Diocesan priests, Bishop Balke to celebrate special Jubilees
By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor 

On Wednesday, May 3, priests from around the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois will gather at Villa Maria Catholic Life Center on Lake Springfield for a day of celebration. That day they will hear from Bishop Mark Bartosic, an auxiliary bishop from the Archdiocese of Chicago. Additionally, they will take part in Evening Prayer, a social hour, and a dinner, after which Bishop Thomas John Paprocki and the priests will honor priests who are celebrating Jubilees this year. Those men include Bishop Victor Balke, Msgr. David Peters, and Father John Sohm, who are celebrating 65 years; Father Kevin Sullivan who is celebrating 60 years; and Father Tom Meyer, who is celebrating his silver jubilee this year. 

Bishop Victor H. Balke 
65 Years

Bishop Victor Balke is celebrating 65 years as a priest this spring. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois on May 24, 1958, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception by Bishop William A. O’Connor. 

A native of Meppen, then-Father Balke’s first assignment was associate pastor of Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and chaplain of St. Joseph’s Home in Springfield. He was procurator of the diocesan seminary at Lake Springfield from 1964 to 1970, and then rector of the seminary from 1970 to 1976. 

He was appointed sixth Bishop of Crookston on July 3, 1976, by Pope Paul VI and ordained and installed on Sept. 2, 1976. During his tenure, Bishop Balke specifically encouraged evangelization.  He reorganized the central administration of the diocese, implemented the 1983 Code of Canon Law and codified diocesan policies, encouraged renovation and building improvements in parishes, established an improved retirement program for elderly clergy,  and established a benefit program for all clergy and laity employed by the Church in the Crookston Diocese. His motto was: Bless the Lord my soul. 

He has returned to the Springfield Diocese many times over the years to visit relatives and friends, attend Jubilee events, and to ordain priests after Bishop McNicholas died unexpectedly shortly before the ordination of priests, and again in 2009 when the Springfield Diocese was in-between bishops. 

Bishop Balke, who has been forever thankful for the gift of the priesthood, retired in 2007 but continued to celebrate Masses as needed for many years. Now at age 91, he resides at Sacred Heart rectory in East Grand Forks, Minn.  He said he won’t be able to travel to Springfield for the Jubilee celebration but hopes everyone who is there “has a wonderful time.” 

“As a priest, I enjoyed my years in Springfield,” he said. “My years as a bishop were wonderful and I especially enjoyed the liturgies of the Church. I’ve been retired since 2007 and that has been good, too.  From beginning to end I’ve my enjoyed my journey with the priesthood.” 

Msgr. David Peters
65 Years 

Decatur native Msgr. David Peters will celebrate his 65 years as a priest on May 24, the same day he turns 91. He was ordained by Bishop William A. O’Connor in 1958 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. There were eight priests ordained that day and six of those men had graduated from St. Teresa High School. Four were in his class and one had graduated a few years ahead of him. 

Then-Father Peters spent his first four years as a priest at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield. His years at Blessed Sacrament came at a time when there were five priests at the parish. “I remember one day when we had nine baptisms at one time,” he says. 

He went on to be an assistant at St. Patrick Parish in Alton and then an assistant chaplain and chaplain at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. He was then co-administrator at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Effingham for four years. As a pastor, he served at St. Michael Parish in Staunton, St. Bernard Parish in Wood River, and St. James Parish in St. Jacob before moving to St. Paul Parish in Highland in 1987.  He spent 20 years as pastor at St. Paul and retired in 2007.  “My first (period of) assignment was for six years, but then I stayed on.  I felt at home in Highland,” he says. In retirement, he remained active, happily helping out at St. Paul, where he is pastor emeritus. 

He came out of retirement for a short time in 2011 to act as parochial administrator of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Effingham and Annunciation Parish in Shumway.  He also has served as a delegate for senior priests.  He was given the papal honor Chaplain to His Holiness (Monsignor) on Dec. 18, 2015. 

After living in Highland for more than half his priesthood, he recently moved to an independent living retirement home so that he could be closer to his family members who still reside in Decatur. He says he is now settling in a new community. He is grateful for his many decades in Highland and adds that he also considers his fellow priests his “priest family.” 

Father John Sohm
65 Years

Father John Sohm, another Decatur native, was also ordained on May 24, 1958, by Bishop William A. O’Connor at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. 

Father Sohm’s first assignment was as an assistant at St. Joseph Parish in Granite City. He went on to serve as an assistant at several places: St. Agnes Parish, Springfield; St. Raymond Parish, Raymond; and St. Patrick Parish, Alton. 

In 1970 Father Sohm was named parochial administrator and then pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Shelbyville and at St. Columcille Parish in Sullivan. He served at St. Columcille for over four decades, where he had his home right across the street from his church. He also served for decades in Shelbyville, and at St. Isidore Parish in Bethany for many years. For shorter periods of time, he was a pastor at Holy Family Parish in Mount Sterling and Sacred Heart Parish in Dalton City. He was well appreciated in those parishes where he gave so many years of priestly life to shepherd his people. Additionally, he was a chaplain at a state prison. 

Father Sohm has enjoyed periodically getting together with his many classmates and as time went on, was mindful of  those men who passed away.  A few years back, he expressed that he has always given thanks for the Lord’s goodness. “His love is everlasting,” he said. “It is expressed in the people of the parishes, where we (priests)  have served.” 

At 91, Father Sohm lives in a retirement community in Sullivan and is pastor emeritus of St. Columcille Parish.  

Father Kevin Sullivan
60 Years

Father Kevin Sullivan grew up on a family farm and spent his formative years as an altar server and organist at Sacred Heart of Mary Parish in New Berlin. There, his boyhood pastor, Father Charles Fanning, suggested that young Kevin should become a priest. “One morning, after Mass, I told him that I had been accepted at Notre Dame University,” he said. “To my surprise, he turned away and said, ‘Kevin, you belong in the seminary.’

“Some years later Mom and Dad told me that Father had come out to the farm to tell them, ‘Kevin needs to go to the seminary.’ My parents assured him that nothing would make them happier, but I was only 17. If God wanted me to be a priest, Notre Dame would be a good place to find out.” 

