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Collection Letter for Catholic Charities - Please announce the Catholic Charities collection in your bulletins, website, or other social media platforms the weekend of February 20/21, 2021 and gather the proceeds the weekend of February 27/28, 2021. Please remit the proceeds as soon as possible to your local or nearest Catholic Charities area office. Click here to read Bishop Paprocki's letter.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award – Do you know a Catholic school teacher who strives for academic excellence with a focus on the Catholic mission? Know a teacher who left a lasting impression on you or your child? Know a teacher who goes above and beyond for his or her students and who lives authentically Catholic? Nominate that teacher for the diocesan wide St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award! Nominations are due by March 5. Go to dio.org/schools/eas.
Click here to download a graphic to include in your bulletins
Your Parish Triduum schedule - Catholic Times will publish the Triduum Mass and service schedules for Holy Week, which will appear in the March 21 edition. If you would like to include your parishes Mass/service times, please fill out the online form at ct.dio.org/triduumschedule. Submissions are due by March 1. Note, there will be a section asking if your Masses require an RSVP. Thanks in advance!
Issues with U.S. Postal Service –Catholic Times is aware of several locations in our diocese that have not received their Catholic Times recently or have been getting the magazine late. Unfortunately, it is out of our control as the U.S. Postal Service is responsible for mailing our magazine. You can read the latest edition of Catholic Times by visiting ct.dio.org. The online version flips just like a magazine. You can also subscribe to receive the online edition of Catholic Times to your inbox by going to: ct.dio.org/subscribe. We ask that you continue your tithe of $15 to your parish to offset the costs of production and mailing of the magazine. Thank you!
Journey with us this Lent – Go to dio.org/lent as we feature six stories of people who will challenge you and offer you six challenges that will change you! A new story and new challenge will come every week during Lent.
Click here to download a graphic to include in your bulletins
Dive Deep - Lent 101 - Why fast? Why 40 days? Why purple? Why ashes? Why no meat on Fridays? Lent is full of symbolism, rooted deep in Catholic theology. Join Dive Deep, the official podcast of the Diocese of Springfield, for Lent 101. While it may sound like an introductory class, Dive Deep will teach you things about Lent you’ve never heard before. Go to dio.org/podcast to listen and subscribe.
Click here to download a graphic to include in your bulletins
We want to share your great photos! – Got a great photo? Whether it’s of school life, parish life, or home life, the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is wanting to promote Catholic life in action. Through Catholic Times, social media, videos, or marketing materials, the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois wants to share your great photo to spread the joy diocesan-wide. Submit your photo or photos by going to oldsite.dio.org/submitphoto.
Ash Wednesday - The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has indicated that ashes are to be imposed this year not by making a sign of the Cross of the forehead, but by the sprinkling of ashes on top of the head.
Rite of Election - The Rite of Election will be celebrated at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 20 for parishes within a 50-mile radius of Springfield and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 21 for parishes outside a 50-mile radius of Springfield. Attendance is limited to the catechumens (the unbaptized) and their sponsors, one parish representative, and two guests per catechumen. Candidates (those who have already been baptized) will not take part in the Call to Continuing Conversion this year. Facial coverings and safe distancing will be required. Paperwork is due in by Tuesday, February 16.
New Liturgical Memorials - The Holy Father Pope Francis has added the following Memorials to the universal liturgical calendar: the Memorial of Saint Gregory of Narek on February 27; the Memorial of Saint John of Avila on May 10; the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus on July 29; and the Memorial of Saint Hildegard of Bingen on September 17.
World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly - The Holy Father Pope Francis has established the World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly. This day of prayer is to be observed on the fourth Sunday of July.
Required Annual Anti-Sexual Harassment Training - Don't forget to add this requirement to your onboarding for new employees! All employees will need to take the training (either for the first time or again) by December 31, 2021. If an employee took the training with Virtus in 2020, they will receive a reminder email when their year anniversary is approaching. More information can be found here at oldsite.dio.org/humanresources.
Labor Law Posters - Make sure to double check to make sure your labor law posters are up to date! If ordered through the link on the diocesan website, your poster will be valid through 2025! If you need one, please go to oldsite.dio.org/humanresources/documents.html (or contact Erin Danaher at as we have a spare).
Growing in Sexual Integrity - February 21 - April 3, 2021 - What is sexual integrity? Is it even possible in our age? How is sexuality connected to our journey toward union with God?
This short online course explores such questions and presents the power, beauty, and challenges of living out our human sexuality as married or single Catholics. Dr. Patricia Cooney Hathaway, Professor of Spirituality and Systematic Theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, presents the path to fuller sexual integrity. The course features an array of credible witnesses from a variety of vocations and life circumstances—both men and women—who share personal stories and professional insights about growing closer to God through living a more spiritual and integral sexual life.
Come and join us this Lent as we journey down the path of reclaiming integrity, wholeness, and intimacy! This course is not intended to be academically strenuous but to provide a shallow-entry point for those who have busy lives and need flexibility. This course is designed for personal enrichment and does not count towards any academic credit at Sacred Heart Major Seminary or for any certification. Go to https://equip.shms.edu/courses/growing-in-sexual-integrity to sign up.
