Senior Sydney Erhman found out she is related to President Benjamin Harrison during her research in the Living History course at Marquette Catholic High School.By ANDREW HANSEN 
Editor

ALTON — In digging through your family history, imagine finding out you were related to a former president of the United States? That’s what Sydney Ehrman, a senior at Marquette Catholic High School in Alton found out recently. Her distant relative is President Benjamin Harrison, who lived between 1833-1901, and was our nation’s 23^rd president.

The discovery was due to Ehrman taking the Living History course at Marquette Catholic, taught by Paula Mattix-Wand, the Theology Department chair and instructor in the Theology and History Department.

“I’ve enjoyed digging into my family history and learning more about my ancestors and where they came from,” Ehrman said. “I found out that a few of my family members traveled to Arkansas and got married there. The class has helped me to understand the struggles that my ancestors went through.”

Senior Adam Vowels was fascinated to find out that his family is from Kentucky. “Learning about the history of my name has given me more respect for my great-grandpa,” Vowels said. “He was a great man and learning more about where he came from really shows how much he did in his life.”

This is the first time Marquette Catholic is offering this class, open only to seniors. 

“We had a need for electives in the history department,” Mattix-Wand said. “I had offered to create this class a couple of years ago, but it didn’t materialize. This year, my schedule matched up with the need. I have training in genealogy research through my involvement with the Ninian Edwards Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and through my own family research. I began researching when I was a senior in high school through a home economics class.” 

The goals of the class are to become proficient in using an online genealogy service; to develop research skills and learn document analysis using public vital records; to understand the connection between historical events and the present; and to help students appreciate their place in modern history.

Chris Bams, a senior at Marquette Catholic High School in Alton, looks over his family's ancestry information with teacher Paula Mattix-Wand during the Living History course.“We started the semester by having them talk to their relatives and gather information on what is already known and available,” Mattix-Wand said. “Who are the historians in their families and what do they know? They talked to grandparents, aunts, uncles, anyone who had information. I received a grant from ancestry.com through their AncestryK12 Classroom Program. The classroom version of ancestry.com is very similar to the subscription and includes access to other online genealogy resources. The seniors research every day and help each other interpret documents and make connections. Seniors are free to call relatives during class and to clarify their research. When we have research or document questions that effect the entire group, we discuss it as a class.” 

That research has led to some interesting discoveries. One student found a connection to Daniel Boone, one of America’s first folk heroes. Another student discovered a connection to the Barnum and Bailey Circus. 

“This class is important because it gives students a different way to experience history,” Mattix-Wand said. “Instead of memorizing dates and places, this class allows students to learn the context of how history impacted their family. It’s also important because we are making connections with living relatives. Several students have mentioned how they have enjoyed spending time with their grandparents and learning about their lives. Finally, I think it’s important because we encounter and discuss difficult periods in American history. We have discussed slavery, poverty, immigration quotas, war, and difficult family relationships. These are not easy topics, but they have shown great maturity and compassion toward each other.”

Throughout the semester, the students have three big projects to complete: a pedigree chart listing the direct ancestors that they have found; a binder of documents including but not limited to: vital, census, military, and cemetery records; and a presentation which connects their family to an event in U.S. history.

“At first, the biggest challenge for the seniors is realizing that this project is never finished,” Mattix-Wand said. “In all of their other classwork, there is a definite end. With genealogy, there will always be more people to discover and more details to add to the family’s story.”

Interested in learning about your ancestors?  

You can use sacramental records to trace your family history. Baptism, first Communion, confirmation, marriage, and burial records are fantastic resources for genealogists. The Office for Archives and Records Management for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois accepts genealogy requests online or by mail.  Visit https://archives.dio.org/services/genealogy.html to learn more.  

If you already have experience performing genealogical research, they have partnered with Ancestry.com to digitize and index the sacramental records of the diocese that are considered open and accessible for genealogical research. Learn more about the partnership here: https://archives.dio.org/services/ancestry.html.

New to genealogy? Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Begin in the present. Collect information from resources you already have such as birth or marriage certificates, baptismal records, family Bibles, or obituaries. 
• Collect information from relatives. Contact relatives to help fill in important details. Ask them to share their family stories.
• Record your information and get organized. Record where information was found. Make notes of missing information so that you know what you still need to find. Use paper files or genealogical software. 
• Check your local public library to see what genealogical resources they offer.