Then, at Notre Dame, yet another person suggested the priesthood. “One day I walked across campus with Father Dan O’Neil, CSC, the Holy Cross vocation director. He asked, ‘Kevin, I know you love Notre Dame, but have you ever thought about the seminary?’ With God’s grace, I entered the seminary, assured that Notre Dame would welcome me back.” 

He attended the diocesan Latin School in New Berlin and went on to St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein. He was ordained May 25, 1963, by Bishop William A. O’Connor at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield.  He served as assistant pastor at St. James Parish in Decatur, Sacred Heart Parish in Granite City, and Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield. While serving as the director of the Office for Religious Education, he served on the National Religious Education board, the Confraternity of Christine Doctrine, and the Society of the Propagation of the Faith. As director of the Office of the Missions, he was involved with the Holy Childhood Association and was appointed to the National Mission Board. He was also pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Decatur and later spent a year at St. Aloysius in Springfield. His final assignment was pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace in Bethalto. 

Father Sullivan was moved to senior priest status in 2003 and resides in Phoenix, Ariz. “I serve as volunteer chaplain of the St. Vincent de Paul Homeless Shelter, and Hospice of the Valley calls me to bring sacraments of the sick to Catholic patients,” he said. He also entertains people by playing “piano oldies” and sometimes conducts funeral services. He enjoys playing bridge and golf, and spending time with his priest friends. 

Father Sullivan thinks this Year of the Eucharist is “an apt time to renew our faith in the Risen Lord, alive and well, welcoming us to God’s table.” 

“No priest could ever be more thankful to God and enjoy the priesthood more than myself,” he concluded. “Wherever the assignments, every parish is filled with faith-filled Catholics who love and want to support their priests.”  

Father Thomas Meyer
25 Years

Father Thomas Meyer was ordained to the priesthood on June 5, 1998, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and is celebrating his Silver Jubilee as a priest of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. 

A graduate of Quincy Notre Dame High School, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla. It was while he was in college and attending Masses at St. Patrick Church in Rolla that he began to realize his vocation to the priesthood. He spoke with Father Mike Kuse, who was vocation director for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, and soon after college graduation entered Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis. 

Father Meyer’s first assignments as a priest were as parochial vicar at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Effingham from 1998 to 2002, and then at Our Saviour Parish in Jacksonville from 2002 to 2004. He then served as pastor of St. Mary Parish in Edwardsville from 2004 to 2010, before returning to Jacksonville for 10 years, as pastor of Our Saviour.  While in Jacksonville he was chaplain at MacMurray and Illinois colleges as well as at the Jacksonville State Correctional Facility. He was dean of the Jacksonville Deanery from 2014 to 2020. In 2015 he was also named pastor of several smaller parishes: St. Alexius in Beardstown, St. Fidelis in Arenzville, and St. Luke in Virginia.  Since 2020 he has been pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Quincy. 

Now that he’s been a priest for 25 years, Father Meyer said, “It is nice to be arriving at a new milestone.” He says his involvement in developing the newest Catholic high school in the diocese was one highlight of his priesthood. “I feel very privileged that I was one of the founding members of Father McGivney Catholic High School in Glen Carbon,” he said. “I am very proud of the work our board completed to bring that vision to fruition.” 

Being a priest is at once extremely fulfilling and sometimes stressful, Father Meyer admits. “Throughout my 25 years, I have enjoyed a variety of different types of ministry, including Spanish ministry, ministry in a prison, and ministry at the colleges,” he said. “It can be life-giving, but also potentially exhausting if you do not take time for the other important needs in your life.” 

He is most grateful that his current assignment in Quincy keeps him closer to his parents. “I am very blessed to have an assignment where I am able to watch over my parents, Joe and Marilyn Meyer,” he said. “They are able to attend Mass with me every Saturday night. This has been a wonderful blessing.” 

Earlier this year, Bill Bust was presented with his choir robe and a plaque honoring the 50 years he served St. Paul Parish in Highland as the organist for the church and it’s choir. Retired St. Paul Parish organist honored for five decades of service
By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor

HIGHLAND — After spending five decades as the organist for St. Paul Parish and choir in Highland, as well as 50 years working as service manager at the Wicks Pipe Organ Company, also in Highland, William “Bill” Bust finally retired when he was over 80 years old.   

Although Bust stepped several aside years ago, the pandemic and all its repercussions — along with Bust’s health issues — caused a delay in his official retirement celebration, which took place earlier this year. The current St. Paul choir director, Andrea Henze, arranged a gathering at Bust’s home, where he was presented with a plaque in his honor and was also given one of his most prized possessions, his St. Paul choir robe. 

It was about 1970 when Msgr. Lawrence Wiskirchen, who was pastor of St. Paul Parish, asked Bust to oversee the music ministry at the parish. Even though he had his doubts about taking over as organist for the parish and the choir while he was working full-time at Wicks Pipe Organ Company, Bust agreed. In the next decades, he went on to serve with several other pastors: Father Martin “Mitz” Mangan, Msgr. David Peters, Father Chuck Edwards, and his current pastor, Father Pat Jakel.

Because he had installed the organ at St. Paul Parish and also played it, Bust said he naturally became attached to it. “There were times when I had to tell myself, ‘This organ isn’t mine.  It belongs to St. Paul’s.’” He adds that there are very few Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois that do not have a Wicks organ. 

“I’m so lucky to have spent so much time at St. Paul’s,” says Bust, who was at one time a seminarian in Texas.  “I have always had a great love for liturgy and we had a lot of glorious liturgies here. Not everybody is able to spend 50 years as a parish musician. Musicians are very important to the liturgy and the liturgy has always been important to me.” 

Bust says he has great memories of his time at St. Paul’s, when he often played every Mass at the church, including the years he played five or six Masses on weekends and all funerals and weddings. “I look back and really don’t know how I did it,” he says. “And you know, because of all my work, I was never able to spend Christmas with my mother all those years.” He was also instrumental in playing for the St. Paul choir, led for more than five decades by his good friend, the late Sam Schwarztrauber. 

“At one point we had about 40 members in the mixed choir, and we had some glorious liturgies,” Bust says. “One of our main concerns was the we were not up there to perform, but to assist the congregation to sing.” Of course, at times the choir did entertain at events for religious sisters and others.” He says Henze is doing a great job with the choir. 

