and St. Mary and St. Mark Parish in Madison.
Beauty Series - St. Patrick in Decatur
By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor
In 1908, St. Patrick Catholic Church in Decatur opened to feelings of awe and glory. Today, its splendor continues to radiate and makes people look around in amazement.
“The moment you walk into the church, you are drawn to how massive it is, how high the ceiling is, how wide the transepts are,” said Father Chris Comerford, pastor. “Everyone who comes looks up and takes it all in, and it gives you that sense of ‘wow.’ It is a great way of being drawn into the immensity of God too.”
In 1908, the church, located on Eldorado Street, was part of a quiet neighborhood. Today, U.S. Route 36 runs right in front of it, which when the highway was built, took out the church’s stone steps, trees, front lawn, and front parking lot. The structure of the church is considered a Neo-Gothic design influenced by many of the classic Gothic churches in Europe. Inside, the design reflects the reverence of worshipping God. Like many churches built more than a 100 years ago, the colors are plentiful and no detailed spared. The stained-glass windows, statues, and architecture all help the faithful better understand the Bible, important moments in Salvation history, and helps focus their worship toward Jesus Christ.
“Wherever you look in this church, you see symbols of the faith,” Father Comerford said. “There are lots of statues, lots of stained-glass windows, beautiful woodwork — all of it drawn to Christ, to the saints, to Mary. It is an incredible way of saying, ‘Yes, this really is a place of worship for our faith.’ You cannot look anywhere without taking that in.”
The church has gone through several makeovers over the decades. Remodeling was done in 1961 and the interior was refurbished in 2002.
As you enter the main entrance, on the exterior of the church, you will see a bas-relief on the tympanum of St. Patrick baptizing Brian Boro, an Irish tribal chieftain. This scene is what is credited as the official conversion of Ireland from a pagan kingdom. You can also find dozens of carved shamrocks around the church, as shamrocks are the symbol of St. Patrick, which according to legend, he used to illustrate the three persons of the Holy Trinity. When driving through downtown Decatur, the steeple acts as the church’s most prominent feature, stretching 150 feet high. The church bell, cast in 1902 in West Troy, N.Y., is 3.5 feet tall, 4 feet wide, and weighs 4,000 pounds and is rung daily.
Back inside the church, the most striking feature is considered the reredos behind the altar. The pointed tops are from the altar from Holy Family Catholic Church in Chicago, and they are believed to predate the Civil War. The sanctuary is cruciform in design, meaning it is in the shape of the cross, to remind the faithful of the sacrifice of Jesus. Behind the altar located in what would be considered the upper level of the apse is gold lattice work on a black background. This gallery was originally built for the cloistered nuns who served St. Patrick Parish in the early part of the 20th century. The old baptismal font, made in 1880, is still used today to baptize infants. Hand carved in Italy; it was originally from St. Aloysius Church in Litchfield. The ambo at St. Patrick is taller than most ambos. This is because it contains part of the original 1908 altar. The front of the current altar, which was constructed in 2002, is made from the gates of the original Communion railing in the church. Originally, the dome at St. Patrick adorned the pictures of four saints. Today, you can see a pure white dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit.
“I love the tabernacle,” Father Comerford said. “The way it was created out of wood, it looks like a small model of the church. I think that it is such a great sign that where the physical Eucharist is kept, is also connected to the larger church building too — even the tabernacle itself is another house and dwelling place for God.”
Built for $125,000, the treasures inside St. Patrick Church are priceless and historic. Known as an unofficial landmark in the Soy City, the church, and the history here are rich and deeply Catholic. For Father Comerford, his grandmother was baptized here, his grandparents were married here, and his father was baptized here.
“This was the first Catholic parish in Decatur, so this is known as a symbol in downtown and there have been so many people who have been a part of this,” Father Comerford said. “There have been so many great weddings and funerals, and it has affected essentially every Catholic family in the Decatur community.”
Twice blessed! Several diocesan priests remember growing up as twins
By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor
Just before Christmas, people who are twins celebrate National Twins Day on Dec. 18. It is estimated that 1 in 250 pregnancies will naturally result in twins, which makes being a twin rather unique.
In the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, several priests grew up with a twin, including Father Brian Alford, Father Dean Probst, Father Rafal Pyrchla, Father Dominic Rankin, and Father Michael Trummer. Interestingly, all these priests have a fraternal twin and all but Father Pyrchla have twin sisters.
Many people know that Father Michael Trummer has a brother very close to his age who is also a priest — Father Chris Trummer — but not as many know that he has a twin sister as well. Her name is Katrina Joy, and they were born on March 10, 1992. With three of their four children born in 16 months, it goes without saying that their parents had a very busy household for many years.
Young Michael and Katrina were close growing up, said Father Trummer, parochial vicar at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, both in Decatur. “We weren’t best friends, but not super distant, either. But apparently we have the same Meyer’s Briggs (Type Indicator) personality.”
Like many siblings, the two children got into trouble once in a while. “One time I asked my sister if I could cut off some of her hair. We were in kindergarten at the time,” Father Trummer said. “She was hesitant, but I begged her to let me just cut off a little bit with our kitchen scissors. She conceded, but I cut off several inches right in the back of her head. It was the day before picture day!”
Now that Katrina Schoenfeld is grown and married, she is raising her own twin babies, Tucker and Clair, and is in the middle of getting her master’s degree in clinical social work. “I baptized one of the twins, and my brother, Father Christopher, baptized the other one.”
Ronald Dean Probst and his sister Constance Jean Probst were born on Oct. 22, 1952, in Flora. “We were born in the Flora hospital as St. Anthony Hospital in Effingham had burned down several years earlier and wasn’t rebuilt,” said Father Dean Probst, who is pastor at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Newton and St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Sainte Marie. “The doctor said that since Mom was having twins, she should deliver in a hospital.
“Mom wanted our names to rhyme so it was Ronnie Dean and Connie Jean. Dad asked, ‘Who would name their child Constance?’ and my mom said, ‘You did!’ So we went by our middle names, Dean and Jean. I was the first-born son, and she was their third daughter. I was an hour older by birth.”
Father Probst recalls hearing that his mother was overwhelmed knowing she was having twins. “Our mother was apprehensive about having twins with two children all within four years,” he said. “She cried to her mother about how she would manage, when Grandma had 11 children!”
Father Dean said he and his twin sister are supportive of one another and were “very close in grade school and high school.” He was a groomsman in Jean’s wedding when she married her husband, Dan Cunningham. The couple had two sons. Jean Cunningham is now a retired schoolteacher who lives in Mattoon.
Father Brian Alford and his twin sister Cindy were born on March 9, 1979. “Although we were born pretty well on time and at healthy weights, I had some breathing difficulties which required me to spend a little extra time in the hospital before finally coming home,” said Father Alford, rector at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and vicar for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.
Growing up, Father Alford said he “doesn’t recall being too mischievous” and said he and Cindy were “pretty close.” “We were both involved in band and had several mutual friends. It was my twin sister who first told me that she thought I was going to become a priest.” Father Alford went on to witness his sister’s marriage and then baptized both of her children. Cindy Bushnell now lives in Houston, Texas and is involved in health and wellness work.
“Looking back, it never seemed really too different having a twin sister,” Father Alford said. “Thankfully we got along together and still do to this day. I have a good relationship with all of my siblings, but I obviously feel closest to my twin sister, and I am grateful that the Lord blessed my life with this unique gift.”
Father Rafal Pyrchla and his twin brother Bartlomiej were born April 13, 1986, in Poland. “As far as I know we were full term, approximately 5 pounds each,” said Father Pyrchla, parochial vicar at St. Francis Solanus in Quincy. “I was the second born, he is 10 minutes older than me.” Bartlomiej is now a carpenter in Straszecin, Poland.
In school, teachers couldn’t tell the Pyrchla brothers apart. “That was very funny. We always sat at the same desk in school. We were very close. We wore the same clothes. People, even the close family wouldn’t recognize (the differences in) us, who is who,” Father Pyrchla said and added with a wink, “I am more handsome.”
Although Bartlomiej was supportive of his twin brother becoming a priest, Father Pyrchla said, “It was hard for him when I decided to join the seminary. Still, he was very happy for me, and he came with our mother to the U.S. for my priesthood ordination.” Now that they live so far apart, the brothers communicate by Skype.
Another diocesan priest who is a twin and has another religious vocation in his family is Father Dominic Rankin, Master of Ceremonies and priest secretary to Bishop Thomas John Paprocki and associate director of the Office for Vocations. He and his twin sister, Sister Mary Thomas of the Holy Name of Jesus, OP (born Nicole Therese) came into the world very prematurely in May 1993.
