Bishop George J. Lucas recently received a letter thanking the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois for a contribution of $46,000 to the 2008 Collection for the Church in Latin America.

During the Year of St. Paul, Quincy University will hold "A Weekend with Paul and Bill," a study weekend on St. Paul conducted by biblicist Father Bill Burton, OFM, Jan. 30-Feb. 1 at QU's North Campus.

cathedral-ceiling.jpgRestoration work at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield is on schedule and going smoothly, said Kevin Handy, project coordinator from Graham & Hyde Architects, Inc.

holy-land-bishop.jpgShortly before Christmas, pilgrims associated with Our Sorrowful Mother's Ministry in Vandalia traveled to the Holy Land, where they received a special blessing, said Vanessa Keck, who leads the ministry along with Debbie Pryor. The two women founded OSMM in 1997.

OSMM is a lay community dedicated to being apostles for the Lord and Our Lady. Members carry out a mission to be servants with integrity and faithfulness, Keck said.

coloring-contest-for-jan-4.jpgMerry Christmas to all the young artists who shared their talents inthe fourth annual Catholic Times Christmas cover contest. This year,almost 500 entries were submitted to compete for the honor of being theChristmas cover of our diocesan newspaper.  This year's judges onceagain decreed a tie for first place.

Marquette Catholic High School was selected for the 2008 Best of AltonAward in the schools category by the U.S. Local Business Association(USLBA). The Washington D.C.-based USLBA recognizes outstanding localbusinesses throughout the country that have achieved exceptionalmarketing success in their respective local business communities.

Parishioners from St. Augustine in Ashland, St. Fidelis in Arenzville, St. Alexius in Beardstown and St. Luke in Virginia will present the Christmas cantata Behold That Star by Jay Althouse and Sally Albrect at 5 p.m. on Dec. 21 at St. Luke Church in Virginia. 

2008 Christmas Mass Schedule for parishes throughout the Diocese

Web Exclusive:  Download the 2008 Christmas Mass Schedule

coloring-contest-1.jpgMerry Christmas to all the young artists who shared their talents in the fourth annual Catholic Times Christmas cover contest. This year, almost 500 entries were submitted to compete for the honor of being the Christmas cover of our diocesan newspaper.  This year's judges once again decreed a tie for first place.

Pax Christi, Springfield, will celebrate the sixth annual Ecumenical Epiphany Service for Peace from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, at St. Joseph Church, 1345 N. Sixth St. in Springfield.

walked-over-this-boy-flies.jpgAs this Christmas season approaches Victoria Schmidt, executive director of Theresians International, and over 20 Theresians are no doubt comparing life in America to the poverty-stricken area of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India. That's because at the end of October Schmidt, nearly two dozen Theresians and a few husbands spent a week in Kolkata, following a Theresians International conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

As a Christmas gift to parishioners and others, St. Patrick Parish will host a parish mission with Father Patrick Martin of Stafford Springs, Conn., Jan. 12 through 14.

St. Mary's Hospital will host a SHARE holiday memorial service on Monday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. in the hospital chapel.

p11-creche.jpgIf you are still hunting for a Christmas gift for a hard-to-buy-for person on your Christmas list, take heart, you are not alone. But thanks to the Internet - not to mention any number of catalogues, which arrive almost daily in the mail - there are plenty of things from which to choose if you prefer to shop from home. Many catalogues are enticing buyers by offering free shipping, regardless of the size of the order.

Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) is about to begin its 35th year in Springfield, says Denny Baker, one of the TEC board members. As a kickoff of this celebration, the TEC community will host a Christmas party at Little Flower Parish in Springfield on Saturday, Dec. 20.