During the month of September, a Mass of Welcome and Reception for Bishop Thomas John Paprocki will be held in each of the seven deaneries of the Springfield diocese. Collections taken at the Masses of Welcome will benefit Catholic Charities of the Springfield diocese. Effingham DeanerySt. Francis of Assisi Parish, Teutopolis7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1 Alton DeanerySt. Boniface Parish, Edwardsville7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7 Jacksonville DeanerySt. John the Evangelist Parish, Carrollton7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8 Litchfield DeanerySs. Mary and Joseph Parish, Carlinville7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9 Decatur DeaneryHoly Family Parish, Decatur7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23 Quincy DeanerySt. Peter Parish, Quincy7…

Author Mary Eberstadt has done a wonderful job pointing out the underlying principles that have led to the recent disturbing articles published by the likes of Time Magazine, New York Magazine and Newsweek.  Her article provides us an excellent opportunity to consider what paragraph 1652 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "By its very nature the institution of marriage and married love is ordered to the procreation and education of the offspring and it is in them that it finds its crowning glory.  Children are the supreme gift of marriage and contribute greatly to the good of the…

The following letter, dated July 22, was sent to Governor Pat Quinn from the Catholic Bishops of Illinois. Dear Governor Quinn:As you know, for over a year we have joined Catholic and other nonpublic school representatives in urging the state’s political leadership to prevent the exclusion of our taxpaying families from state support when they choose to send their children to a school not directly supported by state taxes.Unfortunately, those calls have so far gone unheeded. It is our understanding the state’s education budget for Fiscal Year 2011 has eliminated funding for the Textbook Loan Program and Educational Improvement and…

Dr. Daniel Greene, MD, Ob/Gyn, answers some common questions about Natural Family Planning:

Natural Family Planning (NFP) is an umbrella term for certain methods used to achieve and avoid pregnancies. These methods are based on observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. NFP is not “Rhythm.” The Rhythm (or Calendar) method was developed in the 1930s. It was based on the scientific theory that ovulation could be predicted by calculating previous menstrual cycles. This method was often inaccurate because it did not take account of the unique nature of a woman's menstrual cycle. Today’s methods of NFP do take account of…

On June 22, 2010, Bishp Thomas John Paprocki, former Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago, became the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago, presided over the Introductory Rites of the Mass. In attendance were 37 bishops, including Archbishop George J. Lucas, and Bishops Kevin Vann and Victor Balke. Many priests, deacons, religious and laity filled the cathedral to overflow capacity. DVD Pricing and Ordering Information If you wish to pick your DVD up at the Catholic Pastoral Center, the cost is $10.00. If you would like your DVD mailed to…

On July 7th a Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday was signed into law.  The tax holiday will begin August 6 and last through August 15, 2010.  During this window, state taxes on clothing and school supplies will be reduced by 5% to 1.25%.(instead of 6.25%). Other Local County and City taxes will still apply. Eligible Clothing For the purposes of this Tax Holiday, “Clothing” is defined as all human wearing apparel suitable for general use. Each item purchased must meet this definition and have a retail selling price of less than $100. The list of eligible “Clothing” items includes, but is…

The installation of Bishop Paprocki just under twenty four hours away!  We would like make sure everyone is aware of the online resouces we are making available to ensure everyone has the opportunity to experience this exciting time in our diocese. We have created a website to have all these resources in one place at www.dio.org/reception. To stay up-to-date with the latest informatoin about the installation, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Live Video Stream Shortly before 2:00 p.m. on June 22, we will activate the live feed for viewers to watch the installation of Bishop Paprocki live. Live…

On May 20, during a one-day trip to Springfield, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki spoke to Catholic Times editor Kathie Sass You can watch the entire interview on the Catholic Times website!.

On Saturday, May 29, 2010, Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I. ordained Father Stephen A. Thompson and Father Paul Kala to the diocesan priesthood. Prior to the ordination, Cardinal George asked Monsignor Carl Kemme, Diocesan Administrator, to deliver the homily. Below is the full text of Monsignor Kemme's homily. When Cardinal George called to ask if I would deliver the homily at this ordination Mass, I experienced a few moments of understandable apprehension; after all, preaching before a Cardinal, an Archbishop and of course all our priests makes a simple priest like myself pause, but fairly soon I agreed and I did…