“We were due around July 23, but born on May 9, which meant both of us were very small — I was 2 pounds-something and my sister was 1 pound-something — and had a lot of developing still to do. Providentially, my parents were in St. Louis visiting with my dad’s parents, which meant some of the best neonatal facilities were a quick rush across the road when my mom went into labor all those weeks early rather than the hours it would have taken from Quincy to get to St. Louis or Springfield.
“It was touch and go for those 100 days, with plenty of lung, heart, brain, and nutrition challenges all throughout — and my parents said I kept them on pins and needles for several months after coming home when I would decide to stop breathing for heart-wrenching spans, which meant we had oxygen tanks and monitors to decorate the nursery!”
When they were a little older and healthier, the twins became even more in tune to one another, Father Rankin said. “Mom and Dad say that when we were very little, we had our own language to communicate with each other before we started speaking English. We would run into the room together, chatter something to each other, and start laughing about whatever it was we were scheming before scattering out of the room, with Mom and Dad uncertain what ruckus was about to transpire.”
Father Rankin believes his sister to be a brave woman who, while she was still a teenager, put her trust in God, applied and was accepted to the convent where she would eventually take vows. She is a cloistered and contemplative Dominican Nun in Marbury, Ala.
“I was present for both my sister’s temporary profession in fall 2015 and her final vows in January of 2018. In the first case, I had just begun my studies in Rome at the North American College, so I was not ordained, but did assist at the Mass as a seminarian. In 2018, I was a transitional deacon, preparing to be ordained a priest that May, and was blessed to assist the bishop there for her final vows as a Dominican nun.”
Father Rankin said that because he had spoken about being a priest from his early childhood days, his twin sister knew about his thoughts as they grew up. “By the time I got up the courage to ask the diocese about entering seminary, she had already been accepted to the convent, so at that particular junction it was by means of letters we exchanged that I broke the news to her,” he said.
He has even more thoughts on that subject. “Although we cannot read each other’s minds, she as a consecrated contemplative nun has a very close connection with Jesus, and He knew I was called before I did,” he said. “So, I wonder if the Lord broke the news to my sister before I got around to it.”
Father Zehnle remembers his lost twin
While Fathers Probst, Alford, Trummer, Rankin, and Pyrchla grew up with their siblings, Father Daren Zehnle was born a twin, but sadly lost his brother about 36 hours after their birth. Father Zehnle, pastor of St. Augustine Parish in Ashland, has often pondered how his life has turned out and what it might have been like to grow up with that boy.
In his blog, Servant and Steward, Father Zehnle shared that he and his brother, Matthew William, were born at St. Mary’s Hospital in Quincy on March 26, 1978, about seven weeks before their due date. It was Easter Sunday, and most of central Illinois had been shut down because of a serious ice storm.
Matthew was born at 10:04 a.m. and weighed 5 pounds and 2 ounces. At 10:12 a.m., his twin brother Daren was born, weighing 4 pounds and 9 ounces. “Both Matthew and I were born with a blockage of some kind in our throats, which made breathing very difficult,” Father Zehnle wrote. “Matthew was viewed by the medical team as the stronger of us, while I was seen as the weaker and not expected to live long.”
Since the twins were both in danger of death, a priest was called to baptize them. “Father Landry Genosky, OFM, came and not only baptized us, but confirmed us as well, a privilege granted to priests for those in danger of death. We had neither godparents nor sponsors and, to my knowledge, no confirmation names. I am simply Daren Joseph,” wrote Father Zehnle.
Sadly, Matthew died at 10:38 p.m. on March 27. At some point a tracheotomy was performed on little Daren. “I’m not sure if this was done before or after Matthew died. The tube remained for the first two or three years of my life, and I still bear the scar to this day,” wrote Father Zehnle, who wonders how life must have been for his late parents.
“Mom wrote that ‘the first three months have been bad. I spent two days in the hospital for dehydration.’ I’ve no idea how my parents coped with the death of their firstborn child together with my difficult first few years,” he wrote. “If they had a baby book for me, I do not know where it is, but I do have Matthew’s baby book. It is an odd feeling to flip through a baby book with only a couple pages filled in and I can well imagine why they may not have kept one for me.”
Father Zehnle wrote he has other thoughts on his life. “I’ve often wondered why I, the weaker one, survived. My arthritis too, before it was finally diagnosed, brought me near to the point of death, and yet I survived. I see in these pivotal moments of my life the protective hand of God.
“And though he lived only slightly more than a day,” he wrote, “there is a part of me that longs for the companionship of a brother and confidant, even a partner in mischief, which I know is the bond shared by twins.”
Hey, Father! What can you say about people who leave Mass after the final blessing, but before the priest processes down the aisle and into the vestibule?
Hey, Father! What can you say about people who leave Mass after the final blessing, but before the priest processes down the aisle and into the vestibule?
Phil in Maryville
On one level, the Mass has technically ended. So, on one level, it is good that people are at least waiting for the final blessing to be over. It is better than leaving even earlier. With that being said, the priest processing out and everyone singing the recessional hymn is part of the Mass, at least in a loose and practical sense.
I guess the question is: What is the reason people are leaving at that point? Are they really in that much of a hurry? If someone is legitimately in a hurry, then I think it is fine. I am thinking particularly of someone attending a daily Mass but having work shortly after. That seems to be a good reason. However, if someone simply just wants to leave earlier for the sake of being done earlier, to get out of the parking lot earlier, to go eat, etc., then I don’t think that is a good reason.
As Catholics, we try to be united to each other during the Mass. It sort of kills the familial or unitive spirit to rush out of Mass. As Catholics, we are part of a family. There hopefully is some sort of interaction with our fellow Catholics. Even apart from the socializing, when people leave something early, one gets the impression that the person has something better to do or doesn’t want to be there. On a practical note, is there honestly that much time being saved by leaving before the priest processes out?
Another relevant point: Many, if not most of us receive the Eucharist. We truly receive His entire person into our body and soul. Not just His body and blood, but also His soul and divinity. Nothing is more remarkable than that. The grace we receive can forever change us. However, there is a particular window of time where Jesus is fully present to us in the Eucharist. Once the Eucharist becomes digested enough, Jesus is not fully present to us in the Eucharist, although He and His grace do still remain in our souls. For that reason, it is important we are really focused on praying and staying with Jesus after receiving Him in the Eucharist. There isn’t an exact amount of time we can say Jesus remains intact in our bodies, but many recommend 10 to 15 minutes. St. Josemaria Escriva said, “Surely you have nothing so important that you cannot give Our Lord 10 minutes to say thanks. Love is repaid with love.”
To put it simply, we should wait until the priest processes out, pray a prayer of thanksgiving for at least a couple of minutes, then leave the church and socialize with others.
Father Michael Trummer is parochial vicar at Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Thomas the Apostle in Decatur and chaplain at St. Teresa High School and associate chaplain at Millikin University.
St. Elizabeth Parish in Granite City celebrates 150 years
The 150-year history of St. Elizabeth Parish spans three churches and two cities.By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor
GRANITE CITY — Three separate churches, two different cities, one parish. St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish in Granite City has a rich history in our diocese, and this year marks their 150th anniversary.
The parish began with farm families that lived in the area in what is now Madison County. About 20 families gathered in a house in 1870 for the first Mass. Seeing the need for a church, one was constructed in Mitchell for $4,900 with the cornerstone laid on Oct. 7, 1871, the Feast of the Holy Rosary.
Fast forward to the 1950s and with the church overcrowding and rapid growth in Granite City and the surrounding area, a parish relocation was necessary. In 1952, Bishop William O'Connor appointed Father Lawrence Mattingly for the task of relocation, but the relocation wouldn’t be right away, and the project would be more than just the church.
The first project, at a cost of $167,098, was the construction of a school, which opened in 1955. It had 125 students and a teaching staff of four Sisters of Divine Providence.
“The Sisters of Divine Providence were a driving force for our school that started in 1955, and their presence today, although in different roles, still reminds us of our history and how it began and of their dedication to education and to our families,” said Tammi Mooshegian, a longtime parishioner.
In 1957, a residence across the street from the school was purchased to be used as the rectory and the parish office. Then in 1959, the second phase of the expansion was started. A cafeteria and temporary church later to be used as an auditorium was built. From 1953 to 1962, both facilities in Mitchell and Granite City were being maintained. The last Mass at the old Mitchell church was celebrated on Nov. 11, 1962. The first Mass in the new “temporary” church, which was connected to the school, was celebrated the following Sunday.
Eight more classrooms were added to the school in 1963 and a convent was built. From a parish of 20 families in 1871, it grew to more than 700 families in 1971 and had hundreds of students in the school. With continued growth over the next three decades, St. Elizabeth needed a bigger, new church.
