Demographic Profile of the Diocese

The following are facts & figures for the year ending 2009 about the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

Catholic Population

• 146,692
• Catholic Population as percentage of total population of all 28 counties: 13%

Racial/Ethnic Composition of Catholic Population of Diocese

• Caucasian: 144,416 – 98.4%
• Hispanic: 1,583 – 1.1%
• African American: 286 - .2%
• Asian: 247 - .2%
• Other: 160 – 0.1%

Parishes

• Number of Parishes: 131*
• Baptisms: 2,508
• First Communions: 2,056
• Confirmations: 2,290
• Weddings: 744
• Funerals: 1,555

* Current

Scheduled Masses

• Weekend Masses Scheduled in Parishes: 294
• English: 287
• Spanish: 7

Catholic Schools

• Elementary schools: 43
• Secondary schools: 6
• Elementary school enrollment: 9,213
• Secondary school enrollment: 2,110

Seminary System

• Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, Enrollment: 3
• Mundelein Seminary, Enrollment: 4
• Conception Seminary, Enrollment: 4
• Sacred Heart School of Theology, Enrollment: 1
• Saint Meinad School of Theology, Enrollment: 1

Catholic Colleges and Universities

• 2 Catholic colleges and universities serving 1,850 students

Catholic Hospitals

• 6 Catholic hospitals
• 7 Campuses
• 697,500 people assisted annually

Diocesan Priests, Deacons, Women and Men Religious in the Diocese

• Diocesan Priests (including active and retired) 110
• Religious Priests: 54
• Religious Brothers: 28
• Women Religious: 540
• Permanent Deacons: 34

Diocesan Overview

Established as a diocese in 1853, the Diocese of Springfield serves more than 145,000 Catholics in 28 counties in Central Illinois, a geographic area of 15,139 square miles. The diocese is divided into seven deaneries. This local church is pastored by the Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki, bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

Year for Priests - June 19, 2009 – June 19, 2010

On June 19, 2009, the feast of the Sacred Heart, Pope Benedict XVI opened the Year for Priests. In a letter to the world’s priests marking the occasion, the pope said he hoped priests would use the year to deepen their commitment to their vocation and become a "forceful and incisive witness to the Gospel in today’s world."

He said the special year should be an effort to foster the priest’s yearning "for spiritual perfection, upon which the effectiveness of the ministry principally depends." The Year for Priests is also an opportunity to thank the many priests who selflessly and courageously give their lives to the service of others. The Year for Priests coincides with the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney, whom the pope has proclaimed patron saint of all priests. Widely known to Catholics as the Curé of Ars, this 19th-century saint won the hearts of his villagers in France by visiting with them, teaching them about God and reconciling them to God through the confessional.

Pope Benedict asked priests to look to St. John Vianney as "a true example of a priest at the service of the flock of Christ."

"Ours is an indispensable mission for the church and for the world, which demands full fidelity to Christ and unceasing union with him. It demands, therefore, that we tend constantly to sanctity, as St. John Vianney did," he said.