 

 

 

Who makes and divides up the holy oils that the bishop blesses during Holy Week each year?
 -Rosanne Wiatrolik, Springfield 

Rosanne, you have asked the right person! The past few years, I have had the happy work of setting up everything for the chrism Mass, which takes place during Holy Week, including preparing for the bishop to bless the holy oils. It is a fairly ordinary process! 

The holy oils that the Church uses in the sacraments are all composed of olive oil. So, we start with several dozen gallons of pure olive oil, and through a process perfected over many years, through the generous efforts of everyone willing to help (in recent years, our Knights of Columbus Council at Cathedral in Springfield has led the charge), we go about carefully filling more than 300 individual bottles using a conglomeration of funnels and old coffee urns, labeling them as “oil of catechumens,” “oil of the sick,” and “sacred chrism” as we go, and placing one such bottle in each box, which is labeled with the parish or institution to which it is destined to go. Before filling the bottles that will become sacred chrism, we mix in the balsam extract to the point where the scent is obvious, but not overpowering (and we don’t run out of balsam before filling all the bottles). 

Of course, we also fill the larger glass jugs that are used during the chrism Mass with oil as well and it is these that will be carried in procession up to the bishop for him to bless (oil of catechumens and oil of the sick) and consecrate (sacred chrism) at the proper points in the Mass. The boxes with their bottles are placed in front of bishop before the Mass begins.

After the Mass, the larger glass bottles are kept in the ambry at Cathedral, which is the place, often looking much like a tabernacle, that houses each of the oils in every parish, and all the pre-boxed sets of bottles are distributed to their various destinations. Most years, they are collected by the pastor or a delegated member from that parish, though during 2020, they were carried to each deanery by a few of the priests in Springfield because the lockdown didn’t allow for representatives from each parish to be at the chrism Mass. 

One interesting sacramental twist to the story: The rite of the Church seems to prefer that the bishop himself mix the balsam into the oil before consecrating the chrism, and thus that the oils only be distributed into smaller bottles after the chrism Mass. Thankfully, the Vatican has clarified that it is valid to mix and bottle everything ahead of time, and this is how we have done it here in our diocese in order to expedite the process of distributing them out to their various destinations after the Mass. 

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.

By FATHER ROBERT JALLAS 
Special to Catholic Times 

“Whoever is in Christ is a new creation. The old things have passed away, behold, new things have come. All this is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation … so we are ambassadors of Christ, as if God were appealing through us” (2^nd Corinthians 5:17-20).

The apostle Paul speaks frequently in his letters of entering a new creation, of allowing the mind and heart and attitude of the risen Christ to take over us, to “put on Christ.” This putting on of Christ began at our baptism and unfolds throughout our lives. We are aware that this takes place symbolically in clothing the newly baptized with a white robe. Indeed, across our diocese at the Vigil of Easter, more than one hundred people were to be so clothed in being initiated into the life of Christ and his Body, the Church.

But what does this putting on of Christ, this entering a “new creation” look like? The word of God this past Lent gives us some clues, one of which stands out in particular I find this year. It is compassion that ushers forth in forgiveness. Whether during liturgy, in personal prayer, study, or prayerful reading, many have the experience of listening to the word of God in a fresh way, of being struck by passages that are so familiar, yet one seems to really hear them for the first time.

I found such to be true this past Lent. The powerful and recklessly lavish parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), the electrifying encounter of the woman accused of adultery (John 8:1-11), or the cultivation of an attitude of compassion in Jesus’ saying to forgive “not seven times but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:21-22). Again, we hear at times the familiar in a different or striking way given the circumstances of our lives and our world. 

I have come to see that the distinguishing mark of a disciple of Jesus, the sign that we have put on Christ, that Christ is taking us over, of entering a new creation as Paul speaks of, is compassion. Compassion that ushers forth in forgiveness. Such takes work. Such takes discipline. Such an attitude of compassionate forgiveness is a focus not only for Lent or even Eastertime, but for all our days. How that plays itself out in our lives is as unique as each one of us. But the freedom and freshness of spirit that such forgiveness brings are a taste of the new creation into which we are continuously invited. Such gifts! Easter blessings in the risen Lord!