In 1996, the parish began working toward building a church to replace the “temporary” church. After much hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and faith of the St. Elizabeth parishioners, the current church was completed in 2002 at a cost of $2.3 million.
Father Alfred Tumwesigye (left) and Bishop Thomas John Paprocki hold a document sent by the Holy See to St. Elizabeth Parish that says imparts an Apostolic Blessing to the parish from Pope Francis. Bishop Paprocki celebrated Mass in honor of the parish’s 150th year on Nov. 13. Photo by Bret Ware“We're a family that has so many familiar faces with never ending connections,” said Michele Stabinsky, a parishioner who can trace her family back to the origins of the parish. “There are those that knew my grandparents, my mom, and now my family. There is a true sense of belonging.”
In all, 27 priests have served St. Elizabeth over the last 150 years as missionaries, administrators, or pastors and on Nov. 13 this year, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki joined Father Alfred Tumwesigye, the current pastor, and parishioners of the parish in celebrating the 150th anniversary with Mass and a dinner reception afterward. When parishioners reflect on what they love about their parish, a common theme is the people.
“Our Pastoral Team, volunteers and organizations really care about this parish and put their heart and soul into seeing that St. Elizabeth remains a vibrant, religious, and growing community,” said Jackie Jones, the parish bookkeeper.
“Faith-filled and faithful people working together to accomplish the many tasks it takes to keep the parish thriving for 150 years and on into the future,” said Cathy Cassy, the parish’s director of music.
“I love all the people over all the years of my life that have been at church with me,” said Frieda Hicks, a longtime parishioner who turned 103 years old on Nov. 20. “It is always good when I go.”
Thanks to Bret Ware, parish secretary, who compiled the church history.
Grafton celebrates 150 years of Catholicism at St. Patrick Church
By MARTHA CAREY
Special to Catholic Times
GRAFTON — In Grafton, a small river city that is located at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, you will find St. Patrick Church. The arrival of Jacques Marquette, SJ (sometimes known as Pere) and his fellow explorers to the area in 1673 is significant to the town of Grafton and the Catholic community there: To the town because it marked the first recorded appearance of anyone in the Illinois territory. To the church because these men were Catholics, one of them, Marquette, a Jesuit missionary priest.
On Dec. 8, 2021, St Patrick Church will turn 150 years old, their Sesquicentennial Jubilee. "Anytime a parish reaches its 150th anniversary, it is quite a cause for celebration, especially St. Patrick's Parish,” said Father Marty Smith, pastor. “This is because despite the fact that St. Patrick's was built just a few hundred feet from the Illinois River and has been flooded a few times in its history, the original church building still stands. That to me is a metaphor of the invisible grace and presence of God, and of the faith of the people of St. Patrick's Church throughout its history.
“The church is beautiful, and the parish has loving, humble, hardworking, and faith-filled people who continue to celebrate and live by example their devotion to God and their Catholic faith, despite the storms and floods, spiritual and physical, encountered in life. I am humbled and very blessed to be assigned there.”
Father Louis Hennepin, another priest explorer was very likely among the next group of men to arrive in the Grafton vicinity. Many years went by before the recorded appearance of the next Catholic priest in Grafton. Father Verreydt, SJ, in 1838 had Grafton as his mission, but it was not until the quarries came into prominence about the year 1856 that we find evidence of a Catholic community in Grafton. In the years following, Father Carroll celebrated Mass in the school while Bishop Henry Damian Juncker, head of then-Alton Diocese, conducted meetings in the Methodist church.
In 1871, the Catholic community decided to build a church. Before work could begin, a hurdle had to be overcome, and that was the location of the church. The Irish living in lower Grafton wanted the church located there, and the Germans living in upper Grafton wanted the church to be built in their area. A happy compromise was reached when it was decided to build the church in the upper part of town, for the sake of the Germans and name it St. Patrick in honor of the Irish.
On Dec. 8, 1871, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Catholics attended the first Mass in their church. The church cost $5,000 to build. This same building, with some alterations, still serves the community today.
“I have a unique perspective of St. Patrick’s Church, as I am a life-long member and a lifelong neighbor,” said Karen Kinder, the parish sacristan. “Every morning I am greeted by the cross atop the steeple. This church and this cross have stood as a reminder to me and so many that with faith all things are possible.”
To celebrate the Sesquicentennial Jubilee, a celebration will take place Dec. 11. The celebration begins with Mass at 5:45 p.m. followed by festivities including a Christmas light display, a live Nativity, and Christmas carolers. In the parish hall, the history of the church will be presented by Margret Ann Voke. The parish council has also been working on commemorative items including Christmas ornaments and holy cards. The parish has also received an Apostolic Blessing from Pope Francis.
Martha Carey is a parishioner at St. Patrick and says that she is “honored and blessed to be a part of such a wonderful parish and to have raised my family in the rich traditions of the Catholic faith here. It is truly one of my favorite places on earth.”
History taken from jerseycountycatholicchurches.org
Ten ways to make your Advent more joyful
By FATHER DOMINIC VAHLING
Special to Catholic Times
Rejoice! This word echoes throughout our churches and in our hearts as we sing the Advent song, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Follow these 10 tips for a more joyful Advent.
- Don’t miss the season — Stores and radio stations have been playing Christmas music since Nov. 26, but Advent should not be skipped. Advent increases our desire and longing for the coming of the Savior.
- Listen to Advent music — We have a rich tradition of Advent hymnody. Look up songs such as, O, Come Divine Messiah, On Jordan’s Bank, Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, and Hark! A Thrilling Voice is Sounding. You might find a new favorite Advent hymn!
- Light an Advent wreath — Your church probably has one of these in the sanctuary, and your domestic church should too! Lighting the Advent wreath as a family can be a visual reminder of the passing of the four weeks.
- Make a Jesse Tree — The genealogy of Jesus may not be your favorite Christmas Gospel, but it could be. Jesse Trees are a way to learn about Jesus’ family tree, and all the ways in which God’s Providence led Mary, Joseph, and Jesus to Bethlehem. Planning for the first Christmas started a long, long time ago.
- Pray the rosary — Advent may be the most Marian season of the year. Ask Mary to help you prepare for the coming of the Messiah, as she did at that first Christmas. How did she feel when there was no room at the inn?
- Attend Lessons and Carols at the Cathedral —Christians have a great tradition of immersing themselves in Scripture and music in the days before Christmas. Come to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield on Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. to hear some angelic voices accompanied by a harp in giving praise to God.
- Make a visitation — Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months while they were both pregnant. Do not allow the hustle and bustle to distract you from the need for quiet visits with grandparents, parents, or friends.
- Attend eucharistic adoration — Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which translates as “House of Bread.” Even in his birth, Jesus was preparing us to approach him under the form of bread. Spending time with Jesus is never a waste.
- Wait in line — The confession line, of course! If not already, you will soon be tired of waiting in line at the store. So, come wait in a better line, which leads to the forgiveness of sins and the peace that only God can give.
- Befriend your guardian angel — Angels announced the coming of the Messiah to Mary and the shepherds. They are God’s messengers. Ask your guardian angel to prepare your heart for Christmas, as their angelic brethren have done for so many others.
Father Dominic Vahling is parochial vicar at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield and co-chaplain at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School in Springfield.
Beauty Series Immaculate Conception – Mattoon
By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor
Immaculate Conception Church is an iconic structure in Coles County that dates to 1884 when the cornerstone was laid. At a cost of $50,000, the church in Mattoon was dedicated by Bishop John Spalding of the Diocese of Peoria in 1887, 33 years after Blessed Pope Pius IX proclaimed Mary’s Immaculate Conception dogmatic Church teaching.
“I believe the beauty of Immaculate Conception is that it is Mary’s church,” said Father John Titus, pastor. “As a parishioner said to me, when you walk in the church, you feel like Our Lady is putting her arms around you. It is named in honor of the Immaculate Conception. The windows and the art focus on Mary and make present Jesus Christ. My favorite thing about Immaculate Conception Church is that it feels like you are home. I am kind of prejudiced as I was born across the street and grew up in Mattoon. This just feels like home base. This is where it all begins.”
Some of that beauty includes the richly colorful depiction of the Last Supper on the front part of the altar, detailed images of the Stations of the Cross, several statues of saints, the striking shrine altar of Mary including a statue of her crushing the serpent, and a bright, white high altar with gold trim that makes Jesus and the tabernacle the central focus.
Beyond the beauty, the history at Immaculate Conception is also deeply rich. In 1892, the diocese’s own now Venerable Father Augustine Tolton, the nation’s first black priest and a native of Quincy, came here to preach.
“There wouldn’t have been many African Americans in Mattoon at the time,” Father Titus said. “But Father Tolton was well received and many, many people came to see him.”
Father Titus also looks back on another historical moment in the parish, that of Father James Dunne, who after the first World War, died of the Spanish flu.
