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Retired Diocesan Priests Collection - Please announce the Retired Diocesan Priests Collection collection in your bulletins, website, or other social media platforms the weekend of May 15/16, 2021 and gather it on the weekend of May 22/23, 2021. The proceeds gathered should be forwarded to our Office for Finance within thirty (30) days. Thank you so much for your pastoral support of this appeal! Click here to read Bishop Paprocki's letter.
Parish Confession times needed – Catholic Times plans to run a special edition about Confession this summer. Please fill out this form with your Confession times so Catholic Times can include that in the special edition: https://ct.dio.org/confessionschedule. Please submit it by June 18.
Dive Deep – Our Lady of Fatima: What you didn’t know: Mary appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal just over 100 years ago. Her message holds true today. So, what did she say, and what about all the miracles and other signs associated with these visions? Dive Deep interviews a Marian expert on all things Our Lady of Fatima. Go to dio.org/podcast to listen and subscribe.
Click here to download a graphic to include in your bulletins
Tax Credit Scholarship – The Illinois bishops have written a letter to the Catholic faithful, urging them to take action to save the Tax Credit Scholarship program at the Statehouse. Please distribute the attached PDF letter to your parishes and post on your websites.
Click here to download a copy of the letter to distribute in your parishes
Confirmations/First Holy Communions at Cathedral – Confirmations and First Holy Communions for third-graders will take place at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield starting after July 1. They will be scheduled on Tuesday evenings for parishes within 50 miles of Springfield and on the first, third, and fifth Saturdays of the month for parishes more than 50 miles from Springfield. Go to dio.org/confirmation for answers to frequently asked questions and to learn why Bishop Paprocki is making this change.
4:40 for seminarians - Six months ago, the diocese launched a campaign called 4:40 for 40 Seminarians. We invited the entire diocese to pray a Hail Mary every day at 4:40 so that, with the help of Mary, we can have 40 men answer the call to be a seminarian for our diocese. If you have been faithfully praying every day, thank you! If you are just hearing about this, we invite you to jump on board. May is the month of Mary and we know with her help, anything is possible! PRAY BIG!
Click here to download a graphic to include in your bulletins
Minimum Wage Increases in your Budgets! - Don't forget to account for the next minimum wage increase in your FY 2021-2022 budgets! The minimum wage will increase from $11 to $12 on January 1, 2022.
Job Opening at the Catholic Pastoral Center: Parish Finance Administrator - The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is seeking a highly qualified and enthusiastic individual to take on the role of Parish Finance Administrator. This role assists the Finance Officer in organizational management by interpreting and utilizing parish managerial accounting and financial information. This position oversees support of parishes through supervising parish audits, developing finance policies, establishing internal controls for parishes, and executing an accounting review program. More information including requirements and how to apply can be found at dio.org/jobs.
Catholic Home Missions Appeal - The Catholic Home Missions Appeal collection was the weekend of April 24-25. Please send donations to the Office for the Missions as soon as possible. These donations help fund mission work and mission dioceses within the United States. Diocese such as the Diocese of Belleville, IL and the Diocese of Lexington, KY.
REMINDER: Rice Bowl Donations - Please send Rice Bowl donations to the Office for the Missions by the end of the fiscal year. The allocation committee will be meeting in July and we need to know how much money is available to grant to organizations.
Missionaries - The Office for the Missions is interested in identifying missionary religious and laypersons from our diocese that serve in foreign lands. If you know of someone who fits this description please contact Donna Moore at , or 217-321-1161.
Biking for Babies - Cyclists from Biking for Babies will be at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Friday, July 16th. While cycling across America these pro-life enthusiasts spread awareness of and collect donations for pregnancy resource centers. All are invited to attend 5:15 pm Mass, enjoy dinner with the cyclists, and hear their testimonies. To RSVP contact Vicki Compton at: 217/522-3342 or email . Biking for Babies is partnering with three pregnancy help centers within our diocese: First Step Women's Center (Springfield), Choices Pregnancy & Health (Charleston), ThriVe Metro East (Godfrey). Donations can be made at: www.bikingforbabies.com/give.
Pre-Cana in Spanish - The Diocese of Belleville is having a Pre-Cana session in Spanish. The next Pre-Cana class for Hispanic couples is being offered October 16, 2021. If you know of any Hispanic couple that is interested in attending have them contact Carlos and Efrend Garcia at: 618-632-1755, cell phone: 618-520-3404, or .
Short Tidbit from Project Rachel: The Diocese: Project Rachel and Related Programs: –How to Begin (or Strengthen) a Project Rachel Ministry in Your Diocese – Keeping the List of Priests Confidential: The list of priests and other clergy involved in Project Rachel ministry must remain confidential. Only the director, the bishop (and others he deems appropriate), and those who make direct referrals should have access to the list. This is advisable for many reasons, one of which is, that priests are more willing to be part of the ministry if they know they can choose to accept (or reject) referrals. Sometimes it is necessary for a priest to ask that referrals not be sent to him for a while; he may be ill or changing parishes or may simply have too many commitments at the moment. (PR Manual pg 60)
Formation in Preparation for Quinceanera - Is there a young woman in your parish ready to celebrate her Quinceanera? A six month formation program is available through St Alexius Parish. The formation is available in person and virtually. Formation gatherings occur the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month for one-hour. For more information contact Sr Ema, .