It has been a busy autumn for diocesan members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, an ancient order that dates back to the First Crusade.

A fair trade store called Simply Fair opened this month in Springfield. Located in a strip mall in the 2300 block of West Monroe, the store is filled with hand crafted items made by people from around the world. Items are priced to reflect a fair profit for the artisans who created them and the costs of getting the items to the marketplace.

CHARLESTON—The Eastern Illinois University Newman Catholic Center will hold the first Friends of Newman Night on Nov. 2. The event is planned to recognize the Newman Center that, over the years, has been a second home to EIU's Catholic students.

GRANITE CITY — Over 300 people attended the annual diocesan Respect Life Mass Sept. 28 in Granite City and the Rosary Walk that followed to pray outside Hope Clinic for Women where abortions are performed.

Sunday, Sept. 22, would have been a beautiful day for a wedding. Instead, some of the longest-married couples in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois gathered that first day of autumn for a celebration of their many years as husbands and wives.

Following an allegation of clerical sexual misconduct with a minor said to have occurred over 30 years ago, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois has temporarily withdrawn from ministry.

VANDALIA — "Abound in Hope" is the theme of Our Sorrowful Mother's Ministry 16th annual conference, Oct. 25-27, in Vandalia. The conference will be held in the ministry's new building at 318 N. Eighth St., which earlier this year Bishop Thomas John Paprocki blessed, and named Sanctuary of the Sorrowful Mother.

EFFINGHAM — Sister Jane Dominic Laurel, OP, STD, of the Nashville Dominicans will present "Masculinity and Femininity: Difference and Gift" at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, at the Effingham Knights of Columbus Hall.

Enrollment in Catholic schools in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois seems to be on the upswing, with one Catholic high school and the Quincy Catholic elementary schools showing exceptional growth.

A much anticipated and thoroughly planned outdoor Mass to bring students from all the Catholic grade schools and the Catholic high school in Springfield together to ask God's blessing on this school year drew more news and social media attention than organizers could ever have imagined.

Father Brian Alford to be guest speaker for luncheon program

GRANITE CITY — Bishop Thomas John Paprocki will celebrate the annual diocesan Respect Life Mass at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at Holy Family Church in Granite City. After Mass he will lead a rosary walk to Hope Clinic for Women, to hold a prayer vigil outside the place where medical and surgical abortions are performed.

A Special Panel convened to advise Bishop Thomas John Paprocki concerning the matter of Father Thomas Donovan, former pastor of St. Aloysius Parish in Springfield, has concluded that his "gradual return to ministry is appropriate."

Sister Hugh Holtmann, OSF, reached an important milestone on Sept. 3, celebrating her 100th birthday with her fellow Sisters, the staff at St. Francis Convent, and various friends. She was honored at a Mass and with a birthday party organized by her friends from Litchfield and Gillespie. Also in attendance was Dan Perryman, president/CEO at St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield — a staff position that Sister Hugh held for about a decade beginning 40 years ago.

STAUNTON — A Polka Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6 in St. Michael Church, 322 E. Main St. The Polka Mass is part of a three-day Octoberfest celebration sponsored by the parish.

Continuing a tradition that has lasted for more than 30 years, Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield is once again offering PSR for Exceptional People, a Catholic study for children and adults who are developmentally disabled. The 2013-2014 academic year will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 25 with a Mass in the church at 6:30 p.m.

A "Defend Marriage" Lobby Day will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. The day is sponsored by the Illinois Family Institute (IFI).

EDWARDSVILLE — "Sharing Our Journey of Faith" is the theme for the 85th annual Springfield in Illinois Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Convention, hosted this year by the Alton deanery.

The 24th annual Family Camp, held Sept. 14-15 at Lake Williamson Christian Conference Center in Carlinville was especially bittersweet for Elaine Vonderheide, who is retiring as associate director for Special Needs in the Office for Social Concerns and Respect for Life. Putting together Family Camp was the first project she undertook nearly 25 years ago and it was her last official act as she retires.

Christians from throughout Springfield came out in good numbers Saturday, Aug. 24 to participate in “God Belongs in My City,” a prayer walk to unite Christians in their shared beliefs. The crowd of men, women and children, estimated at over 400, met at Comer Cox Park at Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. and Capitol Ave. and walked the 1.3 miles to the Illinois State Capitol.

It’s a new school year, and men preparing to be priests for the Springfield diocese are once again beginning their studies at their assigned seminaries. At the same time, leaders in the Office for Vocations are settling into their new roles and preparing to help those men and others who might also choose the priesthood or religious life.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki has urged all parishes in the Springfield diocese to join Pope Francis in a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria.

EFFINGHAM — A spaghetti dinner will be held as a fundraiser for Effingham Catholic Charities from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, at the Knights of Columbus in Effingham.

CHATHAM — The parish nurses of St. Joseph the Worker in Chatham, in conjunction with Christine Gorka, Ph.D., clinical ethicist at Memorial Medical Center, will offer an interactive presentation on advanced directives at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3 at St. Joseph, 700 E. Spruce St. in Chatham. Gorka will discuss her experiences guiding families through the often painful decisions required when a family member or loved one experiences a medical crisis.

A Red Mass for legal and justice professionals, sponsored by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki and the Catholic Lawyers Guild of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, will be held at noon on Monday, Oct. 14, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 524 E. Lawrence Ave. in Springfield.

MARYVILLE — Father McGivney Catholic High School, the newest Catholic high school in the Springfield diocese, more than doubled its enrollment in its second year of operation. The 19 students, who made up last year’s first class at Father McGivney, have all returned for their sophomore year, and 32 students have joined them as freshmen.

Friends and family of Danielle Loftus have organized a 5K run/walk to benefit the Springfield teenager who was severely injured in a jet ski accident on July 11, 2010. Danielle’s story was first featured in Catholic Times on Sept. 26 of that year.

HIGHLAND — The new St. Joseph’s Hospital (SJH) in Highland, at Troxler Avenue and Highway 160/Poplar Street, opened its doors at 6 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 22. Within minutes, ambulances began arriving at regular intervals, bringing 11 patients, their nurses and care teams from the old St. Joseph Hospital at 1515 Main St. to the new hospital. EMS personnel and hospital staff had rehearsed the move and within the hour all patients were settled in the new St. Joseph’s private rooms.

Catholic Charities has teamed up with the Walmart Foundation to help address hunger in rural areas of the 28 counties of the Springfield diocese.

Springfield Catholic Charities was one of 12 agencies nationwide to receive a grant from the Walmart Foundation, which was distributed through Catholic Charities USA. The $78,000 grant has been used to purchase two refrigerated trucks that will be used to deliver food to rural families in need.

VIRDEN — Deacon Frank Maynerich Jr., 60, died Aug. 13 from injuries received in an accident on Farmersville Road. The accident also took the life of his 19-year-old son, Paul.