“He was much loved,” Father Titus said. “He had probably the largest funeral ever to take place in Mattoon. A lot of prayerful folks have been a part of this building.”
The church has seen several physical changes over the decades. A fire in 1890 destroyed practically everything. It is believed however, that what is called the beehive stained-glass window, which is located in the bathroom, survived the fire and is original. After the fire, Mass was held in the old church on Richmond Avenue until a dedication in 1891. Three new bells were cast in St. Louis specifically for the church and named by their benefactors: St. Mary, St. Joseph, and St. Patrick.
In 1934, the main altar, statues, and Stations of the Cross were refurbished. Then, in preparation for the Jubilee Year 2000, a major renovation occurred. The interior of the church was painted, carpet removed, among other interior changes.
In 2018, a new altar incorporating the Last Supper relief was built by parishioner Henry Unkraut and parish craftsmen. Decorative molding was added to the back and side altars and the side altar reliefs were painted to complement the Stations of the Cross. In 2019, icons of the Luminous Mysteries, which completed the rosary windows, were written by Sher Lanham and Karen Boshart of Red Shoes Art Studio in Charleston and mounted in the side chapel.
In 2019, a statue of St. Mother Theodore Guerin (who is buried near Terre Haute, Ind.) was placed in the sanctuary, a gift of parish alumni of St. Mary-of-the Woods College. Then, in 2020, sections of an altar rail were restored on each side of the front of the sanctuary.
Other treasures inside Immaculate Conception include a solid marble Pieta in the side chapel which came from Italy and is dated 1909. The windows on the back altar are in honor of Sts. Peter and Paul, patrons of the Cathedral Church of what was the Diocese of Alton, which then became the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. The top part of the St. Peter window was installed in error says Father Titus as it shows an upright cross with an upside-down crown. The prince of the Apostles was crucified on an upside-down cross.
For Father Titus, despite all the physical beauty and rich history at Immaculate Conception Church, what he thinks about the most are the countless numbers of souls who have worshipped here. “The baptisms of the thousands,” Father Titus said. “All the different priests and people who have been present and beginning their journey, right here.”
Diocesan Campaign for Justice and Hope (DCJH) making huge impact across region
Heaven and hell: What is eternity like?
What is eternity like? What are the sights and feelings? Scripture and private revelation help paint that picture
By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor
The last four things: death, judgment, heaven (maybe a stop in purgatory along the way), and hell. That is what the Catholic Church teaches. In a culture that continues to write off life after death or paints hell as a picture of “you’ll probably be laughing with friends,” it is paramount that as believers, we always have in mind that what we do on earth, how we live our faith, and how we honor God and His creations has everlasting effects, good or bad.
The truth is hell is far worse than any of us can imagine. On the other hand, the joys and beauty of heaven are also unimaginable. Despite not knowing fully what heaven and hell will look, feel, or be like, Scripture and private revelation offers us a glimpse, and we are not talking about puffy clouds, harps, or meeting St. Peter at the pearly gates.
In this edition of Catholic Times, we offer you Scripture passages and quotes from saints who had visions or dreams of heaven and hell that can help you better understand, picture, and appreciate what eternity is, and why you must always strive to become a saint. A quick note on private revelation: the Catholic Church says one does not have to believe private revelation. However, the Church also recognizes that private revelation from saints can be a good thing that can help people in their faith journey.
When reading Scripture and quotes from saints who had dreams or visions, always keep in mind that they should not necessarily be taken literally because as Scripture tells us, “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9).
Heaven — what we do know as revealed to us through the Catholic faith
First, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states, “Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified (either here on earth or in purgatory) live forever with Christ. They are like God forever, for they ‘see Him as He is,’ face to face” (CCC 1026).
- Heaven is union with God. “By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has ‘opened’ heaven to us. The life of the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those who have believed in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ” (CCC 1026).
- We do not become angels in eternity. We will not have our bodies at first, however, at the end of time, our bodies will be reunited with us (Cor. 15 16-18).
- Our bodies will become glorified bodies (Phil. 3:21). While we do not know what that will truly look like, our bodies will be perfect.
- We will retain our own identities. We will not become “someone different.” “To live in heaven is ‘to be with Christ.’ The elect live ‘in Christ, but they retain, or rather find, their true identity, their own name’” (CCC 1025).
- There is no pain in heaven. None.
- At the end of the time, all the remaining souls in Purgatory will enter heaven.
- Speaking of the end of time, “The Last Judgment will come when Christ returns in glory. Only the Father knows the day and the hour; only he determines the moment of its coming. Then through his Son Jesus Christ he will pronounce the final word on all history. We shall know the ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and of the entire economy of salvation and understand the marvelous ways by which his Providence led everything towards its final end. The Last Judgment will reveal that God's justice triumphs over all the injustices committed by his creatures and that God's love is stronger than death” (CCC 1040).
What will heaven look and feel like?
What Scripture tells us
“He (God) will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
“For this reason, they stand before God’s throne and worship him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the throne will shelter them. They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:15-17).
“He (God) will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself” (Phil. 3:21).
“Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of its street. On either side of the river grew the tree of life that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there anymore. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will look upon his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22: 1-5).
What saints who had visions of heaven tell us
"Today I was in heaven, in spirit, and I saw its unconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us after death. I saw how all creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God. I saw how great is happiness in God, which spreads to all creatures, making them happy; and then all the glory and praise which springs from this happiness returns to its source; and they enter into the depths of God, contemplating the inner life of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, whom they will never comprehend or fathom. This source of happiness is unchanging in its essence, but it is always new, gushing forth happiness for all creatures.”
St. Faustina
“As I stood there basking in the splendor of those gardens, I suddenly heard music most sweet — so delightful and enchanting a melody that I could never adequately describe it. A hundred thousand instruments played, each with its own sound, uniquely different from all others, and every possible sound set the air alive with its resonant waves. Blended with them were the songs of choristers.
“In those gardens, I looked upon a multitude of people enjoying themselves happily, some singing, others playing, but every note, had the effect of a thousand different instruments playing together. At one and the same time, if you can imagine such a thing, one could hear all the notes of the chromatic scale, from the deepest to the highest, yet all in perfect harmony. Ah yes, we have nothing on earth to compare with that symphony.”
St. John Bosco
“It is a light which knows no night. Rather, as it is always light, nothing ever disturbs it. In short, no man, however gifted he may be can ever, in the whole course of his life, arrive at any imagination of what it is.”
St. Teresa of Avila
“I then found myself in heaven with the Blessed Virgin, the angels and the saints. They treated me with great kindness. In their company were my parents. I saw the brilliant throne of the Most Holy Trinity and Jesus Christ in His humanity. There was no sun, no lamp, but everything was bright with light.”
St. Mariam Baouardy
“The good of these souls is beyond what your mind’s eye can see or your ear hear, or your tongue describe, or your heart imagine. What joy they have in seeing me who am all good! What joy they will yet have when their bodies are glorified! But while they do not have this latter good until the general judgment, they do not suffer. They lack no happiness, for the soul is filled, and in this good fullness the body will share.”
St. Catherine of Sienna reported this is what God said to her
Hell — what we do know as revealed to us through the Catholic faith
- Hell does exist. “Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, ‘eternal fire.’ The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs” (CCC 1035). Mortal sin is “grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent” (CCC 1857).
- What is hell? “The state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called ‘hell’” (CCC 1023).
- One cannot get out of hell.
- God predestines no one to go to hell (CCC 1037).
- God spoke of hell and of its existence: “Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10). In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,’ but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven’” (Matt. 7:21).
What will hell look and feel like?
What Scripture tells us
“A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice, ‘Anyone who worships the beast or its image, or accepts its mark on forehead or hand, will also drink the wine of God’s fury, poured full strength into the cup of his wrath, and will be tormented in burning sulfur before the holy angels and before the Lamb. The smoke of the fire that torments them will rise forever and ever, and there will be no relief day or night for those who worship the beast or its image or accept the mark of its name’” (Rev. 14: 9-11).
“The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth” (Matt 13: 41-42).
“For it is surely just on God’s part to repay with afflictions those who are afflicting you, and to grant rest along with us to you who are undergoing afflictions, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his mighty angels, in blazing fire, inflicting punishment on those who do not acknowledge God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thess. 1:6-9).
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire” (Mk 9:43).
“And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched’” (Mk 9:48).
What saints who had visions of hell tell us
“The entrance seemed to be by a long narrow pass, like a furnace, very low, dark, and close. The ground seemed to be saturated with water, mere mud, exceedingly foul, sending forth pestilential odors, and covered with loathsome vermin. At the end was a hollow place in the wall, like a closet, and in that I saw myself confined.