Father Robert Jallas is pastor of St. Mary Parish in Edwardsville.

Gerald Broadwater's conversion story involves a promise he made to his wife, Viv, who died in 2020. "Viv asked me to promise her just one last thing-that after her death, that I too would be baptized into the Catholic Church so that we would one day be in Heaven together! I promised my beautiful wife that day that I would do just that… and I did!" Broadwater said.‘It was because of a promise’
Gerald Broadwater of Granite City shares his conversion story 

By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor 

GRANITE CITY — At 74-years-old, Gerald Broadwater’s conversion story to the Catholic faith involves a car accident that should have killed him and a promise to his wife that will bring a tear to your eye.  

Growing up in Granite City, Broadwater’s parents did not attend church of any kind, and they did not take him to church either. He does remember, however, neighbors who were a strong Catholic family that planted a Catholic seed in him that would not take root for more than a half a century. 

Gerald married his wife, Viv, in 1966 in a Methodist church at the age of 18, but after that, going to church was maybe once a year for the two of them. Fast forward to having two children, Machele and Bret, and Broadwater says, “Finally, once our children and grandchildren were baptized Catholic, Viv and I attended St. Elizabeth (in Granite City) many times throughout the years.” 

But attending Mass did not make them Catholic. They both remained unbaptized. Decades went by. Broadwater then retired from the Edwardsville School District as a custodian. Then everything in his life changed in 2020. What happened ultimately led him to become Catholic in 2021, receiving the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and first holy Communion. Now a parishioner at St. Elizabeth Parish in Granite City, Broadwater shared his conversion story with Catholic Times Editor Andrew Hansen and spoke about how his wife made all the difference.

You grew up a non-Catholic, but you had neighbors who were. What do you remember about the Catholic faith as a young person?

Growing up, we were neighbors with a very strong Catholic family, William and Louise Mank, and those neighbors were my only exposure to Catholicism when I was young. The Manks had seven children, and one of them, Virgil, even became a monsignor. I can remember vividly a time when the Manks took me to Mass at St. Joseph in Granite City. I remember the Mass being in Latin, and I also remember being intrigued by the clothing worn by the priests and nuns. I was honestly in awe of the mystery of it all! I also recall the Mank family going through some extremely hard times throughout the years. It was their genuine trust in God and dedication to their Catholic faith that guided them through those very difficult times, and that really stuck with me. Truly, a wonderful Catholic family.

In 2020, your wife of more than 54 years died. Her conversion story to the Catholic faith alone is inspiring. But it did not end with her. What happened?

My faith changed drastically after Viv’s death. Just nine months later, I was initiated into the Catholic Church — fulfilling a promise that I had made to her a few months before her death. 

You see, Viv had longed for years to be Catholic — we both had — but for various reasons, it just hadn’t happened. And then in February of 2020, after being told by her hospice nurse that she had only weeks left to live, Viv let us know her heartfelt desire to become a Catholic and to receive the sacraments before the day God would call her home. With that, our daughter flew into action, and thanks be to God, on March 7, 2020, just 16 weeks before her passing, Viv received the sacraments of reconciliation, confirmation, and first holy Communion from Father Zachary Edgar in our home. But that wasn’t all that happened that day. Just after Father Edgar initiated her into the Church, Viv asked me to promise her just one last thing — that after her death, that I too would be baptized into the Catholic Church so that we would one day be in Heaven together! I promised my beautiful wife that day that I would do just that — and I did!

You became Catholic in April of last year at the Easter Vigil. How has the Catholic faith helped you grieve better and remain close to your wife? 

I’m attending Mass every week at St. Elizabeth, and I’m praying more than ever before! While I miss my wife with every ounce of my being, because of my newly found faith, I am at such incredible peace.

Was there anything about the teachings of our faith that you struggled with and if so, how did you overcome that?

Not really. Our journey to the Church honestly began about 32 years ago when our daughter was married in the Church. Not long after that, our son married into a Catholic family as well. Soon, grandchildren were arriving, and because of their baptisms, confirmations, and attending St. Elizabeth School, we found ourselves at St. Elizabeth Parish many times throughout the years. And then once both of our children were baptized in the Church — more than 20 years ago — they began discussing with us the Church’s teachings, answering any questions that we had along the way, and all the while, hoping and praying that Viv and I would someday be led home into the Catholic Church.

