Mon - Thurs: 8:00 - 5:15
Hours
(217) 698-8500
Phone
Community of Religious Educators Meeting - The next CORE meeting is Thursday, May 19 at 10 AM at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Springfield. The keynote presentation will be given by Fr. Mike Haag and his staff on their approach to preparing students and their families for the Sacrament of Confirmation. His approach has three goals: to evangelize the parents; to give the parents the tools to evangelize their children; and to catechize the confirmandi so that they not only know the faith, but can express and share it. I am also planning to have representatives from Ruah Woods join in via internet to talk about their Theology of the Body curriculum. Lunch is provided. RSVP by May 16 so I can plan food accordingly, , or call (217) 698-8500, ext. 154.
PSR submissions from each parish/school needed - Catholic Times is accepting PSR articles or photos for its annual PSR issue (which will be in September to time with Catechetical Sunday, but asking for information now before this PSR school year ends). We invite parishes to submit either a PSR article (300 words or less) about your program or a good story or a PSR photo with short caption by May 21 using the online form: https://ct.dio.org/psrissuesubmission Photos should be 300 dpi or better and sent as image files (such as .jpeg or .pdf). Please do not imbed the photo in a Word document. For articles, include your parish name, town, as well as the author. For questions, call (217) 698-8500, ext. 118, or outside of Springfield (800) 677-8708.
LTP Discount Orders: The Office for Divine Worship and the Catechumenate has received notice from Liturgy Training Publications that, effective April 1, 2022, the discount offered on orders placed this office will be reduced to 30% and the shipping fee will be increased to $6.00 per shipment.
CRS Rice Bowl Collection: Throughout Lent adults, children and families have been praying, fasting, and offering alms. The CRS Rice Bowl is one opportunity for offering alms during lent. These alms help millions of women, men and children around the world, and even families within our diocese, who encounter economic challenges. Twenty-five percent of funds collected stays within our diocese to grant to organizations that help families experiencing food insecurity. Please encourage participation in this giving opportunity. Rice Bowls will be collected Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022. Use the collection poster and other tools found in the Collection Mailing, mailed to you from CRS Rice Bowl during Lent, to communicate collection details. “CRS Rice Bowl” should be written on the memo line of the check to insure donations end up in the right place. Families can always donate online at www.crsricebowl.org/give . The proceeds gathered should be forwarded to our Office for Finances within thirty (30) days. Any questions contact Donna at 217-321-1161.
CRS Rice Bowl Grant Opportunity: The Diocesan CRS Rice Bowl program is accepting applications for the 2022-2023 grant funding cycle. Organizations within the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois that help low-income people with food insecurity are eligible to apply for a CRS Rice Bowl grant. The deadline for submitting a grant application is April 30, 2022. Early submission is encouraged so any deficiencies on the application can be corrected prior to this deadline. Details about the grant is located at: https://oldsite.dio.org/missions/ricebowl, or call the Office for the Missions, 217-321-1161.
Holy Land Collection: Pontifical Good Friday Collection will be taken up on Friday, April 15, 2022. This collection helps the Church in the Holy Land minister in parishes, provide Catholic schools and offer religious education to Christians living in the Holy Land. The Pontifical Good Friday Collection also helps to preserve sacred shrines. The pandemic hit Christians in the Holy Land particularly hard because most depend on pilgrimages to work. Resources available for this collection include talking points, a bulletin and pulpit announcement, letter from the pastor, a brochure on how donations are used, and poster in English and Spanish.
Short Tidbit from Project Rachel: Appendices – Raising the Issue of Prior Abortion Loss in Marriage Preparation (continued): Discussing sexual histories with couples can be very beneficial to the couple. A partner with no abortion history may have a hard time understanding a post-abortive spouse. If either or both partners have abortion losses with other people, they need to be aware of how this may play out in their marriage, especially if they have not yet healed. Deep distrust can surface in their relationship. For instance, a man may have been involve in may abortions. His fiancée needs to know the circumstances because if he has forced these abortions, the same reaction may happen when a pregnancy occurs within their relationship. When the truth is shared, the partner can help the healing by offering to spiritually adopt the lost child or children.
For priests doing marriage preparation, it is advisable to meet with each party separately after meeting with them together. This allows time for discussion and counseling and, in many cases, confession. (Information from Project Rachel Manual, p 86)