Henze notes that Bust went “above and beyond” in his 50 years of service. “I became director of the St. Paul choir in 2018 when Sam Schwarztrauber retired,” she says. “I had some big shoes to fill, and am so grateful for the guidance and encouragement that Bill continues to give. 

“While Bill was organist at St. Paul, he took great care to make sure the music liturgy at our Masses was celebrated beautifully and properly,” Henze says. “His focus was always praising God and helping others to do the same. He continues to support the long tradition of excellence our St. Paul choir has demonstrated for more than 50 years.” 

Bust concludes that now that he is in possession of his choir robe, he has definite plans for it, whenever God calls him home. “We had some very good times at St. Paul, but when I retired, all I really wanted was my choir robe,” he says. “I want to be buried in it.  That’s right, I want to be laid out in my robe!” 

I understand the Church recognizes Protestant's baptism, and I understand why they cannot participate in the sacrament of the Eucharist, but I am absolutely dumbfounded as to why they can't participate in the sacrament of reconciliation/penance. Why? Doesn't God call us all to repentance? Surely, He does. But why would the Church withhold absolution? While we are on the subject, I'm also very sad that my Protestant friends do not have access to the anointing of the sick. This just breaks my heart because I've seen some radical miracles in people I personally know who have received pretty dramatic physical healing as a result of this sacrament. Please help me understand why Protestants are separated from these vital sacraments.
- Christi in our diocese

Dear Christi,

Thank you for these questions and your concern for the spiritual well-being of our Protestant brothers and sisters.

I would be remiss if I did not first point out that they can receive the sacraments of penance and of the anointing of the sick if they join the Church established by Christ Jesus and enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. We do not make this invitation to them often enough. The sacraments of the Catholic Church are for those who are in communion with the Bishop of Rome, not for those who are outside of communion with us.

The sacrament of penance — oftentimes also called confession and reconciliation — not only reconciles the penitent with God, but also with the Church. This Church is not some vague spiritual notion as most Protestants imagine it, but the actual Church that Jesus founded on the rock of St. Peter, which is to say the Catholic Church.

In its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, the Second Vatican Council taught that through the sacrament of penance the faithful “obtain pardon from the mercy of God for the offense committed against him and are at the same time reconciled with the Church, which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, example, and prayer seeks their conversion” (no. 11). Under normal circumstances, Protestants are not able to receive sacramental absolution because they cannot be reconciled with the Church if they are not in communion with the Church.

The same situation applies with the sacrament of the anointing of the sick, which also involves the forgiveness of sins (see James 5:14-15). Again, under normal circumstances, Protestants are not able to receive the sacrament of the sick because they cannot be reconciled to the Church if they are not in communion with the Church.

If a Protestant believes in the power of the sacraments of penance and the anointing of the sick, he or she should also recognize that the Catholic Church was established by Christ Jesus as the means of our salvation and should seek to enter into full communion with the Church. If they do this, they can receive these sacraments as often as they need them.

Father Daren Zehnle, J.C.L., K.C.H.S., is pastor at St. Augustine in Ashland; parochial administrator of St. Alexius in Beardstown, St. Fidelis in Arenzville, and St. Luke in Virginia; and is the director for the Office of Divine Worship and the Catechumenate for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. 

‘All I think about is wanting to live life to the fullest’ 
How prayer has kept a young girl and her family strong despite cancer, other hardships
By ANDREW HANSEN 
Editor 

DECATUR — Eleven-year-old Olivia Dunker of Decatur is a fighter. That courage was evident from the womb as her mom, Andrea, says.

“Olivia arrived in this world on her own time, seven weeks early, and only weighed three pounds, two ounces,” Andrea recalls. “She fought so hard the first couple weeks to be a strong baby, but she did it. They said she would do everything delayed, but she hit all her milestones. At six months, she started having seizures. She got a sleep study showing that she stopped breathing every hour of her sleep. They took her tonsils out and the next month, she had cancer.”

In 2014, the cancer was Rhabdomyosarcoma which impacts the soft tissue, connective tissue, and/or bones. In 2021, it was Osteosarcoma of the Right Mandible which also impacts bones. 

Olivia’s hardships are plenty. She has had nearly all her teeth pulled from surgery and/or post radiation treatment; she has no permanent teeth underneath to grow; she has a limited range of motion due to scar tissues and bones fusing together wrongly after surgery; she will have a lifetime of surgeries on her jawbone to keep it stretched and continue her ability to eat and chew like normal; doctors used her right fibula bone to reconstruct her jawbone so that means her right ankle does not move in the same way, which could limit her ability to play certain sports or things that she might want to do; one of her chemotherapies made her hearing on her right side slightly deaf; and the family learned that Olivia has a genetic disorder that her body is prone to making cancer.

“She has plenty of scars emotionally and physically,” Andrea says about her daughter. 

Despite those scars, there is hope and plenty of love that is getting the Dunker family through it all. First, the hope: As of right now, Olivia is cancer free. The love they’ve received has been profound. St. Patrick Grade School in Decatur where Olivia attends got T-shirts that were sold by the Dunker family to represent Olivia. The school had Friday dress down days to honor her and childhood cancer patients. The school and parish families had Olivia on their prayer list, and all her classmates prayed daily for her.

“We have so many people praying for her,” Andrea said. “I still run into people that say, ‘I prayed for you and Olivia and your family during the last year.’ Most of the time, I have no idea who they are, but I thank them because prayer is what got us through this last year. I pray daily that God lets me keep my child longer. 

“It is so emotional, every time I think about strangers thinking of my child and my family,” she said.  “I’m overwhelmed. It's truly amazing how kind people are.”

Today, Olivia has to be watched closely for any markers indicating that cancer is trying to grow. She has bloodwork and scans every three months at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis. St. Jude’s has since become their home away from home. The family has also turned to St. Jude to intercede for them. St. Jude is the patron saint of hopeless causes. 

“Olivia has always been a fighter — a true miracle, as she makes it all look so easy,” Andrea said. “Every day, every month is a blessing that we get to keep her down on earth.” 

Olivia says to keep the prayers coming because they are working and getting her through each day. 

“All I think about is being a kid and wanting to live life to the fullest while I am here,” she said. “I am thankful for all my friends and family and St. Patrick’s.”