Is there a saint you fell in love with, asking him or her for their intercession and if so, which saint and why?

I was drawn to St. Brendan the Navigator for two reasons: We share an Irish heritage and have both sailed the seas. St. Brendan was in search of the land of promise, and I served our country in the United States Navy aboard the U.S.S. Constitution. I felt a real connection to him.

On the day you became Catholic, you were baptized, and you received confirmation and first holy Communion. What was that day like?

It was a wonderful day! I felt so very blessed to have my children, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and several of my grandchildren present to see their 73-year-old father and grandfather being baptized, receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, and fulfilling a promise that I had made to their mother and grandmother.

What do you love most about our faith?

The Eucharist and the saints in Heaven!

When you look back over your journey to our faith, what stands out?

When I was 15, I was involved in a serious automobile accident. I went through the windshield of that car — ending up on the hood — requiring more than 100 stitches in my head and the top portion of an ear being severed. I also suffered a dislocated knee, hip, broken collarbone, and broken jaw. The day after surgery, my doctor came in and told me that I should have died in that accident, but that God had saved me for a reason. 

I lived with that all my life, wondering just what that reason was. It wasn’t until my faith journey that I finally came to realize that I was put on this Earth to be married to the love of my life for 54 years, to father two of the most beautiful children on this Earth, to be a grandfather to nine precious grandchildren, and to ultimately be granted the privilege to be Viv’s caregiver in the final months, weeks, and days of her life, and to love her, cry with her, and hold her throughout her sufferings and anxieties — up until the very moment she took her final breath. That was the reason God spared my life all those years ago. 

It was because of a promise that I made to my wife in the final months of her life, that I became a member of the Catholic Church, the church instituted by Jesus Christ! I am thankful to Him for every single second that He allowed me to be with Viv, and I am thankful to Him for bringing me to where I am today.

Catholics from across the diocese have been wowed to read and view 151 true eucharistic miracle stories from across the world over the centuries, depicted through photographs and historical descriptions on panels temporarily set up in parish centers, gyms, and vestibules. Several parishes in our diocese have already hosted this display, called The Vatican Eucharistic Miracles of the World exhibit. This exhibit was gifted to the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois and is available to parishes and schools in the diocese free of charge.

The exhibit presents some of the principal Eucharistic miracles that took place throughout the ages in various countries of the world and which have been recognized by the Catholic Church. By means of the panels, one can “virtually visit” the places where the miracles took place. 

To request all or some of the panels at your parish or organization, contact Cindy Callan at the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois at 217-698-8500, ext. 137 for further information. Or email her at . When requesting panels for a showing, please consider sufficient lead time.  

 

By Melissa Presser
Special to Catholic Times 

“And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.”
Luke 6:17

Sometimes God just seems so far away. We may be praying for or about something with hearts broken and pierced and wondering where Jesus is. Does He hear me? Does He even know I am here? And even amongst good friends and family, we still feel alone because the cry of our hearts has gone unanswered. We may question God, wondering why Christ who came down to become man and stand among us feels a million miles away.  

The Lord reminds us that we cannot trust in human beings to do what only He can do. He reminds us that human beings are not God and that we must put our trust and hope in Him alone, even when we feel we are in a spiritual drought. This is why He came down on a level plain, so He could be right there with us, in the midst of our greatest problems and tragedies. Christ is an accessible God who walks with us and among us. He is never far away.

When I think about Christ on a level plain, I think about a God who came down as man. He became attainable, touchable, reachable. He is the God who hears me, sees me, and knows me. God is not far off or someone I can’t reach out for. In fact, I reach out for Him every Sunday when I receive Him in the Eucharist. 

I may “feel” that He is far off, but these feelings are deceptive. Having the sacraments with me reminds me that He is in fact on level ground with me - touchable, reachable, and attainable.

If you are feeling alone, misled, in grief, or rejected, know that whether you feel it or not, God is with you. He came down as man in the person of Jesus Christ to be accessible to you. As you receive Him in Holy Communion, take a moment to meditate on that level plain. He is right next to you, beside you, intimately involved in every detail of your life. 

Remember that on this side of heaven, you have the keys to the Kingdom in the Eucharist, the closeness of God here on earth.