A Lenten Evening for Couples - Have you been unable or reluctant to attend mass or normal devotional practices of the Church during COVID? Grow closer to the Lord together as a couple this holy season with Lenten dinner recipes, an edifying short film, and a Couple's Lenten Habit Tracker & Devotional. Go to https://datenight.communio.org/register-for-lent-date-night/ to learn more and to sign up.
Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe - Please use the bulletin announcements provided to promote the annual collection for Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe (CCEE). Donations are used to train seminarians and lay leaders, support social service programs, youth ministry, pastoral and catechetical centers, schools, church construction and renovation, and evangelization through Catholic media. More information can be found at www.usccb.org/ccee. The collection is on Ash Wednesday. Bulletin announcements, in English and Spanish, are for the week before the collection, the weekend before the collection, and after the collection.
Click here to download sample bulletin announcements
Rice Bowl Homily Reflections during Lent - A resource of homily reflections throughout Lent is available on the CRS Rice Bowl website. Each homily reflection is a YouTube video that lasts 5-10 minutes.
CRS Rice Bowl Resources - Resources for families, parishes, schools and universities to prepare for the annual Rice Bowl collection are located on the CRS Rice Bowl website.
40 Days for Life - There are two opportunities in our diocese to participate in a 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigil. Your presence on the sidewalk matters. The "no show" rate goes up as much as 75% when people are praying outside of an abortion facility. Now more than ever your prayers are needed.
DCJH Grant Opportunity - The Diocesan Campaign for Justice and Hope (DCJH) is accepting applications for the 2020-2021 funding cycle. Organizations and projects that focus on changing and improving the conditions of low-income people within the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois are eligible to apply for a DCJH grant. The deadline for submitting a grant application is February 22, 2021. Early submission is encouraged so any deficiencies on the application can be corrected prior to this deadline. Details about the grant is located at: oldsite.dio.org/dcjh/home.html. Or interested applicants can call the Office for Pro-Life, Missions, and Special Ministries 217-321-1161.
Short Tidbit from Project Rachel: The Diocese: Project Rachel and Related Programs: – How to Begin (or Strengthen) a Project Rachel Ministry in Your Diocese – Developing Interest Through Awareness: Knowledge of the post-abortion experience of women and men can also soften the hearts of a small minority of pro-life advocates who can sometimes be harshly judgmental of women who have undergone abortion. An abortion awareness program is also an effective tool for reaching mental health professionals, priests, and other community leaders. Lastly, the media needs to be educated about how abortion harms women, men, and adolescents. Once they become knowledgeable, some can be counted on to write stories, facilitate interviews, and create opinion pieces exploring the aftermath of abortion and giving the ministry free publicity. (PR Manual pg 57)
Walking with Moms in Need: A Year of Service - Parishes are encouraged to participate in a year-long initiative - Walking with Moms in Need: A Year of Service. This initiative begins March 25, 2021, the anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s landmark pro-life encyclical - Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), and ends March 25, 2022. This is a nationwide effort to focus on the needs of pregnant and parenting moms of young children in our parishes and our neighborhoods. Get more information about this Year of Service by going to the Office for Pro-Life, Missions, and Special Ministries webpage, or calling the office: 217-321-1161.
New FCC Rules for Multi-Line Phone Systems - The FCC has decided to establish minimum rules for all multi-line telephone systems (including VOIP systems) owned by nonprofit and for profit entities. These rules also apply to schools. Kariʼs Law requires phone systems manufactured, imported, offered for first sale or lease, first sold or leased, or installed after February 16, 2020, to enable users to dial 9-1-1 directly, without having to dial a prefix to reach an outside line, and to provide for notification (e.g., to a front desk or security office) when a 911 call is made. Ray Baum's Act requires that a “dispatchable location” be conveyed with 911 calls – including street address of the calling party, room number, floor number, or similar information necessary to adequately identify the location of the calling party. The law does not require you to purchase new hardware. If your system was installed after February 16th, 2020, check with your vendor to make sure it is complaint. If you are considering a new phone system, ensure that it meets the above criteria. Once installed or configured, pre-arrange a test with administrators of your local 911 call center to ensure your new system is compliant.
Preventing Targeted Violence in Faith Communities – Sign up to receive free virtual training on threat assessment for churches, presented the U.S. Secret Service. The material presented is geared toward clergy, church staff, and church safety personnel. The training will take into account the unique considerations of faith leaders as they address both the spiritual and safety needs of congregants and the surrounding community. This is not active shooter response training. Date: March 2. Time: 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Platform: ZOOM (Link provided after registration). Registration: Email with your full name, title, organization, and email address. Register by Feb. 24.
Totus Tuus Parish Registration - We have only 4 openings left for Totus Tuus summer program for 2021! If you would like to register your parish or learn more about Totus Tuus please visit dio.org/youthministry/tt.