Mon - Thurs: 8:00 - 5:15
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(217) 698-8500
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Online Formation Through the Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation - Registration opens August 25 for the next cycle of the University of Dayton’s online learning program that runs from October 10 – November 13, 2021. Catechetical leaders are encouraged to pursue a Certificate in Catechesis or in Ministry Leadership to help sharpen skills as a catechist and/or administrator. Scholarships are available through the Religious Education and Catechist Formation Endowment. Visit https://oldsite.dio.org/catechesis/approved-formation-programs.htm for more information about VLCFF and how courses align with the Diocesan Catechist Formation Process. Contact Kyle Holtgrave, Director for Catechesis at (217) 698-8500, ext. 154 for more information.
Catholic Committee on Scouting - The next meeting for the diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting is Sunday, August 29 at 4:00 PM at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Springfield. Contact Kyle Holtgrave, (217) 698-8500, ext. 154 or email for details. Scout leaders and those interested in helping Scouts tend to their Duty to God are welcome. The Catholic Committee on Scouting website is http://scouts.dio.org .
Ad Altare Dei Emblem - Members of Scouts BSA are invited to learn more about our faith, particularly through the sacraments, by earning the Ad Altare Dei religious emblem from the Catholic Committee on Scouting. To earn the award, one must be a registered member of a BSA unit (Scouts BSA or Venturing Crew), be in 7th grade through high school age, and active in your unit for at least 6 months to be eligible. A class schedule for the Springfield area during the 2021-2022 school year has been announced, see http://scouts.dio.org for details. For more information or to schedule classes in other areas of the diocese or to be trained as a Counselor, please contact the Catholic Committee on Scouting at or call (217) 698-8500, ext. 154.
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.
Help people get to confession – The July 25 edition of Catholic Times featured a comprehensive look at confession: why, how, and where to go to confession; inspirational stories and quotes; and what our priests think about the powerful sacrament. If you are a priest, lay parish leader, PSR instructor, and/or Catholic school teacher, you can use this document (taken from Catholic Times) to help your instruction when teaching people about the sacrament, explaining why they should go, or if one needs inspiration or a tutorial on how to go to confession.
Dive Deep: 10 myths about going to confession - Going to confession can be scary. There are plenty of false ideas about confession that may be holding you back from receiving the grace of this sacrament. Dive Deep debunks 10 myths and offers advice and encouragement to receive God’s mercy. Go to dio.org/podcast to listen and subscribe.
Promoting Tax Credit Scholarship Program – The tax credit scholarship program, part of Illinois’ Invest in Kids Act, is a win-win-win. The first win is for the students, who despite financial hardships, can now attend Catholic schools, be surrounded by our positive and holy values, and receive a higher academic experience. The second win is for our schools, who now have these students in their classrooms. The third win is for donors, who receive a 75% state income credit on their donation.
Here are several documents that can help your parish/school promote the tax credit scholarship to parents, your school community, business leaders, and church donors. Attached are several documents to help you do that:
Bobby Sylvester, Regional Director of Empower Illinois (the organization that coordinates and grants all the scholarships), can visit your school/school board/parish council to answer questions:
The Curia is Hiring! - We are hiring for two positions:
Please check out our listings at oldsite.dio.org/jobs and include them in your parish bulletins!
Catholic Social Teaching – Care for God’s Creation - A video on “Care for God’s Creation” is one of a seven-part series on Catholic Social Teaching, designed to educate and have Catholics reflect on each of the social teachings. Pope Francis has declared September 1 as a day of prayer for creation. Making this video available to parishioners is one way to acknowledge this day of prayer for creation. The video series is co-sponsored by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All videos can be seen on the CRS YouTube channel www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSnXuCxiHXE
Catholic Social Teaching – Care for God’s Creation Speaker - 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 .
Our Lady of the Snows Presentation - When Mental Illness Hits Home - The Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows is hosting their annual conference - When Mental Illness Hits Home. The theme for this year’s conference is “Surviving and Thriving in Turbulent Times”. The conference is Friday, August 27, from 9 am – 4 pm. They are offering 4.5 CEUs for counselors, social workers and nurses (APRN, RN, LPN). For more information and to register go to: When Mental Illness Hits Home Conference – Our Lady of the Snows
Short Tidbit from Project Rachel: Additional Healing Services: Masses and Retreats: Working with Retreat Models – In some cases, the retreat experience is the first step a woman or man may take on the healing journey. In many cases retreatants are referred after some initial work with a Project Rachel team member, such as a staff member, priest, or counselor. Some women or men may need immediate assistance and cannot wait for the next scheduled retreat before receiving help. Other may want to begin with a priest confessor before doing anything else. The goal of Project Rachel is to provide women and men with competent help and holistic care when they need it. Individual spiritual or psychological counseling, retreats, days of reflection, and post-abortion healing Masses are all part of the broader team approach to healing. (PR Manual pg 63)
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,
Resource – Monthly Pro-Life Intercessions and Bulletin Quotes - September’s edition of Word of Life is now 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
Our Lady of the Snows Presentation – Suicide Prevention - Our Lady of the Snows is hosting QPR Suicide Prevention Training, September 8, 6:00 – 7:00 pm. Candlelight Vigil, 7:30 pm. For more information go to: https://snows.org/events-2/
Play Like A Champion Today Middle School Coaches Clinic - Play Like a Champion Today deals withtough sport issues by promoting:
Join us September 12 from 2-5 PM at Christ the King Parish Hall, Springfield for a Middle School Coaches Clinic. Registration cost is $25. To register, go to dio.org/youthministry/sports.