“I felt a fire in my soul. My bodily sufferings were unendurable. I have undergone most painful sufferings in this life, yet all these were as nothing in comparison with what I felt then, especially when I saw that there would be no intermission, nor any end to them.”
St. Teresa of Avila
“As soon as I crossed its threshold, I felt an indescribable terror and dared not take another step. Ahead of me I could see something like an immense cave which gradually disappeared into recesses sunk far into the bowels of the mountains. They were all ablaze, but theirs was not an earthly fire with leaping tongues of flames. The entire cave — walls, ceiling, floor, iron, stones, wood, and coal — everything was a glowing white at temperatures of thousands of degrees. Yet the fire did not incinerate, did not consume. I simply can’t find words to describe the cavern’s horror.”
St. John Bosco
“The kinds of tortures I saw: the first torture that constitutes hell is the loss of God; the second is perpetual remorse of conscience; the third is that one’s condition will never change; the fourth is the fire that will penetrate the soul without destroying it — a terrible suffering, since it is a purely spiritual fire, lit by God’s anger; the fifth torture is continual darkness and a terrible suffocating smell, and, despite the darkness, the devils and the souls of the damned see each other and all the evil, both of others and their own; the sixth torture is the constant company of Satan; the seventh torture is horrible despair, hatred of God, vile words, curses and blasphemies.
“Each soul undergoes terrible and indescribable sufferings, related to the manner in which it has sinned. There are caverns and pits of torture where one form of agony differs from another. I would have died at the very sight of these tortures if the omnipotence of God had not supported me!”
St. Faustina
“God the Father said to me, ‘I tell you, in hell there are four principal torments, and all the others are offspring of these.
“’The first is that these souls are deprived of seeing me. This is so painful for them that if they could, they would choose the sight of me along with the fire and excruciating torments, rather than the freedom from their pains without seeing me. The first suffering revives the worm of conscience, and this is their second torment. For when they see that their sinfulness has deprived them of me and of the company of the angels and made them worthy instead of seeing the demons and sharing their fellowship, conscience gnaws away at them constantly.
“’The sight of the devil is their third suffering, and it doubles every other torment. At the sight of me the saints are in constant exaltation, joyfully refreshed in reward for the labors they bore for me with such overflowing love and to their own cost. But it is just the opposite for these wretched little souls. Their only refreshment is the torment of seeing the devil, for in seeing them they know themselves better: that is, they recognize that their sinfulness has made them worthy of him. And so, the worm gnaws on, and the fire of conscience never stops burning.
“’Their suffering is even worse because they see the devil as he really is — more horrible than the human heart can imagine. You will recall that when I once let you see him for a tiny while, hardly a moment, as he really is, you said that you would rather walk on a road of fire even till the final judgment day than see him again. But even with all you have seen you do not know how horrible he really is. For my divine justice makes him look more horrible than still to those who have lost me, and this is in proportion to the depth of their sinfulness.
“’The fourth torment is fire. This fire burns without consuming, for the soul cannot be consumed, since it is not material but spiritual. But in my divine justice I allow my fire to burn these souls mightily, tormenting them without consuming them. And the tremendous pain of this tortuous burning has as many forms as the forms of their sins and is more or less severe in proportion to their sins.’”
St. Catherine of Sienna reported this is what God said to her
“Mary opened her hands once more, as she had done the two previous months. The rays [of light] appeared to penetrate the earth, and we saw, as it were, a vast sea of fire. Plunged in this fire, we saw the demons and the souls [of the damned].
“The latter were like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, having human forms. They were floating about in that conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames which issued from within themselves, together with great clouds of smoke. Now they fell back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fright (it must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me).
“The demons were distinguished [from the souls of the damned] by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black, and transparent like burning coals. That vision only lasted for a moment, thanks to our good Heavenly Mother, who at the first apparition had promised to take us to Heaven. Without that, I think that we would have died of terror and fear.”
Sister Lucia, one of the three visionaries of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917 (Church approved Marian apparitions)
Did our Blessed Mother die before she was assumed into Heaven or was she still alive?
Did our Blessed Mother die before she was assumed into Heaven or was she still alive? If she did die, why would God have allowed it since she was the Immaculate Conception?
- Nancy, Springfield
Whether the Blessed Virgin Mary died or simply fell asleep prior to being assumed into Heaven is an open question. In the Latin Catholic Church, tradition has said Mary did die; in the Eastern Catholic Churches, tradition has said she fell asleep and did not die. Either way, we have no solid historical evidence to prove a position.
When Pope St. Pius XII defined the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in his Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus in 1950, he avoided the question altogether. Instead of answering the question directly, he chose a sort of middle position, saying, “… that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory” (no. 44).
The conclusion of her earthly life may have ended with her death or with her falling asleep; we simply do not know. What is certain, though, is that her earthly life came to an end. Either way, God did “… not allow her to see the corruption of the tomb … ,” which is to say he did not allow her body to decay as our bodies will one day do (Preface of the Mass for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary).
If she did die and was then raised before being assumed into Heaven, God may well have allowed her death because the Blessed Virgin Mary is the exemplar of what each of us is to be. Each of us must die on account of the original sin before we are raised on the last day. If Mary died, it may have been as a sign to us of a holy and peaceful death and as a reminder of the promise of the resurrection.
Father Daren Zehnle is pastor at St. Augustine Parish in Ashland and is the director for the Office of Divine Worship and the Catechumenate for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.
Beauty Series: St Rose of Lima – Quincy
By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor
St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Quincy has a rare distinction as it was designated a historic landmark by the city in 2000. Known for its impressively large, detailed, and richly colorful stained-glass windows that depict the life of Christ and images of various angels and saints, the church was built by the Irish community of Quincy and dedicated in 1912.
“Spaciously it’s very high,” said Father Joseph Portzer, FSSP, pastor. “In church language, that is lifting of you to God. You walk in and immediately you look up just to see how high it really goes. Then you look around and see amazing stained-glass windows and you can’t help but look at them. I love the stained glass the most. The stained-glass windows are a catechesis because they are so good. Sometimes, I use them for my sermons. Sometimes, they are better than my sermons!”
Despite its beauty and landmark designation, the church has not always been available to the faithful over the last 100-plus years. The church closed in 2005 and most of the contents were either moved to other churches or sold. Then, in 2007, then-Bishop George Lucas of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, gave permission to re-open the church for the traditional Latin Mass. It was reopened in 2008 and has been staffed by priests of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. On Jan. 1, 2014, St. Rose of Lima became an official parish of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois under a decree issued by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki.
“The pews are original — for some reason they hadn’t been sold off,” said Father Portzer. “Everything else, they bought it again, and it looks a lot like the old. I think they wanted to make sure everything fit architecturally with what had been here so it’s a deliberate style choice.”
That includes three marble altars, taken from Barat College near Chicago, as well as the matching altar rail and pulpit. The original cross from St. John the Baptist Church in Quincy now hangs in St. Rose of Lima Church.
As you walk around the church, your eyes cannot stop looking around as beauty awaits in every corner. If you visit St. Rose, pay special close attention to the stained glass. Besides the beauty, there is rich Catholic symbolism in the scenes depicted.
“Particularly, I like the scenes over the confessionals,” Father Portzer said. “Over one of the confessionals, we have Mary Magdalene who is down on the floor and using her hair to wipe our Lord’s feet. Jesus has his hand out over her, which is not in the story in the Bible. But it shows absolution. It shows the motion of the priest’s hand giving forgiveness to Mary Magdalene while she is weeping for her sins. It is really a beautiful thing.
“The opposite confessional has perhaps a less clear message, but when you look at it, it has the same message. There is the young woman, age 12, who is dead, and Christ comes to her and says, ‘Young woman, I say to you rise.’ His right hand is up the air. His left hand, he is holding her and bringing her back to life. The right hand is meant to be the hand of absolution, so He is showing a dead person being brought to the spiritual life by the work of the priest.”
Whether it is statues of saints, the Stations of the Cross, a domed ceiling, the altar, or the stained glass, the elements inside the church come from the Gothic, Romanesque, and Byzantine styles which together make up the style known as Venetian Gothic — making this church one of a kind.
“There was a man who came here for a blessing for his son who had cancer,” Father Portzer said. “I didn’t realize they were not Catholic. I gave them the blessing, and then I walked them through the church, and they were so fascinated by the church. I walked them all around and explained all the stained-glass windows, and they left. Only later did I hear from one of my parishioners who met up with them and how thrilled they were, how welcomed they felt, and the man said that he would like to come back to the church to just pray sometime. That is the impact this church has on people. It should do that. Every Catholic church should lift us up like that.”
Box: In the next edition of Catholic Times we will explore Immaculate Conception Church in Mattoon.