Going to confession? The priest will say something a little differently now
By FATHER DAREN ZEHNLE 
Special to Catholic Times 

You may have noticed that your confessor spoke a slightly different formula for sacramental absolution over the last several weeks. Perhaps you wondered about the different wording he used.

Why is there a change to the formula of absolution?

In 1973, the then-Congregation for Divine Worship published the Rite of Penance under the authority of a special mandate from the Roman Pontiff. Originally published in Latin, this liturgical book was translated into English in 1974. The translators of the English text used a translation method known as dynamic equivalence. Rather than producing a literal translation of the Latin text, they preferred to translate ideas which did not always produce an accurate translation. This translation was approved by the Holy See.

In 2001, the then-Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments published the Instruction Liturgiam authenticam on the Use of Vernacular Languages in the Publication of the Books of the Roman Liturgy. This Instruction ordered the retranslation of the liturgical books according to a literal translation instead of the method of dynamic equivalence.

The retranslation of the Rite of Penance was completed 2022 and published this year as the Order of Penance.

What has changed in the formula of absolution?

There are two subtle changes in the formula of absolution, in addition to changes in formatting. You will find the former translation on the left and the new translation on the right, with the changes to the wording in bold:

God, the Father of mercies,
through the death and resurrection of his Son
has reconciled the world to himself
and sent the Holy Spirit among us
for the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church
may God give you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins
in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.

God, the Father of mercies,
through the Death and Resurrection of his Son
has reconciled the world to himself
and poured out the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church
may God grant you pardon and peace. And I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  

When does the change take place?

Confessors were allowed to begin using the revised translation this past Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22. The Order of Penance must be used beginning Divine Mercy Sunday, April 16.

What if my confessor continues to use the previous translation?

The essential words of absolution have not changed so if your confessor continues to use the old translation, the absolution will be valid. For a valid absolution, it is necessary for the priest to say, “I absolve you.” While it is recommended for a priest to say the entirety of the formula of absolution, it is not necessary for him to say the part that includes, “God, the Father of mercies … pardon and peace.

Father Daren Zehnle, J.C.L., K.C.H.S., is pastor at St. Augustine in Ashland; parochial administrator of St. Alexius in Beardstown, St. Fidelis in Arenzville, and St. Luke in Virginia; and is the director for the Office of Divine Worship and the Catechumenate for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. 

Easter Sunday Mass times throughout the diocese
What is the Triduum?

During Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday (April 2) and includes the Chrism Mass (April 4 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield), Lent comes to an end before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, which is the beginning of the Easter Triduum. The three chronological days are liturgically one day and from what the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops calls “the summit of the Liturgical Year.”

These three days witness the most exalted liturgical celebrations of the year and help us to remember Christ’s Paschal Mystery: His passion, death, and Resurrection. 

The liturgical services that take place during the Triduum are: the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday (April 6), the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday (April 7), and the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Vigil) on Holy Saturday (April 8). On Easter Sunday (April 9), the Church continues to celebrate the Resurrection and triumph of the Lord. 

The Triduum is concluded liturgically with Evening Prayer in the late afternoon or early evening on Easter Sunday. This is the beginning of the Easter season, which are the 50 days from Easter Sunday until Pentecost. 

Triduum schedule around the diocese
The following parishes returned a request from Catholic Times for a listing of their Triduum schedule:

SPRINGFIELD

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 7 a.m., 10 a.m.  

Blessed Sacrament
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 5:30 p.m.  (Living Stations at 3 p.m.)    
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. 

Christ the King
Holy Thursday: 5:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 5:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10 a.m.

Little Flower
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 6:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 7:45 a.m., 10 a.m.

St. Agnes
Holy Thursday: 5:30 p.m. (Adoration from 6:30-8:30 p.m.)
Good Friday: 5:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 9 a.m., 11 a.m.

St. Aloysius
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7 p.m. 

St. Frances Cabrini
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 9:30 a.m. 

St. Joseph
Holy Thursday: 5:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 5:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 9:30 a.m.

St. Katharine Drexel 
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church (Adoration until midnight)
Good Friday: 3 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church (Divine Mercy Chaplet/confession to follow)                         
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church (Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.)
Easter Sunday: 7 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church, 9 a.m. at St. Patrick Church, 10:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church (Latin), 12:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church (Spanish) 

ALEXANDER

Visitation of the B.V.M.
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 9:30 a.m.

ALTAMONT

St. Clare
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10 a.m. 

ALTON

St. Mary
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m. (Adoration until midnight)
Good Friday: 3 p.m. (Divine Mercy Chaplet after, Living Stations of the Cross at 7 p.m.)
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m. (Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.)
Easter Sunday: 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 5:15 p.m. (Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.)

Ss. Peter and Paul
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m. (Adoration until 11 p.m., closing with Night Prayer)
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10 a.m.

ARCOLA

St. John the Baptist
Holy Thursday: 7:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 7:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10 a.m.

ARENZVILLE 

St. Fidelis
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m.

ASHLAND

St. Augustine
Good Friday: 6:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10 a.m.

ASSUMPTION

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Holy Thursday: 6 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 7:45 a.m. 

ATHENS

Holy Family
Holy Thursday: 6 p.m.
Good Friday: 6 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10 a.m.

AUBURN 

Holy Cross
Easter Vigil: 8:15 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m.

BETHALTO

Our Lady Queen of Peace
Holy Thursday: 7:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 7:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

BEARDSTOWN 

St. Alexius
Holy Thursday: 7:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 6:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10 a.m. (English), 11:30 a.m. (Spanish) 

BELTREES

St. Michael
Easter Sunday: 9:15 a.m. 

BENLD

St. Joseph
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 7:45 a.m.

BETHANY

St. Isidore
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m. 

BRIGHTON

St. Alphonsus
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m. 
Easter Sunday: 8:30 a.m. 

BRUSSELS

St. Mary
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 6:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m. 

CAMP POINT 

St. Thomas the Apostle
Holy Thursday: 5:15 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10 a.m. 

CARLINVILLE

Ss. Mary and Joseph
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 6:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 9:30 a.m. 

CARROLTON

St. John the Evangelist
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m. 

CHARLESTON 

EIU Newman
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: Noon 
Easter Sunday: 11 a.m. 

