Bishop Thomas John Paprocki wrote a letter to all Catholics in the Diocese of Springfield that was distributed in parish bulletins yesterday.  In the letter, which follows his latest Catholic Times column, Bishop Paprocki urges parishioners to visit the USCCB's website to learn about the Health and Human Services departments ruling that would require almost all employers, regardless of religious beliefs, to offer in their health coverage sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs and contraception.

The text of Bishop Paprocki's letter is below.

Below is the text from Bishop Thomas John Paprocki's homily for the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord - Christmas Midnight Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield.

Click here to read or download Bishop Paprocki's speeches and homilies

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD –
CHRISTMAS MIDNIGHT MASS
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Springfield, Illinois
December 25, 2011

+Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki
Bishop of Springfield in Illinois

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Probably the most famous Christmas story in the world, apart from the Nativity itself, is Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It has done much to foster the conviction that Christmas is a time for forgiveness and family gatherings. Not only does the repentant Scrooge send a turkey to his long-suffering clerk Bob Cratchit, but Scrooge himself goes to dinner with his nephew and wider family. "Nothing could be heartier," Dickens wrote. "Wonderful party, wonderful games, wonderful unanimity, won-der-ful happiness!"

One of the most popular television Christmas specials is A Charlie Brown Christmas. In it, when a frustrated Charlie Brown asks what is the meaning of Christmas, Linus responds with a recitation of Luke's story of the birth of Jesus, the very Gospel we read at Midnight Mass. But, poor Charlie still does not quite "get it," and perhaps neither do we. The real meaning of Christmas is not revealed until the end of the story. Snoopy has won first place in a contest for the best outdoor Christmas decorations. Snoopy's doghouse is a gaudy collection of garland, orna¬ments, and flashing lights. Next to Snoopy's doghouse, Charlie Brown's little Christmas tree that is shedding its needles seems worthless — until the children strip Snoopy's doghouse of its gaudy display and turn the little tree into something magnificent.

Earlier, while rehearsing the Christmas pageant, part of the cause of Charlie Brown's frustration was when Lucy had handed out the scripts. When she gave Sherman his script and told him he was to be a shepherd, he lamented, "Not a shepherd again?! Why do I always have to be a shepherd?!" Despite what we might think of the story of Jesus' birth, the star of the story is not only Jesus. The shepherds also share top billing. This is their story and the story of what God has done for them. It is the story of the ugly little tree that can become magnificent with a little love.

Sherman didn't realize the importance of his role. The co-stars of the Christmas story are the lowly shepherds. Like the story of the ugly little tree made magnificent through love, it is also the story of the shepherds and what God has done for them. It was so great an experience that they left their flocks exposed so that they could be pulled into God's presence.

This is a story of generosity and Christmas celebrates generosity. It is a generosity of love that is affective. It is the story of God's generosity with us. God has come to us, and it can become a story of our generous response to such great a gift.

There is a fairytale quality to Luke's account of the birth of Jesus, where the harsh realities of the actual event are softened by the glow of the miraculous events surrounding it. But if we have no more than a romantic image of it, that does not bear close scrutiny. Luke reminds us of the political realities of the day, with whole populations on the move in order to be registered in the census commanded by Caesar Augustus. The economic reality is just as uncomfortable: the baby is laid in a manger, an animal's feeding box, because no other accommodation is available to poorer people.

It is no accident, therefore, that Luke records that the first to hear of the birth of the Messiah were shepherds, the poorest of the poor, living in the open, moving from place to place with their sheep, having to defend them from wild animals. The words the angel uses are significant: the angel tells the shepherds that a savior has been born "to you" – Jesus is to be their savior, not just the savior of the high and mighty. The shepherds are not expected to believe the words of the angel on their own merit: a sign has been given to them. When they see a child, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, the angel's words will be confirmed – the rumor of good news really is Good News.

Suddenly, with the angel, there is a "a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel." The shepherds have a vision of heaven, of a world above and beyond their own, a vision that will inspire them and add a new dimension to their lives. The song of the angels is not a concert performance to bring a little cheer to the shepherds on that first Christmas night; it is, rather, the song of the blessed that is constantly being sung to God.

This reality is evoked at every Mass. During the Preface, some aspect of God's saving work is recounted. Each Preface closes with "And so, with the Angels and all the Saints we declare your glory," or similar words. At that moment, as we join in the "Holy, Holy, Holy," we are with the shepherds in the fields, adding our voices to those of the angels. At that moment, it is as though the veil between heaven and Earth has been torn, enabling us to glimpse God's glory. At that moment, we can imagine that the roof of the church has rolled back, and we can see the spiritual reality of God's kingdom. This vision changes everything for us, and is the key to our life and our faith.

There are times when we can be comforted by the romanticized picture of Christmas with which we are so familiar: the familiar story, the crib, memories of childhood, Christmas ritual. There are times too when we can see behind the story to the coming of God into the harsh realities of human life.