How do I talk to my kids about vocations?
I guess that parents would want a formula on how to talk to their kids about vocations — I’m right with you there! I would like one on how to talk to my parishioners about Jesus — but we do not get one either. And yet, this lack of an easy, pre-canned, downloadable, method seems to be the way with most of the most important things in life.
As a kid, did you ever get a presentation on how to talk, or how to cook, or how to clean your room? Is there an app that can tell you how to go to school, or get your first job, or how to be a friend? No! These things are just parts of life, and a child naturally learns from Mom or Dad about how to do them. I would watch my mom prepare for dinner, and gradually began to pick up on the different nuances of it. I have never cracked a book to learn those skills, I just saw how to chop vegetables, season meat, and mix up pancakes. I watched my dad grill, or my mom mix something up, and as I helped them, I naturally absorbed how to do all those things myself.
The same principle applies with vocations! As I learned the faith from my parents, it naturally came up that God loved each of us so much that He had a plan for us. What might that plan look like? Well, it might look like Mom and Dad, or Abraham and Sarah, or Joseph and Mary or St. Gianna Beretta Molla — married, raising a family. Or, it might look like Father Carberry (our pastor), or St. Paul, or St. John Vianney —a priest, caring for his flock. Or, it could be like the Franciscans or Benedictines, something like Moses or Elijah, or St. Francis, or St. Benedict — a monk or friar, devoted to prayer and poverty. Or, it might be like St. Mother Teresa or St. Elizabeth Ann Seton — women religious who were devoted to the poor and teaching young people the faith.
What is crucial? That the parent engages those topics! Do you cook for your children? Do you invite them to help? Do you answer their questions when they ask them? Do you challenge them to try to make something themselves, or plan one dinner a week, or choose groceries based on a recipe? If you do not, they won’t learn how to cook. That knowledge must come from somewhere.
This same principle is true in talking about vocations. You do not need a presentation. You do not need to know everything about every vocation. But you do need to tell your kids that God loves them, and you do need to talk about how you knew when God was calling you to marriage. It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to pop into church after t-ball practice every once in a while — or pray a family rosary while you drive across town. You do need to give them examples of good married people, and priests, and religious, and invite people living those vocations into your home and into your child’s life.
There is one silver bullet: Live a holy life, and your children will see that holiness is awesome, and they will find where God has holiness planned for them.
Father Dominic Rankin is Master of Ceremonies and priest secretary for Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, is an associate vocations director for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, and has a license in Theology of Marriage and Family from the John Paul II Institute in Rome.
Public invited to venerate relics of St. Padre Pio coming to Cathedral in Springfield
He is one of the more recent saints in the Catholic Church who was known as a mystic, who suffered the stigmata (wounds of Christ), and could read people’s souls in the confessional. St. Padre Pio, who died in 1968, was an Italian Franciscan friar who was declared a saint by Pope Saint John Paul II.
Catholics are invited to see and venerate relics of St. Padre Pio after the 4 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield on Saturday, Nov. 6 and after the 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Nov. 7 until 4:30 that afternoon in the Cathedral atrium. Four first class relics and one second class will be available to the faithful to see and venerate. While the event is free, good will donations are appreciated and a second collection will be taken up during one of the Masses.
Answering God's call to religious life
Answering God’s call to religious life
Celebrating National Vocation Awareness week
National Vocation Awareness Week, celebrated Nov. 7-13, is an annual week-long celebration of the Catholic Church in the United States dedicated to promoting vocations to the religious life through prayer and education, and to renewing our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations. In this edition of Catholic Times, we highlight two religious vocations stories that prove God can work in mysterious ways. Also, for parents and grandparents who see a religious vocation in their son, daughter, or grandchild, read Hey, Father!, in which we answer the question, “How do I talk to my kids about vocations?”
He grew up non-Catholic. Marriage was ‘on the horizon.’ Then he had this ‘crazy thing’
The story of Father John Titus
In a sacramental way, the journey of God’s call in my life began on May 13, 1956, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. I don’t suppose, however, anybody in the Bradbury Free Methodist Church, north of Toledo, Ill., knew about Our Lady’s feast that day. Surrounded by cousins and folks in love with God’s Word at Bradbury, as a young child, my family moved to Mattoon where I attended the Presbyterian Church through my college years at Eastern Illinois University (EIU) in Charleston. Active in Sunday school and church activities, I became friends with a few future Presbyterian ministers and felt God’s call to the ministry myself. During my college years, I visited a Presbyterian seminary but never took that “next step.”
Growing up, I had Catholic relatives and friends and would sometimes attend Mass at Immaculate Conception in Mattoon and other parishes. Becoming involved in the pro-life movement in high school and college years, I was struck by the predominance of Catholic Christians among its ranks during those early days. I wondered to myself: Where were the people I had been praying with all my life? I was drawn to a faith that impacted how we lived our lives in the public square. Having been involved in political campaigns since high school, it just made sense that the most important choices we make for the greater community would be informed by our religious faith and the values of the Gospel. I loved the idea of a faith that informed our actions and choices not only as individuals but in the public square.
At EIU, still “spinning my wheels” regarding a future field of study or career choice, I fell back on majoring in history which I had always loved. St. John Henry Cardinal Newman once said, “To be deep in history is to cease to be protestant.” While none of my professors would have suspected me of being very “deep in history,” my study did lead me to an awareness that divisions in the Body of Christ were the fruit of human sinfulness, culture, and politics and certainly not the will of God.
Ultimately it was of course my desire for the holy Eucharist that led me to seek full communion with the Catholic Church. Praying with John 6 and time spent before the tabernacle opened up to me the desire for the graces of the sacramental life. I had been attending daily Mass for some time when I finally stepped out in faith and talked to a parish priest about more formal “instruction” in the Catholic faith.
I was living in Decatur and working for Walgreens when I entered the Church at St. James. I became involved in the parish as my schedule permitted. “Thursday Night Parties” bingo was my main volunteer activity. I was dating a lady at the time who had a young son. The relationship was going well, and it seemed marriage might be on the horizon. I shared with her that before we could take the next step, I had this “crazy thing” I had to get “off the table.” I explained as a protestant minister, a wife and family was the norm, but if God was calling me to the Catholic priesthood, that could be a “deal breaker.”
I assured my girlfriend that there was nothing to worry about, however. As far as I knew, Catholic couples brought little baby priests home from the maternity ward with little Roman collars around their neck. I was sure I would never be accepted to study for the priesthood anyway. I wasn’t smart enough. I wasn’t holy enough. I hadn’t been a Catholic all my life. It just wasn’t going to happen.
Once again, I sat down and visited with my parish priest and soon began a journey that continues to this day. The doors that I expected to close kept opening. An uncertainty about so many things developed into a quiet confidence and renewed hope. I learned priests aren’t ordained on the first day of seminary. Formation is a process including prayer, study, and pastoral experiences where the Church gets to know you and you get to know the Church in fuller ways. With each passing month and new opportunity, I learned more and fell in love more with Christ and his people.
The joy of walking with Christ’s risen body, the Church as a Catholic and a Catholic priest, is incomparable with any other experience of my life. I have learned God never wastes any experience and helps us to use in for the common good when we place it in His hands. Thirty-three years after my ordination as a transitional deacon, I have never looked back but get up each morning joyfully anticipating what surprises the Lord may have in store.
Father John Titus is pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Mattoon and St. Columcille Parish in Sullivan
‘He told me I would be a Dominican nun’
The story of Sister Mary Grace, OP
My family was blessed with an ideal childhood: a devout Catholic mom, devout Presbyterian dad, and children. We attended a Catholic grade school and a Catholic high school. I was the youngest, very close to my sister, and adored my brothers even though they teased me to no end.
I was in the third grade when I received my first clue that I had a talent for art. The third-grade sister was showing the fourth-grade teacher one of my pictures. My art was encouraged at home in many ways and has been a big part of my life to this day.
During those formative years, I was attracted to Catholic Church things and persons. In high school, a sister sat me down one time and suggested that I might have a vocation to the religious life, but I quickly rejected that thought. I imagined I was destined for marriage and family life.
A secular university took me farther away from my earlier pious tendencies although I never neglected the basics of my faith. I achieved degrees in applied arts and teaching. After graduation, I taught art in an inner-city public school which taught me that teaching was not my thing. So, three of my fellow classmates and myself began a business out of my father’s second floor retail stationary store. That was an adventure and lasted until my associates began wanting more funds and better clothes. I lingered on for a while and eventually tried teaching again with the same conclusion.
Several jobs later and all the time dating and hoping to settle down, nothing clicked in that process. Eventually I came to a crossroad in my life: I needed to make a strategic choice for which I was not prepared. By now I was 25 years old and, remembering a piece of advice in one of the many letters I received from my brother (who was a priest), that if I ever needed to talk with someone, this priest would be a good one. Not remembering the name of said priest, I went to the drawer in my room where I kept all his letters in random fashion and found the name in the first letter I picked up.