This article originally appeared in www.missiodeicatholic.org, reprinted with permission. Missio Dei was founded by Phillip Hadden, parishioner of St. Alexius in Beardstown

By Kelly Ann Tallent
Special to Catholic Times

“God created man in His own image… male and female he created them”  (Gen 1:27). This verse taken from Sacred Scripture is used by the Catholic Church to proclaim the universal truth that all mankind is created equal. “We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers and sisters keepers, wherever they may be.” This teaching can be difficult for some, but this should not be difficult for Christians because God has given us the ability to see with more than our eyes.

As Catholic Christians, we are given seven beautiful ways of seeing through the eyes of faith, but in this article, we will only focus on two: The Sacrament of Baptism and the Sacrament of Communion. A Sacrament, “which is a visible sign of an invisible reality,” gives humanity a tangible means (something that can be seen, touched, heard, smelled, or tasted) and fuses it with the faith which God has commanded. For instance, in the Sacrament of Baptism, the water is the visible sign of the truth that “we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God… members of Christ… incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission” (CCC 1213).

The Sacrament of Communion has a specific correlation to the above-mentioned verse, and it is here where we will draw an even deeper understanding of this call to see with more than our eyes. The bread and the wine, which is the visible sign, is transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ. No one can see this happen, just as no one can see the invisible reality of Baptism, yet we have the faith that this visible sign has become what Christ proclaimed: “Take it; this is my body. This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many” (Mk 14:22-24).

When we believe this truth, and spend time adoring Christ in the Eucharist, adoring Christ in others is how we share in God’s way of seeing Christ in us. We no longer see national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences, we see Christ. We see the image of God (Jn 14:9). Just as Christ sees us and we see Him, so too can we truly see others and treat them with the love in which Christ showed us when He carried His cross to Calvary.

This article originally appeared in www.missiodeicatholic.org, reprinted with permission. Missio Dei was founded by Phillip Hadden, parishioner of St. Alexius in Beardstown

Holy Week starts April 10
What is the Triduum?

During Holy Week, which beings on Palm Sunday (April 10), Lent comes to an end before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, which is the beginning of the Easter Triduum. The three chronological days are liturgically one day and from what the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops call “the summit of the Liturgical Year.”

These three days witness the most exalted liturgical celebrations of the year and help us to remember Christ’s Paschal Mystery: His passion, death, and Resurrection. 

The liturgical services that take place during the Triduum are: the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday (April 14), the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday (April 15), and the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Vigil) on Holy Saturday (April 15). On Easter Sunday (April 16), the Church continues to celebrate the Resurrection and triumph of the Lord. 

The Triduum is concluded liturgically with Evening prayer in the late afternoon or early evening on Easter Sunday. This is the beginning of the Easter season, which is the 50 days from Easter Sunday until Pentecost. 

Triduum schedule around the diocese
The following parishes returned a request from Catholic Times for a listing of their Triduum schedule: 

SPRINGFIELD

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Holy Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 7 a.m., 10 a.m.

 

Blessed Sacrament

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 5:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

Christ the King

Holy Thursday 5:30 p.m. (Adoration until 10 p.m.)

Good Friday, 5:30 p.m. (Stations of the Cross, noon)

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 10 a.m.

 

Little Flower

Holy Thursday, 6:30 p.m. (Adoration until 10 p.m.)

Good Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 7:45 a.m., 10 a.m.

 

St. Agnes

Holy Thursday, 5:30 p.m. (Adoration 6:30-8:30 p.m.)

Good Friday, 5:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 7:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 9 a.m., 11 a.m.

 

St. Aloysius

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 7 a.m., 11 a.m.

 

St. Frances Cabrini

Good Friday, 6 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 9:30 a.m.

 

St. Joseph

Holy Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 5:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 9:30 a.m.

 

St. Katharine Drexel

(all at Sacred Heart Church unless noted otherwise)

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m. (Adoration until midnight)

Good Friday, 3 p.m. (Divine Mercy Novena and confessions to follow)

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 7 a.m., 9 a.m. (St. Patrick Church), 10:30 a.m. (Latin), 12:30 p.m. (Spanish)

 

ALEXANDER

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Holy Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 11 a.m.

 

ALTAMONT

St. Clare

Holy Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10 a.m.

