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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.
New Policy: BK3 §113 Standards of Conduct for Governing Boards has been promulgated and posted to the Diocesan Policies and Procedures website. Please click here to read the new policy.
Dive Deep: 12 fun things you didn’t know about Catholicism - Groundhogs Day. Cappuccino. Lay Cardinals. The Easter Bunny. Dive Deep explores those things and more in this episode that will make you say, “I didn’t know that about Catholicism!” 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.
Missionary Childhood Donations (MCA) - To be eligible for any award recognition during October’s Mission Mass, schools need to turn in all MCA funds collected for the 2020-2021 school year by August 1, 2021. Checks should be made out to the Office for the Missions and mailed to the attention of the Office for the Missions. Any questions, contact Cindy Callan: 217-321-1137.
Looking for Parish Tithing Resources or Helpful Information? - We have developed a Pastor's Letter that will provide your parishioners information about the change toward parish tithing. Feel free to adjust the letter and send out to your parishioners! Go here for the letter. Did you miss a webinar or looking for more assistance? Check out the Tithing Transition page here.
Parish Tithing "Practice" July 20th! - We appreciate your support as we transition from the Annual Catholic Services Appeal to full implementation of the Parish Tithe to the Diocesan Ministries in July. To ensure your confidence as part of the transition, we would like to partner with you in a practice run. Please see below the instructions and prepare to pull the practice report on July 20, 2021.
Parishes without a school or cemetery
Parishes with a SCHOOL and/or CEMETERY
These report practices will help confirm that we are on the same page, and alert us to any issues or questions your parish may have for the process.
3 Season of Stewardship Sign-up Deadline Approaching on July 31st! - Please make sure you sign up to receive your Parish Season of Stewardship Materials by July 31st! We need time to work with you on developing materials that will look and feel like your parish and will work with what you are planning. Your parish is offered these resources FOR FREE! Resources include:
Go to https://discipleship.dio.org/sos.html to sign up by July 31st!
Have you signed up for the Parish Vitality and Mission Advancement Eblast? - Don't miss the resources and information coming from the Office of Parish Vitality and Mission Advancement! All are welcome to receive the resources that will help promote parish stewardship and vitality. You will find the latest news and webinar series via the newsletter as well! Click here to sign-up.
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 .
Short Tidbit from Project Rachel: Launching and Promoting the Project Rachel Ministry: Promoting the Project Rachel Ministry – Continuing the Ministry – Continue educating participants in the network and the broader community through written materials and occasional workshops. Offer occasional training workshops for new people so that the network can continue to expand. Even those who are not part of the official referral network can benefit from training so they can knowledgably recommend Project Rachel to people they encounter in their own area of ministry. Continue advertising in parish Sunday bulletins and in local secular and Catholic media. Encourage parish pro-life coordinators to display Project Rachel materials within the parish and to distribute Project Rachel information throughout the broader community. Seek out the media often, making yourself available to them for stories on the growth of the ministry. By effectively and untiringly proclaiming God’s merciful love, by serving his wounded people competently and compassionately, and by remaining faithful in prayer, the diocesan Project Rachel ministry will grow and flourish. (PR Manual pg 62)
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,
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/project-rachel.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.