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Orientation to Emblems and Religious Awards for Scouts - The Catholic Committee on Scouting is hosting a webinar to introduce some of the religious emblems and awards that are available for Scouts and adult leaders to earn. This event will be hosted via Go To Meeting on Tuesday, July 13 at 7 PM and is open to adults and Scouts. Various religious programs will be discussed and there will be plenty of time for question and answer throughout the session. For the meeting link, please contact Kyle Holtgrave at (217) 698-8500, ext. 154 or email . Information about the diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting can be found at scouts.dio.org.
Are you a priest and have a Mary garden, flower garden, or vegetable garden - Catholic Times is looking for information on priests in the Springfield diocese who have a Mary garden, flower garden, or vegetable garden so that we can run a summer feature in the magazine. Please send contact information to Diane Schlindwein or Andrew Hansen: or before July 13. Thank you.
Parish mailing lists – This summer, please work with Cindy Callan who handles subscriptions for Catholic Times to go over the mailing list of your parishioners. Catholic Times wants to ensure all new parishioners receive the magazine and anyone who has moved away or died doesn’t keep receiving the magazine to avoid unnecessary costs. Whomever in your parish handles your mailing list, please email Cindy at letting her know that you are the contact person for this. Then, Cindy will email you the mailing list Catholic Times has on file for your parish. We then ask you to review that list Cindy sends you and to add any parishioners who are not on the list and delete anyone who is no longer an active parishioner. We understand this is can be an arduous task, but we thank you very much for helping us keep our mailing lists as accurate as possible.
Dive Deep - Two brothers. One vocation. A sit down with the Trummer brothers - Fathers Michael and Chris Trummer, two brothers from Effingham County. Their stories to the priesthood are pretty incredible and they involve a funny story. Dive Deep sits down with the Trummer brothers. Go to oldsite.dio.org/podcast to listen and subscribe.
Springfield Diocesan Counsel of Catholic Women - Women living in the Springfield Deanery, which now consists of Macon, Sangamon, Cass, Morgan, Menard, and Christian Counties, are invited to a brunch on Aug. 4. from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield to learn about the mission of the Springfield Diocesan Counsel of Catholic Women, how to get involved, and the group’s participation in the Water for Life Catholic Relief Services project. Father Peter Chineke, parochial vicar at the Cathedral and the Spiritual Advisor of the Springfield Deanery, will share his vocation story. Please RSVP to Janet Zimmerman, Springfield Deanery President, by July 27: or 217-494-4743.
Annual Anti-Harassment Training - All paid staff should be receiving emails from Virtus when their anti-harassment training anniversary date it approaching. Please remind them to complete the required training and have any new employees complete the training as well. For more information, please contact Erin Danaher at or Debbie Maynerich at
COOP Collections - As a reminder: The manner of taking up the collection for COOP Missionaries is determined by the pastor. Parishioners should make donation checks payable to the parish. The missionary should not take envelops or the funds collected from the parish, nor a list of names of contributors. Please do not publish the address of the mission organization in the bulletin. Envelopes with the groups’ mailing address are not allowed. No missionary group may employ professional soliciting agencies while making an appeal in the parishes of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. At the time of the appeal, no subscriptions to magazines or periodicals are to be promised or solicited. No child sponsorships or other relationships may be solicited. Parish bookkeeper please submit a check for the proceeds collected to the Office for the Missions within thirty (30) days of the missionary’s visit.
Biking for Babies - Biking for Babies, a pro-life organization connecting young adults with a passion for athletics to pregnancy resource centers, will bike into Springfield on July 16, 2021. All are welcome to attend their mission event at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Mass begins at 5:15 pm Mass, enjoy dinner, then cyclists will share about their approach to building a Culture of Life amidst our nation’s current war on human dignity. For more information about Biking for Babies to go: www.bikingforbabies.com/give. To RSVP for the event 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).
Catholic Social Teaching: Care for God’s Creation - Pope Francis has declared September 1 as a day of prayer for creation. In anticipation of this day of prayer you may want to invite Fr. George Knab, OMI, to give a talk or parish mission on the theme of Care for God’s Creation. Fr. Knab can be reached at .
Faith and Justice Internship with the Office for Pro-Life Activities and Special Ministries - The Office for Pro-Life Activities and Special Ministries is offering a paid internship for Catholics. The internship is to promote the diocesan Justice and Hope program and gain experience working on behalf of those in poverty. The internship will provide opportunities to develop relationships with community leaders and reflect on Catholic social teaching. The internship starts September 2021 with an hourly rate of $14/hour. Catholics with good writing abilities, willing to speak publicly, able to drive, and who have an interest in Catholic social justice are encouraged to apply. Visit https://oldsite.dio.org/plasm to download the application. Application and resume must be submitted by July 16th. Contact Donna Moore with any questions: , 217-321-1161.
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: Launching and Promoting the Project Rachel Ministry: Promoting the Project Rachel Ministry – A diocesan spokesperson who is comfortable with the media should be prepared to convey Project Rachel’s message of hope and healing and explain how the ministry works. The spokesperson, ideally a woman, should be able to articulate that the church’s strong prophetic stand against abortion is not inconsistent with its pastoral outreach to help those wounded by abortion to find healing and peace. (PR Manual pg 61)
Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat - There will be a Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat for people affected by abortion August 13-15, at the Villa Maria Retreat Center. Please let others know about this healing opportunity. Scholarships are available for those not able to pay the full registration fee. A flyer is available at the following link: oldsite.dio.org/plasm/projectrachel.
“Viable” - For the MANY people hurting, in silence, from a past abortion that desperately need to hear a message of HOPE and HEALING, or for those interested in knowing about the effects of abortion, there are 8 OPPORTUNITES to see the life-altering play – “Viable”! The play, "Viable” is showing in Effingham, Bethalto, and Alton July 10-12. This FREE stage production follows a journey of forgiveness, renewal, and hope through the eyes of one woman who carried a burden of despair.
Please share details of these MULTIPLE (free) performances with your church, networks, and Social Media platforms. (permission to copy and paste) For more information about the play and its main sponsor, and to register to attend, go to: www.SupportAfterAbortion.com/viable/.For any questions contact Donna Moore, or 217-321-1161.
July edition of Word of Life is available - Word of Life is a monthly resource for parishes. The resource is available in both English and Spanish, in both PDF or Microsoft Word formats. Each monthly issue contains information such as: intercessions for life, quotes for your bulletin, and art for your bulletin, webpage or Facebook page. The following link will direct you to the webpage that lists all current and past editions of this resource - http://dio.org/plasm/word-of-life.html
Parishes and Schools should continue to host LIVE Protecting God’s Children training sessions. - Now that the State of Illinois has entered Phase 5, allowing for businesses, conventions, large-scale events, and other venues to operate at full capacity, live session trainings are no longer limited. While online Protecting God’s Children training remains an option, in=person trainings are still necessary for some. Facilitators, please contact the Office for Safe Environment with the location, date, time, and materials needed for your upcoming live training sessions. Thank you so much for your continued efforts in our mission to protect children and young people.