 

ALTON

St. Mary

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m. (Living Stations of the Cross, 7 p.m.)

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 6 p.m.

 

Ss. Peter and Paul

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m. (Adoration until 11 p.m.)

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 10 a.m.

 

ARCOLA

St. John the Baptist

Holy Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10 a.m.

 

ARENZVILLE

St. Fidelis

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

ASHLAND

St. Augustine

Holy Thursday, 6:30 p.m. (Adoration until midnight)

Good Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 9 a.m.

 

ASSUMPTION:

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Holy Thursday, 6 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 7:45 a.m.

 

ATHENS

Holy Family

Holy Thursday, 6 p.m.

Good Friday, 6 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10 a.m.

 

AUBURN

Holy Cross

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m. (Adoration until 10 p.m.)

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m. (overflow in parish center)

 

BEARDSTOWN

St. Alexius

Holy Thursday, 7:30 p.m. (bilingual) 

Good Friday, 6:30 p.m. (bilingual)

Easter Vigil, 6 p.m. (trilingual)

Easter Sunday, 11:30 a.m. (Spanish), 4:30 p.m. (French)

 

BENLD

St. Joseph

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 7:45 a.m.

 

BELTREES

St. Michael

Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m.

 

BETHALTO

Our Lady Queen of Peace

Holy Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 7:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

BETHANY

St. Isidore

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

BRUSSELS

St. Mary

Easter Sunday, 6:30 a.m.

 

CAMP POINT

St. Thomas

Holy Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 5:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10 a.m.

 

CARLINVILLE

Ss. Mary and Joseph

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 9 a.m.

 

CARROLLTON

St. John the Evangelist

Easter Vigil, 8:15 p.m.

 

CHARLESTON

St. Charles Borromeo

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m.

 

EIU Newman Center

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, noon

Easter Sunday, 11 a.m.

 

CHATHAM

St Joseph the Worker

Holy Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 5:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

COLLINSVILLE

Ss. Peter and Paul

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

DECATUR

Holy Family

Holy Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 10 a.m.

 

Our Lady of Lourdes

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:30 (Spanish)

 

Ss. James and Patrick

Holy Thursday, 6 p.m. (St. James)

Good Friday, 3 p.m. (St. Patrick)

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m. (St. Patrick)

Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m. (St. James), 10:15 a.m. (St. Patrick)

 

St. Thomas

Holy Thursday, 6 p.m.

Good Friday, 6 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10 a.m.

 

DIETERICH

St. Isidore

Holy Thursday, 7:30 p.m. (at both St. Aloysius Church & St. Joseph Church), adoration following in the hall

Good Friday, 3 p.m. (St. Aloysius Church), 7:30 p.m. (St. Joseph Church), Living Stations, 7 p.m. (St. Aloysius Church)

Easter Vigil, 7:30 p.m. (St. Aloysius Church)

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m. (St. Aloysius Church), 10 a.m. (St. Joseph Church)

 

EDGEWOOD

St. Anne

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

EDWARDSVILLE

St. Boniface

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8:15 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m.

 

St. Mary

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

EFFINGHAM

Sacred Heart

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m. (adoration until 10 p.m.)

Good Friday, 6 p.m. (Stations of the Cross, 12:10 p.m.)

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 5 p.m. (Spanish)

 

St. Anthony of Padua

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 7:30 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 11 a.m.

 

FARMERSVILLE

St. Mary

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

FIELDON

St. Mary

Easter Sunday, 9:30 a.m.

 

FRANKLIN

Sacred Heart

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

GILLESPIE

Ss. Simon and Jude

Holy Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10:30 a.m.

 

GIRARD

St. Patrick

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 9:30 a.m.

 

GLEN CARBON

St. Cecilia

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m. (Adoration, 8 p.m.)

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m., 11 a.m.

 

GODFREY

St. Ambrose

Holy Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 5:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

GRAFTON

St. Patrick

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

GRANITE CITY

Holy Family

Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m.

 

St. Elizabeth

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m. (adoration until midnight, Night Prayer, 11:45 p.m.)

Good Friday, 3 p.m. (Stations of the Cross, 2:30 p.m., Divine Mercy Novena following 3 p.m. liturgy)

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m. (Divine Mercy Novena, 3 p.m., Blessing of Easter foods, 10 a.m.)