For some people, these harsh realities have only become worse in the past year. Since the uprising in Egypt last January, human rights groups have estimated that as many as 100,000 Christians have fled to the United States to escape rising religious persecution in Egypt. Meanwhile, Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk in northern Iraq said that again this year "Midnight Christmas Mass has been canceled in Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk as a consequence of the never-ending assassinations of Christians." He said that 54 Iraqi churches have been bombed and at least 905 Christians have been killed in various acts of violence, while hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled Iraq since 2003. We stand in solidarity with them and with persecuted Christians throughout the world.

Closer to home, just this evening, St. Mary Church in Brussels, Illinois, burned down after Mass. No one was hurt, thank God, but the loss of this sacred edifice in our diocese will be devastating for the people of this parish. Let us remember them in our prayers, knowing that Christ's birth is especially meaningful for those who suffer and who long for His coming.

We know that the birth of the Christ child is not just a feel-good story, but it is significant and life-changing for us and for our world. Whenever we face some personal difficulty, or feel down about the state of the world, or are burdened with worries, we can be certain that God is in the middle of it all: the Word has become flesh, and really lives in our midst. The "Holy, Holy, Holy" reminds us of this, not just this Christmas night but every time we come to Mass.

May God give us this grace. Amen.

SPRINGFIELD — Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois will preside at an “Evening of Repentance and Prayer for Those Harmed in the Church” at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sixth and Lawrence streets in Springfield.

Simultaneously, identical services will be held in each of the six other deaneries, or districts of the diocese, to accommodate those from outlying areas:

• In the Alton Deanery, at St. Boniface Church in Edwardsville;

• In the Decatur Deanery, at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit in Mt. Zion;

• In the Effingham Deanery, at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Teutopolis;

• In the Jacksonville Deanery, at Our Saviour Church in Jacksonville;

• In the Litchfield Deanery, at St. Agnes Church in Hillsboro;

• In the Quincy Deanery, at Blessed Sacrament Church in Quincy.

“It is my desire near the beginning of my pastoral ministry as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois to express our repentance and seek God’s pardon for the sins of the past, that God’s grace may bring us healing for the faith to flourish,” said Bishop Paprocki.

Patricia Kornfeld, victim assistance coordinator for the Springfield diocese, said that the prayer service is meant to reach out in a special and individual way to anyone abused by a cleric within the Springfield diocese and also to anyone who may have been hurt in other ways by someone in the church.

“We also invite others who may wish to join in this prayer for those harmed in the church,” Kornfeld said. “We encourage those harmed in the church to come and find rest, pray together united with others who have also experienced harm in the church, pray for those who could not speak for themselves, or pray for those that are absent from our gathering. At this solemn service, we would pray for repentance for sins committed, ask for support for those harmed, seek understanding of the harm caused, and beg for God’s forgiveness, healing grace and peace.”

Kornfeld said no reservations are necessary and family members are welcome.

For more information about the Evening of Repentance and Prayer for Those Harmed in the Church, contact Kornfeld at (217) 321-1155 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is 131 parishes in 28 counties of central Illinois.

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It is with deep regret that we have decided to relinquish our appeals in the litigation concerning the provision of foster care and adoption services by Catholic Charities of the Dioceses of Joliet and Springfield in Illinois and by Catholic Social Services of Southern Illinois in the Diocese of Belleville. This lawsuit had sought clarification as to whether the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act passed at the end of last year protected the freedom of faith-based agencies to provide foster care and adoption services in accord with their religious beliefs.

The decision not to pursue further appeals was reached with great reluctance, but was necessitated by the fact that the State of Illinois has made it financially impossible for our agencies to continue to provide these services and the courts have refused to grant a stay for these operations to continue while further appeals are pending. Since we now need to close offices and lay off employees, further appeals would be moot.

The Catholic Church has successfully partnered with the State for half a century in providing foster care and adoption services. While the State has forced the Catholic Church out of state-supported foster care and adoption services, the losers will be the children, foster care families and adoptive parents who will no longer have the option of Catholic, faith-based services.

We are sad to lose the dedicated employees who have served our Catholic foster care and adoption services so faithfully for so many years. We are grateful to them and reluctantly bid them farewell with our prayers and best wishes.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of Springfield added, “Despite the loss of foster care and adoption services, our Catholic Charities in the Diocese Springfield in Illinois will continue to address the basic human needs of the poor in central Illinois in other ways. The silver lining of this decision is that our Catholic Charities going forward will be able to focus on being more Catholic and more charitable, while less dependent on government funding and less encumbered by intrusive state policies.”

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On Sunday, September 11^th at 2:30pm, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (6^th & Lawrence) will hold an ecumenical service to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.  Msgr. Carl Kemme will preside at this prayer service, and ministers from Springfield area churches will also participate.  An ecumenical choir has been assembled for the event. Under the direction of the Associate Director for Music for the Diocese of Springfield and Cathedral Director of Music, Nichol DelGiorno, the choir will present John Rutter’s Requiem during the service. 

This setting will feature an instrumental ensemble consisting of organ, harp, cello, oboe, flute, timpani and glockenspiel. Requiem is a hauntingly beautiful set of seven movements combining texts from the Requiem Mass (funeral mass) and the Book of Common Prayer.  Rutter’s Requiem is the setting that was used for many memorial services across America following the events of 9-11, undoubtedly because of his ability to musically juxtapose darkness with hope and the promise of light (and life) eternal. 