St. Charles Borromeo
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8:30 a.m.  

CHATHAM

St. Joseph the Worker|
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m. (Night Prayer at 9:50 p.m.)
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m. 

COLLINSVILLE 

Ss. Peter and Paul
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m., 6:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m. 

DECATUR

Holy Family
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10 a.m.

Our Lady of Lourdes
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m.; 11:30 a.m. (Spanish)

St. Patrick
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10:15 a.m.

St. James
Holy Thursday: 6 p.m.
Easter Sunday, 8:30 a.m. 

St. Thomas the Apostle
Holy Thursday: 5:15 p.m.
Good Friday: 5:15 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10 a.m. 

DIETERICH

St. Aloysius (St. Isidore the Farmer Parish)
Holy Thursday: 7:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m.

EDGEWOOD

St. Anne
Good Friday: 6:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m. 

EDWARDSVILLE 

St. Boniface
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m. (bilingual)
Good Friday: 3 p.m. (bilingual)
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8:15 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m. (Spanish)

St. Mary
Holy Thursday: 5:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 5:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

EFFINGHAM

Sacred Heart
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 6:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

St. Anthony of Padua
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 7:30 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 11 a.m.

FARMERSVILLE

St. Mary
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m.

FIELDON

St. Mary
Easter Sunday: 9:30 a.m.

FRANKLIN

Sacred Heart of Jesus
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m.

GILLESPIE

Ss. Simon and Jude
Holy Thursday: 5:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 11 a.m.

GIRARD 

St. Patrick
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 9:30 a.m.

GLEN CARBON

St. Cecilia 
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m. (confession and Adoration from 8-10 p.m.)
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8:30 a.m., 11 a.m.

GODFREY 

St. Ambrose
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

GRAFTON

St. Patrick
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m. 

GRANITE CITY

Holy Family
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.

Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8:30 a.m.

St. Elizabeth
Holy Thursday: 6 p.m. (Adoration until midnight, Night Prayer at 11:45 p.m.)
Good Friday: 3 p.m. (Divine Mercy Chaplet following)
Easter Vigil: 8:30 p.m. (Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.) 
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m. (Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m., Holy Hour with Vespers at 7:30 p.m.) 

GRANTFORK 

St. Gertrude
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m. 

GREENFIELD

St. Michael the Archangel
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10 a.m. 

GREENVILLE 

St. Lawrence
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10 a.m.

HARDIN

St. Norbert
Easter Sunday: 9:30 a.m.

HIGHLAND

St. Paul
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m. (Adoration until midnight)
Good Friday: 3 p.m. (The Passion Play at 7 p.m.)
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

HILLSBORO 

St. Agnes
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10:30 a.m.

HUME

St. Michael
Good Friday: Stations of the Cross at 3 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m.

ILLIOPOLIS 

Resurrection
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 6:30 p.m. 
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10:15 a.m.

ISLAND GROVE

St. Joseph (St. Isidore the Farmer Parish)
Holy Thursday: 7:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 7:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10 a.m.

JACKSONVILLE

Our Saviour
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8:30 a.m., and 10:30 a.m.

JERSEYVILLE

Holy Ghost
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 11:15 a.m. 

St. Francis Xavier
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10:15 a.m., 5 p.m.

KAMPSVILLE

St. Anselm
Easter Sunday: 6 a.m. 

KINCAID

St. Rita
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m. 

LIBERTY

St. Brigid
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m. 

LILLYVILLE 

Sacred Heart 
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8:30 a.m.

LITCHFIELD

Holy Family
Good Friday: 6:30 p.m. 
Easter Sunday: 8:30 a.m.

MADISON 

St. Mary and St. Mark
Easter Sunday: 10 a.m. 

MARINE

St. Elizabeth
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday:  9:30 a.m.  

MARYVILLE 

Mother of Perpetual Help
Holy Thursday: 6 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

MATTOON

Immaculate Conception

Holy Thursday: 7:30 p.m. 
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday:  8 a.m., 10:30 a.m. 

MEDORA

St. John the Evangelist
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m. 
Easter Sunday: 10:30 a.m.  

MENDEN

St. Edward
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday, 10:30 a.m.

MEPPEN

St. Joseph
Good Friday: Stations of the Cross at 1 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m.

MICHAEL 

St. Michael
Easter Sunday: 11 a.m.

MONTROSE

St. Rose of Lima
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 9 a.m.

MORRISONVILLE

St. Maurice 
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: No service (Stations of the Cross at 3 p.m.)
Easter Sunday: 10 a.m. 

MOWEAQUA 

St. Francis de Sales
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 9 a.m.

MT. STERLING

Holy Family
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 5:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m. 

MT. ZION

Our Lady of the Holy Spirit
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m. (Adoration until midnight)
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10:30 a.m.

NEOGA

St. Mary of the Assumption
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m.

NEW BERLIN 

St. Mary
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m. 

NEWTON

St. Thomas the Apostle
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 7 a.m., 10 a.m.

NOKOMIS

St. Louis
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 6:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 9 a.m.

OBLONG

Our Lady of Lourdes
Easter Sunday: 9 a.m.

PANA

St. Patrick
Holy Thursday: 6 p.m.
Good Friday: 6 p.m. 
Easter Vigil: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. 

PARIS 

St. Mary
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 5:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m. 

PETERSBURG

St. Peter
Good Friday: 3 p.m. 
Easter Vigil: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m. 

PITTSFIELD

St. Mary
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8:30 a.m.

PIERRON

Immaculate Conception
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10 a.m.

POCAHONTAS

St. Nicholas
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m.

QUINCY

Blessed Sacrament
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m. (Spanish)

St. Anthony of Padua
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 6:30 p.m. (Stations of the Cross at 1 p.m.)
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m. 

St. Francis Solanus
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. 

St. Joseph
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 9 a.m.

St. Peter
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m.

St. Rose of Lima
Holy Thursday: 6 p.m.
Good Friday: 12:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 10:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 11 a.m. 

RAMSEY 

St. Joseph
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m.

RAYMOND

St. Raymond
Good Friday: Stations of the Cross at noon
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m.

RIVERTON 

St. James
Holy Thursday: 6 p.m.
Good Friday: 6 p.m. 
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8:30 a.m. 