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

GRANTFORK

St. Gertrude

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

GREENFIELD

St. Michael the Archangel

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

GREENVILLE

St. Lawrence

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 10 a.m.

 

HARDIN

St. Norbert

Easter Sunday, 9:30 a.m.

 

HIGHLAND

St. Paul

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m., 7 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m.

 

HILLSBORO

St. Agnes

Good Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10:30 a.m.

 

HUME

St. Michael

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

ILLIOPOLIS

Resurrection

Holy Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 6:30 p.m. (Stations of the Cross, 6 p.m.)

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10:15 a.m.

 

JACKSONVILLE

Our Saviour

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Vigil 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

JERSEYVILLE

Holy Ghost

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 7:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 11:15 a.m.

 

St. Francis Xavier

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10:15 a.m., 5 p.m.

 

KAMPSVILLE 

St. Anselm

Holy Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

 

KINCAID

St. Rita

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

LIBERTY

St. Brigid

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 7:30 a.m.

 

LITCHFIELD

Holy Family

Holy Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m.

 

MADISON

St. Mary and St. Mark

Holy Thursday, 6 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10 a.m.

 

MARINE

St. Elizabeth

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 9:30 a.m.

 

MATTOON

Immaculate Conception

Holy Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

MARYVILLE

Mother of Perpetual Help

Holy Thursday, 6 p.m.

Good Friday, 6 p.m. (Stations of the Cross, noon)

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

MENDON

St. Edward

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10:30 a.m.

 

MEPPEN

St. Joseph

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

MICHAEL

St. Michael

Easter Sunday, 11 a.m.

 

MONTROSE

St. Rose of Lima

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 9 a.m.

 

MORRISONVILLE

St. Maurice

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10 a.m.

 

MOWEAQUA

St. Francis de Sales

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 9 a.m.

 

MT. OLIVE

St. Pope John Paul II

Easter Sunday, 10:30 a.m.

 

MT. STERLING

Holy Family

Holy Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Eater Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m.

 

MT. ZION

Our Lady of the Holy Spirit

Holy Thursday, 6:30 p.m. (Adoration until midnight)

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10:30 a.m.

 

NEW BERLIN

St. Mary

Easter Vigil, 7 p.m.

 

NEWTON

St. Thomas

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 7 a.m., 10 a.m.

 

PANA

St. Patrick

Holy Thursday, 6 p.m.

Good Friday, 6 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 7:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

PARIS

St. Mary

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 5:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m.

 

PETERSBURG

St. Peter

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

PIERRON

Immaculate Conception

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10 a.m.

 

PITTSFIELD

St. Mary

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m.

 

POCAHONTAS

St. Nicholas

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

QUINCY

Blessed Sacrament

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 10 a.m.

 

St. Anthony

Holy Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

St. Francis Solanus

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m.

St. Joseph

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 9 a.m.

 

St. Peter

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m.

 

St. Rose of Lima

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 12:30 p.m. (Stations of the Cross at noon)

Easter Vigil, 10:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 11 a.m.

 

RAMSEY

St. Joseph

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

RAYMOND

St. Raymond

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

RIVERTON

St. James

Holy Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m.

 

ROBINSON

St. Elizabeth

Holy Thursday, 6 p.m.

Good Friday, 6 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 6 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 7:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

ROCHESTER

St. Jude

Holy Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 7:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

SAINTE MARIE

St. Mary of the Assumption

Holy Thursday, 5 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m.

 

SHELBYVILLE

Immaculate Conception

Good Friday, 5 p.m.;

Easter Vigil, 7 p.m.;

Easter Sunday, 10:30 a.m.

 

SHERMAN
St. John Vianney

Holy Thursday, 6 p.m.

Good Friday, 6 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

STAUNTON

St. Michael the Archangel

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 7:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

ST. ELMO

St. Mary

Good Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 6 a.m.

 

ST. JACOB

St. James

Easter Sunday, 9:30 a.m.

 

STONINGTON

Holy Trinity

Easter Sunday, 9:30 a.m.

 

SULLIVAN

St. Columcille

Holy Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

 

TAYLORVILLE

St. Mary

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 11 a.m.

 

TEUTOPOLIS

St. Francis of Assisi 

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 1 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 6:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

TROY

St. Jerome

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 11 a.m.