Father Wenzel agreed to see me. After hearing my tale of woe, he suggested I join a sodality sponsored by Xavier University, which I did. The meetings and the required exercises, which I faithfully practiced, brought me back to a closer relationship to the Church. Around this time, the company I was working at went bankrupt, and I was looking for the next door to open. It did. A fellow sodalist mentioned that a missionary group, the Verona Fathers, were looking for a secretary. I loved that job and flourished there.
In the meantime, because we were required to have a spiritual director, the first time I met with mine, a Jesuit, he asked me what kind of a man I was looking for. Wow! Was he going to go out on the campus and see if he could fulfill my requirements? I told him that I was beginning to think maybe God was wanting me to enter a religious community. “All right,” he said. “This is what you do: Give yourself a certain amount of time, pray very hard about this decision, and God will lead you.” So, I did, and before long it became very clear to me that I should enter religious life. But where?
So, my director took me to the library and took out the large religious directory containing lists and descriptions of all the congregations in the United States. I was to write to any that would allow me to develop my art and one that was well established. I received stacks of mail, but nothing attracted me. Stalemate! I kept praying and one day, a woman visited the Verona Father who had a reputation for holiness. I got to talking with her about my problem and she suggested that I go to confession to a very holy priest, which I did, on April 1, 1962, April Fools’ Day — but what the priest told me I did not take as a trick. He heard me out in silence, followed by a sacred silence, and then he told me I would be a Dominican nun.
Although I knew nothing of cloistered life, nor that there was a monastery in Cincinnati, I immediately and wholeheartedly accepted his directive as the greatest gift I could be given.
As I look back on my life, I realize that I did not have, at that time, the psychological maturity to discern for myself God’s will for me. And so, God took over in a very direct way which, after 56 years of monastic living, I can see as the very best possible solution for me, and I never cease being grateful for that day.
I was kept waiting to meet the prioress of Holy Name Monastery. She encouraged me and after many weekend visits there, the date was set for my entry on Dec. 8, 1962. Of course, the separation from my mother, the only family member still at home by then, was excruciating, for her and for me, more so for her who had been widowed at age 52 and now was facing life in the homestead by herself. When I was a postulant and in the presence of the prioress and myself, she asked how I was doing. The prioress answered that I was doing very well, and my mom’s reply was: “I was afraid of that.” Nevertheless, she never objected to my vocation and supported me and the monastery in every way she could.
I was 27 years old then and was used to an independent life of my own choosing. The discipline of monastic living was jarring in many ways, but I was happy. All throughout my 56 years, the sisters have allowed me to continue developing my art.
I cannot say that I am a born contemplative by any means. I pretty much began the spiritual life from scratch. I am still climbing slowly, but I value all the opportunities and even the atmosphere that are most conducive to living as close to God as I have grace for. Grace is never lacking but, as my Jesuit brother once told me, I am a slow learner.
Dominican monastic life for me has been and is a nurturing home and community which allows one to be who they are and to strive to become the best they can be in God’s plan.
Sister Mary Grace, OP, is a sister with the Monastery of Mary the Queen located in Springfield
Have you considered becoming a deacon?
There are three informational meetings in different parts of our diocese for men interested in becoming a deacon. The first takes place in Jacksonville at the Knights of Columbus Hall (320 E. State) on Saturday, Nov. 13 from 9-10:30 a.m. The second takes place in Mattoon at Immaculate Conception Church Parish Center (320 N. 20th St.) on Tuesday, Nov. 16 from 6:30-8 p.m. The third takes place in Quincy at the St. Francis Parish Center (1721 College) on Sunday, Nov. 28 from 1-2:30 p.m. The meetings will present information for those interested in the permanent diaconate formation which begins in the fall of 2022. Applications are being accepted at this time.
The permanent diaconate is open to men between the ages of 32 and 57 who are active in the practice of our faith and who desire to grow in their relationship with God and in their service to the Church. If interested, and if married, wives are welcome and encouraged to attend. For questions, email Deacon Dave Sorrell: . You can also visit dio.org/diaconate.
Catholic, then atheist, now Catholic again: Psychologist speaks out about coming back to the faith
By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor
Springfield psychologist and author Dr. Kevin Vost says although he spent the first 18 years of his life as a practicing Catholic, it was reading the works of some well-known philosophers that ultimately led him to seriously doubt the existence of God, becoming an atheist. He says “then it only took him 25 years” to come back to the faith, thanks to the Holy Spirit and the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Vost, a member of St. Katharine Drexel Parish, was born into a Catholic family, baptized as an infant and attended Catholic school. “We went to Mass, but we really didn’t talk about the faith,” he says. He is eternally grateful that his parents sent him to Catholic schools where he gained a strong sense of morality, was taught right from wrong, and earned self-discipline and how to be respectful of others.
As he grew and became a teenager, his faith increased and so did his love of weightlifting. Many of those weight-lifter friends were members of non-denominational or Pentecostal churches. He attended some services with them but didn’t abandon Catholicism. “I ran into trouble elsewhere,” he has written, “within the musty pages of old philosophy books.”
Always interested in books and philosophy, at age 18 Vost — who also admired and read about Mr. Universe Mike Mentzer who challenged Christianity — immersed himself in the writings of Voltaire, Friedrich Nietzche, Bertrand Russel, and Ayn Rand. It was Rand’s writings that finally separated him from his faith, Vost said.
“A lot of these atheists, I was coming across arguments that I have never seen before that led me to think that the idea of God is either self-contradictory or that you really don’t need the concept of God,” Vost said. “For example, atheists bring up this argument of how can God be both all powerful and all knowing because if He knows what He is going to do tomorrow, then He doesn’t have the power to do something different. Another argument is that God is not really necessary because existence exists. Open up your eyes. There is the world out there. You don’t have to ask where that came from because that is the starting ground.”
Unable to refute those arguments for atheism he said, “At that point in my life, reason became my god.” While still convinced the existence of God simply didn’t make sense, he went on to earn a doctorate in clinical psychology. He had a long career working in the disability evaluation field and teaching as an adjunct professor. He has been writing books for the last 15 years and was also a powerlifter and weight-lifting instructor.
Vost says that for over two decades he never spoke out against Catholicism but could not make himself believe in God. During that time however, he and his wife Kathy were married in the Church, had their sons baptized Catholic and sent those children to Catholic schools. “There was kind of a sadness. Personally, I deeply wanted to believe, but I did not feel that in good conscience I could pretend to believe what I did not.”
A great proponent of ongoing education, Vost eventually came upon a DVD course on Natural Law that introduced him to the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. “That lead me to desire to read the works of St. Thomas Aquinas directly,” he said. It was the words of that Dominican friar, famous philosopher, and theologian that ultimately led Vost to return to the Catholic faith.
“One of the first things I read is when Aquinas talked about the attributes of God and what God must be like,” Vost said. “This is where we get the answers to the questions that I thought were unsolvable like God is a contradictory or how can He do something tomorrow, and Aquinas talks about the eternity of God.
“If you think of God’s tomorrow, you’re thinking of God as a human being. But God lives in the eternal now. It is all present to Him,” he said. “So, there’s no contradiction. His will is unimpeded forever, as is His knowledge. Aquinas gives this wonderful analogy. He says that imagine you are walking on your way to a little village, and it’s a hilly road. So, you won’t see that village until you are at the top of the last hill. You also won’t know who is coming before you or who came after you. But imagine the perspective of someone high in the sky. They see the destination the whole time and everyone on the route, and in a sense, that is an analogy of God’s eternal knowledge all at once, and that wowed me.”
With that question answered, Vost then found his answer to when atheists say, “existence exists, or you don’t have to ask where the universe came from.”
“Aquinas points out, look at the universe, look at yourself and ask which one of us gave us our own existence — well none of us,” Vost said. “Look at all the objects around us. Everything is constantly changing. So, what material thing gave itself its own existence and has the power to do that? Nothing. It is all contingent. It might exist, it might not exist. Aquinas also said at some point in time nothing existed, so then, there out be nothing to bring it into existence. So, basically Aquinas is saying there must be some necessary being that cannot not exist. This what we call God. So, reason and faith match up.”
This argument, that there has to be an unchangeable first mover (God) and there has to be an uncaused cause in in which everything comes from to get the entire existence going, also wowed Vost.
All this happened when Vost was 43 years old. “It was like a gradual process but then all of the sudden I realized, ‘Oh my Lord! I believe again.’ It was an awe-inspiring thing — it was kind of like the scales fell from my eyes,” he said.
