DECATUR — Despite cooler than normal temperatures for early June and intermittent bouts of drizzling, then pouring rain, some 350 Catholics took part in the Corpus Christi procession June 2 from St. Patrick Church to Water Street Park.

The weather outside may have been stormy and gloomy, but the mood inside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was a happy one on Saturday, May 25, as Bishop Thomas John Paprocki ordained Father Hyland L. Smith to the diocesan priesthood.

A freedom prayer rally for religious liberty, led by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, will be held at noon Wednesday, July 3, at the Lincoln statue on the east side of the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. The 30-minute rally will be part of the 2013 Fortnight for Freedom, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

As the school year was winding down, children across the diocese looked forward to spring field trips. At the end of the 2012-2013 academic year sixth-grade students from St. Mary School in Taylorville had their field day on May 7. The youngsters and their teacher Cathy Schaeffer traveled to Springfield to visit the Illinois State Capitol and the Chiara Center.

ALTON — St. Mary School here recently wrapped up its School Spirit Week, held April 22-26. The week included activities such as afternoon movies at both the elementary and middle schools, campus clean-up day, dress like a hippie day, pajama day, dress up day, penny wars, and food and book drives.

Michael D. Bromberg is the new president of the Benedictine University Springfield branch campus, according to a May 13 announcement by the Benedictine board of trustees. Bromberg has served as dean of Academic Affairs at the Benedictine Springfield branch since July 2007, and as the school's chief executive officer since 2012. Bromberg reports to William J. Carroll, president of Benedictine University.

"Wonderful!"

That is how Father Stephen Thompson describes his first year as a parish pastor — make that pastor of two parishes, Holy Family, Mt. Sterling, in Brown County; and St. Thomas, Camp Point, in Adams County.

Beginning June 16, the Springfield area Young Adult ministry (YAM) Mass time will change from 8 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Mass will continue to be held at St. Viator Chapel, within the Catholic Pastoral Center, 1615 W. Washington St. in Springfield.

In a eucharistic celebration on Sunday, May 19 at Sacred Heart Chapel in Springfield 17 candidates formalized their relationship with the Dominican family by making a public commitment as Springfield Dominican Associates.

Catholic Times is pleased to recognize the following 62 religious sisters, brothers and priests who have lived in or served the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois and are celebrating a significant jubilee in 2013. These women and men deserve our respect and admiration, for they courageously answered the call to serve the people of God. If you recognize someone who is familiar or a friend who made a difference in your life, please give a call or send a note.

MUNDELEIN — Transitional Deacon Hyland Smith will be ordained a priest by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki on Saturday, May 25, at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield.

May is one of the two months that Catholics traditionally honor the Blessed Virgin Mary; October, the month of the holy rosary is the other. However, for members of the Legion of Mary, any time — indeed any hour of any day — is a good time to praise Mary with thoughts, prayers and actions.

GRANITE CITY — Students at St. Elizabeth Preschool in Granite City have learned some valuable lessons this spring, both about helping others and staying safe. On April 26, the PreK students took part in the annual Trike a Thon to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis.

Illinois Catholic Daughters of the Americas held their 51st biennial state convention April 26-28. The convention was held at the Route 66 Hotel and Conference Center in Springfield, hosted by eight courts in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

Priests in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois will gather with Bishop Thomas John Paprocki for their annual Priest Celebration on Tuesday, May 7 at Villa Maria Catholic Life Conference and Retreat Center on Lake Springfield.

At the end of each school year, educators and catechists in parish schools and religious education programs in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois are honored for special service anniversaries.

ALTON/GODFREY — All of the Catholic schools in Alton and Godfrey recently received $1,500 scholarships from the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians (LAOH) through the Msgr. James A. Suddes Catholic Education Trust Fund. The schools that received the scholarships are Marquette Catholic High School, St. Ambrose, St. Mary's and Ss. Peter and Paul.

The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois has received a letter from Msgr. Robert Weiss, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Newtown, Conn. The parish is located near Sandy Hook Elementary School, the site of the Dec. 14, 2012 mass shooting that took the lives of 20 children and six adults. Eight of those children and two of the adults were members of the Catholic parish.

JACKSONVILLE — The Church of Our Saviour in Jacksonville recently hosted the Vatican International Exhibition of the Eucharistic Miracles of the World. The event was held from Saturday, April 6 to Monday, April 8 in the Our Saviour Grade School gym.

On Saturday, April 6, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki ordained two third-year diocesan seminarians to the transitional diaconate during a 10:30 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield.

ALTON — Marquette Catholic High School is moving forward with its 2013 Capital Campaign to ensure the "high quality Marquette experience continues for years to come," Marquette principal Mike Slaughter said on April 8 to people gathered with Bishop Thomas John Paprocki at a blessing of the school's new construction projects.

Young diocesan missionary teaches refugees

Luke Ebener believes he is proof positive that, if one really listens to God's call, the answers will come.

A graduate of Glenwood High School in Chatham and St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, Ebener was leading a comfortable life in Davenport, just a few hours away from his parents and his hometown. However, at 24 years old, he somehow felt unfulfilled.

More and more folks over 50 are looking to their parishes to have fun and build fellowship by joining "senior groups" like those at St. Agnes Parish in Springfield and Our Lady of Lourdes (OLOL) and St. Thomas the Apostle parishes in Decatur.

Approximately 650 people were in attendance when Bishop Thomas John Paprocki concelebrated the chrism Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on the evening of March 26. Diocesan seminarians also served in various capacities during the liturgy, coming to the see city from their various seminaries.

Springfield native Steven Arisman has wanted to be a priest his entire life. A dozen years ago, when Seth Brown was graduating from Porta High School in Petersburg, he could never have imagined that he would one day be in formation to become a priest. Arisman and fellow Mundelein seminarian Seth Brown will be ordained transitional deacons by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki on Saturday, April 6, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield.

HARTFORD — Kenneth E. Thompson, formerly of Alton, father of Father Stephen A. Thompson of the Springfield diocese, died March 24 at his residence. He was 68 years old.

The Easter Vigil is the premier time each year for the making of Catholic adults through the celebration of the sacraments of Christian initiation. For the purposes of baptism, "adults" are those of catechetical age (about 6 or 7 years) and older. This year, in 64 parishes and one university within the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, 298 persons came to the Easter Vigil to celebrate rites that joined them to the Catholic Church.

Although the Easter Vigil is the normative time for the baptism of adults and children of catechetical age (about the age of 7 and older), it is not the only time the Roman Catholic Church "makes" new Catholics. Infants of Catholic parents are regularly baptized soon after birth.