 

TUSCOLA

Forty Martyrs

Holy Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 5:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 7:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 8 a.m.

 

VANDALIA

Mother of Dolors

Good Friday, 7 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10 a.m.

 

VILLA GROVE

Sacred Heart

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 7 p.m. (Stations of the Cross, 3 p.m.)

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10 a.m.

 

VIRDEN

Sacred Heart

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 11 a.m.

 

VIRGINIA

St. Luke

Holy Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 9:30 a.m.

 

 

WAVERLY

St. Sebastian

Good Friday, 6 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 9:30 a.m.

 

WHITE HALL

All Saints

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10 a.m.

 

WINCHESTER

St. Mark

Good Friday, 5 p.m.

Easter Sunday, 10:30 a.m.

 

WOOD RIVER

Holy Angels

Holy Thursday, 7 p.m.

Good Friday, 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

 

 

 When I was growing up, one could not eat meat on Fridays at all, even outside of Lent (Editor’s note: This was Church law before 1966). If one did, that was sinful. Yet now, one can eat meat on Fridays, except in Lent. Since God is well aware of future laws and events, did He forgive those folks who did not abstain from meat on all Fridays? 
- Margaret of Springfield

The obligation to abstain from meat is found in the Code of Canon Law. Canon 1251 states: “Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Bishops’ Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.” The law of abstaining from meat on Fridays “binds those who have completed their fourteenth year” (canon 1252).

For the last several decades, we have been accustomed to abstain from meat on the Fridays of Lent, but not necessarily on the other Fridays of the year. This is because canon 1253 allows the Conference of Bishops to determine another form of penance to be observed. In 1966, the United States Catholic Conference (now the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) ended the obligation to abstain from meat on the Fridays outside of Lent if some other form of  penance or work of charity was done; they kept in place the obligation to abstain from meat on the Fridays of Lent (and on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) under pain of sin. 

The reason the bishops can make such a law is because of the power to bind and loose that Christ Jesus entrusted to the Apostles and their successors (see Matthew 16:19 and 18:18). The religious authorities in first century Judaism frequently spoke of the power of binding and loosing as the authority to make enforceable laws. Jesus, himself a devout Jew, gave this same authority to make enforceable laws for his Church to the Bishops. 

The Church does not oblige people to future laws; she obliges them to laws in force at a particular time. If someone willfully and knowingly chose to eat meat on a Friday at a time when he or she was obliged to abstain from meat under pain of sin, and if he or she knew at the time the act of doing so was mortally sinful, he or she committed a mortal sin. Such a sin would not be later forgiven simply because the law changed. For a mortal sin to be forgiven, sincere repentance must precede a sacramental confession or a perfect Act of Contrition with the intention of making a sacramental confession.

 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. 

By ANDREW HANSEN 
Editor 

After another year of the pandemic, children are probably itching to get out of the house, socialize, and have fun. Parents are probably just as eager to have their children try some new experiences. This summer, the Office for Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is excited to have Totus Tuus, a fun and faith-filled experience, coming once again to several parishes across the diocese in June and July.

Totus Tuus is a weeklong Catholic youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic faith through evangelization, catechesis, Christian witness, and eucharistic worship. The program inspires in young people a true longing for holiness, a deep desire for daily conversion, and an openness to their vocation. 

A team of four college-aged teachers are traveling to different parish each week, hosting a five-day catechetical program for grades 1-12. The week is filled with faith, fun, and friendship. There are messy games and crazy skits, in addition to prayer, learning, and the sacraments. The college-age teachers also provide an authentic witness to the students. 

June schedule:

• June 12-17: Our Lady of Lourdes, Decatur
• June 19-24: St. Boniface, Edwardsville
• June 26-July 1: Holy Family, Granite City

July schedule: 

• July 10-15: St. Isidore, Dieterich 
• July 17-22: St. Katharine Drexel, Springfield
• July 24-29: St. Peter, Quincy

Costs vary by parish. For more information and to sign up your child, call the parish office that is hosting Totus Tuus near you.

Cutline: 

Students attending Totus Tuus at St. Boniface Parish last year pray after competing in a Catholic trivia game with their student leader, Joe Niemerg, at left. Totus Tuus is returning across the diocese this summer. Sign up at a parish near you.

Submitted photo