Returning to Mass and the sacraments was, of course, a welcome relief for not only Voss, but his wife, sons, and other family members. “My boys were thrilled. My brother told me that our mother (who had already passed away at the time) always prayed that I would return to the faith,” he said and then added, “I’m sure my mom knows.”
Participating in Mass once again was something that gave Voss “great joy.” “It was a feeling that now I can fully participate. I’m really believing this,” he said. Going back to confession was incredible. “That wonderful feeling when the weight was removed — the burden of my sins. It was an absolutely joyful time.”
Coming back to Catholicism has led Voss to write over 20 books that have been also largely influenced by St. Thomas Aquinas. His first book, Memorize the Faith!, remains his best-seller so far.
“It took me 25 years to realize that I was wrong about the most important thing of all. You know, I always tried to live a virtuous life … but the real difference is there is now a deep sense of peace and joy and calm and relief,” he said. “It was just a life-changing thing. Our Catholic faith is full of beauty, full of life and also full of truth.”
As for advice he has for parents who have children who have fallen away from the faith, Vost points to prayer first, but also having those deep conversations about what our faith really teaches. “If our children really understood the depth of our faith — it’s full of beauty, it’s full of love, but it is also full of truth, and we can defend that truth,” he said. “So, for the kids who are pulled away from these false arguments, keep in contact with your children and know what they are thinking in terms of the faith.”
To hear more about Dr. Kevin Vost’s conversion story, including what he thought about the idea of eternal life as an atheist, how he came back to believe in the true presence of God in the Eucharist, and the five proofs of the existence of God as written by Aquinas, listen to Dive Deep, the official podcast of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Go to dio.org/podcast or search “Dive Deep” on all major podcast platforms.
Celebrating World Mission Sunday Oct. 24
Click here to see how you can celebrate Mission Sunday
He said ‘yes’ - Catching up with Bishop Kemme, former priest from Effingham, now bishop of Wichita
By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor
WICHITA, Kan. — While growing up and then ministering as a priest in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, Bishop Carl A. Kemme didn’t know much about the Diocese of Wichita, where he has been serving as bishop since 2014. In fact, he said, “I tell people here, the only things I knew about Kansas was what I learned from The Wizard of Oz.”
That all began to change on Valentine’s Day in 2014, when he received a call from the papal nuncio, telling him that Pope Francis appointed him the 11th bishop of the Diocese of Wichita. “I think that was the most monumental phone call I’ve ever received or ever will receive,” Bishop Kemme said.
Because then-Msgr. Kemme was traveling, he missed the nuncio’s initial phone call, so when he called back the nuncio was in a meeting. “He told me what he wanted and that he would call me back in 30 minutes for my answer,” Bishop Kemme said.
In that quick time frame, the future bishop of course took time to pray but he also quickly began to research the Diocese of Wichita. “I found it was amazing how much you can learn in 30 minutes time about a diocese,” he said, adding that the nuncio was prompt in calling him back. He accepted the pope’s invitation with the knowledge that God would lead him in the right direction. God has never let him down as he ministers to move forward in his diocese, he said.
Bishop Kemme had 28 years’ experience as a priest in all corners of our diocese before he was ordained a bishop on May 1, 2014 — and that experience was varied. In those 28 years he served at parishes in Decatur, Collinsville, Springfield, Brussels, Meppen, Batchtown, Mt. Zion, Petersburg, and Sherman. In 2002, he was appointed vicar general and moderator of the Curia by then-bishop George J. Lucas. That same year he was named a monsignor (Prelate of Honor) by Pope John Paul II. Additionally, he served as diocesan chancellor from January to June 2005. When Bishop Lucas was named head of the Archdiocese of Omaha, in June 2009, he served as diocesan administrator until 2010. He continued to serve as vicar general and moderator of the Curia when Bishop Thomas John Paprocki was installed.
It was his leadership in the Curia that helped Bishop Kemme feel more secure in being named Bishop of Wichita. “There’s always a lot of anxiety (when making a decision), but I had 12 years of administrative experience and one year as a diocesan administrator … so I knew most of what the governance of a diocese entailed,” he said. “So even though I felt like there were many more qualified candidates, I felt a certain peace and tranquility about it.”
Leaving his home diocese was rather difficult, he admits. At the time his parents were still living on the small family farm. “I was sad to leave home, family, so many friends and brother priests,” he said. “My plan and desire was to live there (in the Springfield diocese) and serve my local church. But God had other plans.”
Bishop Kemme remembers all the ceremonies and getting accustomed to being a bishop were daunting. “In the first two years or so I wondered, ‘Why am I here?’ but I am in my eighth year now. It has been a real blessing. This has become home. The people here are wonderful, and the priests are very cooperative. I am excited for this ministry here.”
Speaking out on tough subjects can be a challenge for a bishop, Bishop Kemme admits. “Everybody wants to know what the bishop thinks,” he said. “Whether they like it or not, they want to know. But I know that God gives me the words he wants me to say, and I’m open to it.” A bishop’s schedule is grueling, but God has helped him out in that aspect, too, he said.
Bishop Kemme says discipleship, evangelization, and stewardship are the touchpoints for his diocese’s pastoral plan — a plan that he and his strong leadership team are continually pursuing. “We work very closely together,” he said. “We aren’t there yet and we have a long way to go, but we’ve got a road map.”
He also desires to make Sundays special again — a day for worship, family, and renewal. “We are really trying to reclaim Sunday as the Day of the Lord,” he said. “That’s a big challenge. By and large we’ve lost that through our culture.”
Bishop Kemme and the other bishops in Kansas meet with one another about four or five times a year, and those visits are valuable, he said. He also attends the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) meetings. “You know, the life of a bishop can be kind of isolating, so I value very much my time with my brother bishops,” he said.
He also returns home several times a year to visit his parents, Donald and Marita Kemme, who now live in a small home in Effingham. From time to time, his priest friends and former parishioners stop by to visit him in Wichita. He says he remains grateful to all the people he served as a priest and all the friends he made in the Springfield diocese. “All of you helped make me who I am. … I have nothing but gratitude.”
Bishop Kemme said no matter where he has been in life, he has never once stopped relying on and believing in God’s grace. “It has always been my experience that God helps us all and He gives us the grace to do what we are called to do. God promised the Holy Spirit and when we are open to that, God is ever-faithful, and he walks with us in our lives,” he said. “God is right here, and He never fails us.”
Want to hear more from Bishop Kemme, including more thoughts on serving his people, God’s grace and his devotion to a particular young person on the road to sainthood? Listen to Dive Deep, the official podcast of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Go to dio.org/podcast on DATE.
Hey, Father! October 7 was the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, in honor of Mary. What's the difference between venerating and worshiping Mary?
Anonymous in the diocese
For those who are unfamiliar with the Catholic Church’s devotion to the Blessed Mother, Mary the mother of Jesus, it may seem like the Catholic Church is lifting her up as a god. After all, many churches are adorned with pictures, statues, and images of the Blessed Mother, as well as other saints. So, what is the difference then of worshiping and venerating, in particular with regard to the Blessed Virgin Mary?
The Catholic Church recognizes that there is only One Triune God — the Trinity — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Church also recognizes that only through God are all things created, kept in existence, and saved so that we may have the hope of eternal life in Heaven with God. So, we do only teach that God is God and no one else is.
We do, however, also recognize that Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection demonstrated to us that God uses intermediaries in this earthly life to help draw others to Himself. He does not do this because He needs to, but because in His love and generosity, He invites us to be a part of His ongoing plan. So, when we look throughout Scripture, and throughout the long history and tradition of the Catholic Church, we see Christ, and His Church, lifting up specific people who have demonstrated by their own lives what it means to be an authentic follower of Christ. Furthermore, since we believe in the Communion of Saints, we recognize that even after a person’s earthly death, they are still connected to us through God, and by the power of God are allowed to intercede for us and help us follow the Lord.
Therefore, the Catholic Church teaches there are three levels of devotion. First is latria which is what we would know and understand as true worship. This is worship and devotion due only to God and God alone, recognizing Jesus as our savior.
The next two are devotion not in the sense of worship but rather extreme honor because the Lord lifted them up as part of His plan of salvation. First, there is the Blessed Mother Mary because she was conceived without original sin in order to be the mother of Christ (the Immaculate Conception). She is recognized with the highest respect of created things. We call this respect and devotion, hyperdulia. The saints, because they can intercede for us and pray for us, are given a great respect and devotion that we call dulia. Neither dulia nor hyperdulia are worship, for worship is due to God alone, but rather, a way to remember that God, who created all things, often uses those things He creates to draw us closer to Himself.
Father Marty Smith is pastor at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Jerseyville and St. Patrick Parish in Grafton and is an associate vocations director for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.