Honorees have each received a certificate signed by Bishop George J. Lucas. In addition to Bishop Lucas, certificates for teachers were signed by Jean Johnson, superintendent for schools.

The Franciscan friars of Sacred Heart Province, based in St. Louis, elected new major superiors during their chapter June 8-13.

Parish team training has been completed and regular sessions for Why Catholic?, a program that leads Catholics in adult faith formation and evangelization, will begin this fall, said Chris Malmevik, associate director for Catechesis for the diocese and the diocesan Why Catholic? coordinator.

Food and household supplies are much needed by Catholic Charities Holy Family Food Pantry in order to meet the increased summer time call for help from needy families in the Springfield area. With schools out for the summer, there are no regular school food drives to help stock the Holy Family Food Pantry shelves, plus school‑age children of needy families are home, and not getting meals at schools.

Daughters of Isabella, an organization for Catholic women age 16 or over, will hold their international convention Aug. 3-8 at the Millennium Hotel in St. Louis.

Cathedral Grade School in Springfield won second place in the second annual Michigan Apple Sweepstakes. The school was recently presented with a check for $2,000. There were nearly 300 entries from all over Michigan and Illinois, and Cathedral was one of nine winners.

The Ursuline Sisters of the Central Province have named five Ursulines who will serve on their new leadership team.

On June 16, St. Joseph's Home broke ground for its new dementia center on the southeast side of the existing building at the intersection of Sixth Street and Stevenson Drive in Springfield.

Imagine being 18 to 22 years old, serving in the military, and being stationed nearly half-way around the world in harm's way. Now, imagine being in this situation (or having a child or a grandchild in this situation) without the support of a priest.

Attorney Tony DelGiorno was named 2008 Alumnus of the Year at the recent and final graduation festivities for Ursuline Academy in Springfield. DelGiorno, a 1996 UA graduate, was honored by the Ursuline Academy Alumni Association for his efforts to promptly organize the Ursuline Foundation following the announced closure of Ursuline in May 2007.

When Robert Gervasi arrived on the Quincy University campus June 9, as the first lay person to serve as president of the liberal arts university, his plan was to learn as much as he could about the community, the people and the university.

The Cathedral Council of Catholic Women has awarded $6,000 in scholarships to deserving students who are members of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Parish who will be continuing their Catholic education in the 2008-2009 school year.

The Notre Dame Club of Central Illinois recognizes juniors who are creative contributors to the Catholic school community through its annual Junior of the Year awards. Winners for 2008 are Dustin Shea from Routt Catholic High School in Jacksonville and Dan Farmer from Sacred Heart-Griffin High School in Springfield.

Superheroes are big these days. They've superseded the comic books that spawned them and have hit the mainstream, drawing thousands of people to multiplex movie theaters this summer. Iron Man, Batman, the Hulk, Hellboy - they're all lining up for their guaranteed million-dollar paydays.

Family, patriotism and religion were very much in the news last week, as the country mourned the sudden death on June 13 of NBC's Meet the Press anchor Tim Russert. In a day and age when some people in the national spotlight seem bent on outrageous and destructive behavior in order to capture the limelight, the public got a glimpse - alas posthumously - of a far different person of true celebrity status.

During my sophomore year of high school, my Latin teacher gave our class the assignment to write a Valentine's Day card in Latin. The English translation would then be read aloud and judged by the senior class. As I finished writing the Latin Valentine's Day poem for my card, I knew what I wrote was bound for first place - it was creative and downright hilarious.

Although much is not understood about Alzheimer's disease, a novel study that links loneliness and Alzheimer's-like dementia could hold valuable information about a possible trigger, or contributor, to the much-feared condition.

Many parish churches have closed in our state and other parts of the country in recent years. Some are torn down, but many are sold, sometimes to other non-Catholic congregations who use the buildings for their own worship. We know churches are blessed when they are built, but how do you unbless a church? I always thought that when something is blessed, it stays blessed. Is that wrong?

Anytime there's mention of a new Ten Commandments at the Vatican, journalists start salivating. So the buzz was high when a new "Decalogue for the Environment" was promised in early June.

In the Acts of the Apostles: "Peter thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the church was fervently being made to God on his behalf. On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial, an angel of the Lord stood by Peter and a light shone in his cell ... ." Herod, who had a close relationship with Gaius the Roman (who would become Caligula), wielded much more political power than his father and grandfather - and thus using his influence had James put to death and Peter imprisoned. Nevertheless we witness here the miraculous "spiritual power" of Peter who is freed by an angel to resume his preaching and ministry.