ROCHESTER 

St. Jude
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 6:30 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

ROBINSON

St. Elizabeth
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 6 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m. 
Easter Sunday:  7 a.m., 10:45 a.m.

SAINTE MARIE 

St. Mary of the Assumption
Holy Thursday: 5:30 p.m.
Good Friday:  3 p.m.
Easter Sunday:  8:30 am

SHELBYVILLE

Immaculate Conception
Good Friday: 5 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10:30 a.m.

SHERMAN

St. John Vianney
Holy Thursday: 6 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8:30 a.m.

SIGEL

St. Michael the Archangel
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 6:30 a.m., 10 a.m.

STAUNTON

St. Michael The Archangel
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 7:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m.

ST. ELMO 

St. Mary
Easter Vigil: 6:30 p.m.  

ST. JACOB 

St. James
Easter Sunday: 9:30 a.m.

STONINGTON

Holy Trinity
Easter Sunday: 9:30 a.m.

SULLIVAN

St. Columcille
Holy Thursday: 5:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m. 

TAYLORVILLE

St. Mary
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 11 a.m.

TEUTOPOLIS 

St. Francis of Assisi
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 1 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 6:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

TROY

St. Jerome
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

TUSCOLA

Forty Martyrs
Holy Thursday: 5:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 5:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m.

VANDALIA 

Mother of Dolors
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10 a.m.

VILLA GROVE

Sacred Heart
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 7 p.m. (Stations of the Cross at 3 p.m.)
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10 a.m.

VIRDEN

Sacred Heart
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m. (Adoration until 11 p.m.)
Easter Sunday: 11 a.m.

VIRGINIA

St. Luke
Holy Thursday: 5:30 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m.

WAVERLY

St. Sebastian
Good Friday: 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 11 a.m.

WHITE HALL

All Saints
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.  

WINCHESTER 

St. Mark
Good Friday: 5 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 10:30 a.m.

WOOD RIVER 

Holy Angels
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.
Good Friday: 3 p.m.
Easter Vigil: 8 p.m.
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

Her exposure to faith was ‘nonexistent,’ then great-grandparents changed everything
The conversion story of Lianna Garrison of Troy
By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor 

Thirteen-year-old Lianna Garrison of Troy didn’t have a typical childhood. She experienced much heartache from her parents. God or any faith for that matter was nonexistent. 

“I was being raised by people that weren’t ready to take on the responsibility of raising children,” Lianna said.

Fortunately, she and her younger sister, Laraina, were able to get out of what was a tough situation and moved in with their great-grandparents, Lisa and Ron Frey. Since that move a few years ago, the two girls have experienced many new things.

“Now that I am here, I am experiencing faith, family, and what a normal childhood is supposed to be like,” Lianna said. “I liked, and still do like, experiencing new things that I have never done before. For example, I recently had my first real vacation to Florida, am in Girl Scouts, and participate in school activities.” 

Since Lianna moved in with her great-grandparents, which started during the pandemic, she started watching church online. Her great-grandparents started talking to her about God, they taught Lianna and her sister how to pray before every meal and to pray before bedtime, adding prayers one at a time. When COVID restrictions were lifted, they started attending Mass together in person. Her great-grandparents also answered any questions she and her sister had about the Catholic faith. 

“When I started going to Mass, I found that I was very curious about everything,” Lianna said. “I wanted to know what being Catholic meant and what it would feel like to be part of the parish community. I like the music and the readings because they are very calming and fascinating.”

That curiosity continued to grow until she decided to join the Catholic Church. Last year, the Triad Middle School student was initiated into the faith at St. Jerome Parish in Troy, receiving the sacrament of baptism, confirmation, and first holy Communion.

“If I had to describe this day, I would say ‘special,’” Lianna said. “I lit the fire outside the narthex. The vigil service was so moving, and then there was a reception afterward. It was just so special beyond words.” 

Lianna says receiving Jesus present in the holy Eucharist for the first time was “fulfilling.” Now on fire for our faith, Lianna has gotten actively involved and says that she loves Youth Group and spending time helping out in the community, the church, and at Vacation Bible School.

“God, the saints, and the Church give me comfort by giving me piece of mind,” Lianna said. “It feels like you don’t need all the answers, just faith. My favorite thing about my faith is having Someone (God) that will always be on my side.”

Thousands descend upon Springfield to give voice to the voiceless
Illinois March for Life included hundreds from our diocese and full Sangamon Auditorium for Mass
By ANDREW HANSEN 
Editor  

If the size of the crowd didn’t catch people’s attention, the joy from the crowd did. For the first time the Illinois March for Life took center stage in downtown Springfield, bringing with it thousands of pro-life advocates from every corner of Illinois, including hundreds from the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. The list included bishops, Catholic schools, Newman Centers, priests, religious, and lay Catholics.

“It’s really motivational and inspirational to see everyone standing up for the unborn,” said Maria Slagle, a home-school student in Springfield.

“I want every baby to have a chance at life,” said Joe Brangenberg, a student at Marquette Catholic High School in Alton. “There are a lot of people behind the movement. It makes you feel like you are part of something bigger. We’re doing something to help prevent abortion one day.”

While the sight of thousands of joy-filled, life-loving people was inspiring to see in downtown Springfield March 21, another sight was just as powerful — a full Sangamon Auditorium on the campus of the University of Illinois Springfield for Mass before the festivities downtown. There, nearly 2,000 Catholics from across the state heard the Gospel message, listened to Bishop Thomas John Paprocki’s homily, and received Jesus in the holy Eucharist. Other bishops from the state and dozens of priests from our diocese and beyond concelebrated. One funny moment also happened during Bishop Paprocki’s homily. A bird descended from the ceiling and landed by the altar, only to take off again for the ceiling. Without missing a beat, Bishop Paprocki said, “I guess the Holy Spirit is with us too!”

After Mass, busloads of students were dropped off downtown in front of the statehouse for the Illinois March for Life, hosted by weDignify. There, the students heard powerful speeches from Bishop Paprocki, other faith leaders, pro-life leaders, among others during a rally. 

“As people of faith, we come here in peace, prayerfully asking the members of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our Illinois state government to harden not your hearts,” Bishop Paprocki said during the rally. “May you find compassion for the lives of the most vulnerable among us, the sacred human lives of unborn babies.”