Those who lost their lives on 9-11 in the attacks in New York City, Washington, DC and Shanksville, PA will be honored, as will all who have served, or who are serving, in the military and those who serve as firefighters, police officers and EMTs.

For more information, contact Nichol DelGiorno at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 522-3342 x135.

One year ago today, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki was installed as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. In honor of the day, we have put together some fun and enjoyable opportunities for everyone to look back on Bishop Paprocki's first year!

Share Your Memory from Bishop Paprocki's First Year!

Over the last year, Bishop Paprocki has visited many of the parishes and attended numerous events across the diocese. Do you have a favorite memory from one of those visits? We want to know!

Take a moment and share your memory in the comments section below. Everyone that shares a memory with us before 11:59 p.m Friday, June 24 will be entered to win an amazing prize package that consists of several books, a free admission to Financial Peace University, a coffee mug and many more great items!

How Well Do YOU Know Bishop Paprocki?

How well do you know your Paprocki Facts? Think you know Bishop Paprocki pretty well? Why not take our quiz on Facebook and see just how much you know about Bishop Paprocki. Will you be his running mate or are you still a latin grammar student? Once you take the quiz, come back here and let us know how you did? 

Click here to take the "How Well Do You Know Bishop Paprocki" quiz

Bishop Paprocki FACTS

Speaking of Paprocki Facts, why not check out our twitter page where we are constantly updating the page with many different facts about Bishop Paprocki, some of which might even answer some of the quiz questions on Facebook! Why not jump on over and visit us on twitter @diospringfield or look for hastag #PaprockiFacts.

Catholic Charities in Illinois Seek Remedy for Best Interests of Children, Families

(SPRINGFIELD, IL) Leaders of three Catholic dioceses – the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, Peoria and Joliet – took legal action today as their charities fight to continue their work in serving the best interests of thousands of needy children and families throughout the state.

In March of this year, the Attorney General’s office issued a letter stating that the office “received notice that Catholic Charities … discriminates against Illinois citizens based on race, marital status and sexual orientation” in the provision of foster care and adoption services and demanded that Catholic Charities turn over a wide range of documents in response. The June 1 law authorizing civil unions in Illinois has raised further questions and criticism about Catholic Charities’ longstanding position not to place children for adoption and foster care with non-married couples who live together – regardless of sexual orientation.

This lawsuit, filed in Sangamon County Circuit Court, seeks a declaration that the charities are in full compliance with Illinois law in their current practices and an injunction against further action by Illinois government officials to the contrary. The charities argue both that the Illinois Human Rights Act exempts religious adoption agencies from the provisions relied upon by the Attorney General’s office and that the new Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act includes an express protection for the religious freedom of entities like Catholic Charities.

The charities ask the court to declare that they are legally justified to continue their current practices of working only with married couples and single, non-cohabiting individuals. Civil union couples are free to choose among dozens of other organizations for these services.

“Child welfare advocates know it is in the best interest of Illinois children for Catholic Charities to stay in this business,” said Steven Roach, Executive Director for Catholic Charities in the Springfield Diocese. “It’s tragic that there are people who believe unnecessarily disrupting the lives of thousands of vulnerable children is an acceptable outcome in this situation.”

Catholic Charities have served thousands of children and families with top-quality, nurturing care since 1921 and handle about 20 percent of the cases in Illinois. Charities’ leaders are extremely concerned what will happen with those children and families if they are forced out of this work.

“Religious and faith-based entities need not check their beliefs at the door when providing vital social services for the benefit of needy and vulnerable children and families in Illinois. Catholic Charities has a clear right under Illinois law to pursue its charitable good works in the true spirit of the Gospels and the Sermon on the Mount, faithful to the essential tenets of its Catholic faith. We will advocate strongly to protect Catholic Charities’ continuing its mission of social service,” said Tom Brejcha of the Thomas More Society, which is representing the charities in the lawsuit.

About the Thomas More Society

Formed in 1997, the Thomas More Society is a national public interest law firm based in Chicago. The Society defends religious liberty, marriage, and the sanctity of human life in courtrooms across the country. For more information, please visit www.thomasmoresociety.org.

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We have received several inquires in asking if there was a dispensation from abstaining from eating meat Friday. Father Daren J. Zehnle, Episcopal Master of Ceremonies and the Associated Director of the Office for Vocations, posted a blog on his personal blog answering this question.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki has joined the bishops of Illinois in calling upon the Illinois General Assembly to reject legislation that would establish civil unions in the state.

The Catholic Conference of Illinois (CCI), on behalf of Chicago Cardinal Francis George, OMI, and all the bishops of Illinois, released the statement Nov. 23. Senate Bill 1716 seeks to afford all the “legal obligations, responsibilities, protections, and benefits” of marriage to individuals in a civil union, the statement said.

Statement from the bishops of Illinois

Press Release from Catholic Conference for Illinois