After the rally, the thousands of people marched peacefully and prayerfully around the statehouse, a powerful witness to lawmakers who were in session that day. Following the march, people went inside the statehouse to lobby lawmakers asking them to protect the unborn, uphold the dignity of human life in all stages, and not pass legislation that attacks crisis pregnancy centers.

“At the age of 1, I was adopted from China and my mom who adopted me brought me back to Texas, so as we go through this pro-life movement, it is such a gift to be adopted and each life is a gift, and even if someone isn’t able to care for them at the time, there are people out there who want to support life in whatever way that is,” said Sister Stana Maria Burnham, FSGM, of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George in Alton.

“I actually used to live overseas, and my mom was really involved in foster care there for disabled children, so being exposed to that, I really feel like the unborn need to be spoken for, their lives are valued, and there are people who want them,” said Ellie Stahr, a student at St. Teresa High School in Decatur said.

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, states around the country have been going in two different directions — either passing laws protecting the most innocent, the unborn, or passing laws that promote, advance, and/or protect the ability to destroy that precious life in womb. This is why those who believe in the right to life are taking their voices to state capitals, Springfield being one of the most important in the country, as the actions from most state lawmakers and Governor J.B. Pritzker have made Illinois the abortion capital of the Midwest. This year, there are several legislative proposals at the statehouse that would continue and even expand that unfortunate trend. 

“We talk a lot about being pro-life, and I think events like this, that’s what you see is that we are not here to talk about what we are against, but to actually show the joy that life is, and it is worth fighting for,” said Father Rob Johnson, pastor of Mother of Perpetual Help Parish in Maryville.

In addition to the Mass, rally, march, and lobbying, the entire afternoon, many people spent time in adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, turning to prayer in this fight for life.

This summer, the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is excited to have Totus Tuus, a fun and faith-filled experience for children coming once again to several parishes across the diocese in June and July.

Totus Tuus is a weeklong Catholic youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic faith through evangelization, catechesis, Christian witness, and eucharistic worship. The program inspires in young people a true longing for holiness, a deep desire for daily conversion, and an openness to their vocation. 

Two teams of college-aged teachers are traveling to a different parish each week, hosting the five-day catechetical program for grades 1-12. The week is filled with faith, fun, and friendship. There are messy games and crazy skits, in addition to prayer, learning the sacraments, and going to Mass. The teachers also provide a witness to being an authentic disciple of Christ. The popular program sees hundreds of children participate every year in the diocese. 

“My favorite parts of Totus Tuus were learning the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes and fun ways to memorize them,” said Sophia Llosa, a previous Totus Tuus participant. “I liked that we had plenty of time to have our teachers explain them and talk about them. I also liked learning more about Mass and finally learning the songs for Mass, and I liked the snacks.” 

“I really liked the teachers, and their skits were so funny,” said Delaney Raskie, a previous Totus Tuus participant. “I also met new friends.”

For the schedule below, grades 7-12 are from Sunday-Thursday each week and the program is in the evenings. For grades 1-6, the program is Monday-Friday and starts in the morning and finishes in the afternoon.

June schedule:

• June 11-15 (grades 7-12), June 12-16 (grades 1-6): St. Francis Solanus (Quincy), Sacred Heart (Effingham)
• June 18-22 (grades 7-12), June 19-23 (grades 1-6): St. Boniface (Edwardsville), Our Lady of Lourdes (Decatur)
• June 25-29 (grades 7-12), June 26-30 (grades 1-6): Holy Family (Granite City), St. Isidore (Dieterich)

July schedule:

• July 9-13 (grades 7-12), July 10-14 (grades 1-6): St. Katharine Drexel (Springfield), St. Mary (Paris)
• July 16-20 (grades 7-12), July 17-21 (grades 1-6): St. John the Evangelist (Carrollton)

Costs vary by parish. For more information and to sign up your child, call the parish office that is hosting Totus Tuus near you. You can also contact Daniel Heffernan, programming coordinator, Office for Vocations, with questions at .

“Hey Father!” Explain all these vestment colors?
Vincent in Springfield 

The use of color in the Sacred Liturgy is as old as Catholic worship itself. The Church’s choice of colors is not random, though. Moving through the mysteries in our liturgical year allows these colors to help us focus our prayer and worship. Until the time of Pope Innocent III (1198-1216), there was no standardized scheme or codification for the use of liturgical colors. Pope Innocent III promulgated the use of four colors: white, red, black, and green. The exact shades of these colors depended on the dyes that were available in particular places and times.

Our current use of liturgical colors was promulgated in 1570 during the pontificate of Pope St. Pius V (1566-1572). His main objective was the continuation of the massive program of reform for the Church, in particular the full implementation of the decrees of the Council of Trent. And so, the liturgical colors we use today were born out of this part of the Church’s history.

So, what is the significance and particular use of specific colors during the liturgical year?

White is the color of the Easter season, Christmas season, feasts of our Lord, and Blessed Mother, non-martyred saints, and other special feasts outside these times. White is also used for weddings, baptisms, and may be used for the Mass of Christian Burial. White signifies joy, glory, light, and purity. Gold vestments may also be worn whenever white is permitted. 

Violet/purple is the color of the Advent and Lenten seasons. It may be used for special penitential celebrations and the Mass of Christian Burial. Violet/purple signifies penance, contrition, and humility. 

Red is used for Pentecost, Good Friday, the feasts of martyrs, and the sacrament of confirmation. Red signifies the “fire” of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ obedience to death on the Cross, and the blood shed by martyrs. 

Green is the color of Ordinary Time. Green signifies hope, life, and anticipation. It is a reminder that the mission of the Church is to share the hope and life of Christ with the world. If one pays close attention, there seems to be an endless variety of shades of green! 

Rose, yes rose and not pink, may be used twice during the liturgical year on Gaudete Sunday during Advent and Laetare Sunday during Lent. Rose signifies subdued rejoicing and anticipation. 

Black may be used for the Mass of Christian Burial and on All Souls Day (and was formerly used on Good Friday). Black is a symbol of death and mourning. 

What about blue? The privilege of using blue vestments in the Latin rite is of two kinds. One kind is granted to some Marian shrines. This was the case of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s Mass in 2007 which was held at Austria's foremost center of devotion to Mary. The other privilege is granted to whole countries. For example, all Spanish churches may adopt blue vestments on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and this favor is sometimes also extended to countries once ruled by the Spanish crown. White vestments with blue trimming or motifs are permitted at any time/place it is appropriate.

Just as we decorate our homes for the seasons and holidays of the year, so too, does the Church use color to emphasize the timelessness of our liturgical worship. It is a potent reminder that all of the symbols and traditions of our faith are, as St. Augustine says, “Beauty ever ancient, ever new!” 

Father Joseph Havrilka is pastor of St. Clare in Altamont, St. Anne in Edgewood, and St. Mary in St. Elmo.

The sonogram for baby Noelle Williams, who was miscarried in February 2022.By  DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor 

“A mother is never defined by the number of children you can see, but by the love she holds in her heart,” says grief author Franchesca Cox. No doubt, that’s how countless women feel after having suffered a miscarriage. 

Marie Fleck and her daughter Sarah Williams are two of those women. It has been about 25 years since  Marie and Greg Fleck, who are members of Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Springfield, lost two babies in subsequent miscarriages. Fleck, who says she is the mother of seven — two in Heaven, was naturally devastated by those losses. After decades, she grieves those children, still. 

“I never told anyone at the time, other than my husband and my three older daughters. I didn’t quite know how to deal with those feelings, so instead of confronting them and allowing myself to grieve, I buried them. I just pushed the hurt down deep, thinking time will heal those memories.”

Marie and Greg later went on to have another daughter and a son. Fleck says that last born daughter had an important lesson to teach her. When she was about 12 years old, Emily Fleck overheard her parents talking about their miscarriages. “She came back later and said to me, ‘Mom even though you didn’t give birth to those babies, they are still your children and should have names. She decided to name them Matthew and Katharine and I gave them the names James and Therese, after the saints. What Emily did for me that day was the one thing I really needed to bring some sense of healing from my losses. I vowed that I would never forget my children again.” 

Because of her own experiences with loss, Fleck fully understood her second-oldest daughter’s pain, when Williams began having miscarriages. Williams and her husband, Joseph, have lost six children to miscarriages, including a set of identical twins. They have four living children, Clara (9), Grace (8), Nathanael (4), and Timothy (2). The also named their lost children: James, Philip, Francis, Gideon, Sophia, and Noelle. 

“It helped that she had walked the road I was traveling, that she had experienced the same kind of pain,” Williams said. “I didn’t try to make her understand what I was going through — she already knew. She has been a wonderful emotional support to me through the loss of my six children, and my parents have both acknowledged and validated the lives of all of my unborn children.”

On her wedding day, Sarah (Fleck) Williams is shown with her mother, Marie Fleck. Williams says her mother has been one of her main supporters when she has suffered miscarriages, and has rejoiced with her when she has given birth to healthy babies. Williams remembers what it was like having her first miscarriage. “When I miscarried our first baby, James, in the fall of 2016, I was completely devastated. It was rather traumatic, and I ended up with a hospitalization and a blood transfusion,” she said. 

Fleck says she continued her own grieving process when her daughter lost baby James. “I found myself with Sarah, who was expecting her third child. She was having her 12-week pre-natal checkup and I was coming down to be with her. I remember being so excited to see this little one on the ultrasound and to hear the heartbeat,” Fleck says. “But when I got to the doctor’s office the nurse pulled me aside before I went into the room and said, ‘Don’t go in there.’ When I asked why she said, ‘We can’t find a heartbeat.’ What started out as a joyous event, soon turned out to be one of sadness and confusion.” 

When Williams decided to go home and wait out the birth of her lost baby, Fleck went with her. “She waited two days and then it happened. On Nov. 16, 2016, my little grandson entered the world, but not as we had hoped,” Fleck said. “As a mother, I felt totally helpless. To have your child ask you why God took her baby was a question I had to wrestle with. I silently prayed to God to give me the words  that would, hopefully, bring some comfort to my daughter.” 

Fleck was torn apart emotionally as she held her weeping daughter, who in turn held her own lifeless baby in the palm of her hand. “I began to tell her I really didn’t know why God took her baby home. I simply said to her that God’s ways are not our ways. Those babies are His children before they are ours.” 

Fleck told her daughter that she did know it was OK to cry out to God and ask why. “Even Jesus cried out, while hanging on the cross, to His Father, saying, ‘My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me?’ When Sarah placed my little grandson in my hand, he fit perfectly into my palm. I sat there in awe of this beautiful little infant and remember counting 10 fingers and 10 toes,” she said. “He was perfect and even had his eyes open, facing toward his mother.”

When Williams asked her mother to baptize the tiny baby boy — because of the emergency situation —Fleck baptized him with the name James Raphael, the name his mother had chosen . “Little did I know until later, that the name Raphael means ‘God’s healer.’ My  little grandson was the healing balm that I desperately needed. After doing this, I told my daughter that it was not a coincidence that I was here, but that I was supposed to be here. 

“That was part of my healing process. God allowed me to see my pre-born grandson at 12 weeks in order for me to come face to face with my losses. He wanted to remind me that my children, whom I had lost so long ago, were not forgotten. … I may not have been able to see them and hold them, or to hear their first cries, but God gave me the privilege to hold my grandson and wanted me to never forget the children I held in my womb so long ago.” 

After losing baby James, Williams said she experienced extreme anxiety and “couldn’t fathom being pregnant again.” “However, my husband and I both knew we desired to have more than two children, and I eventually got up the courage to try again and to let the Lord work. We were able to have our two boys (Nathaniel and Timothy) interspersed between our losses, which was a wonderful blessing, but after losing six babies in a span of six years (2016-2022), I was so broken.” 

In a picture taken when the children were a little smaller, the Williams family poses for a photo. Shown from left to right are Joseph holding Nathanael, Sarah holding Timothy, and their daughters Grace and Clara. Williams says she spent 2022 (after the loss of her last child, Noelle, in February 2022) trying to process her grief. She attended two healing retreats — one at Our Sorrowful Mother’s Ministry in Vandalia and one at Catholic grief ministry for parents of child loss, Red Bird Ministries in Louisiana. “The Lord and His Blessed Mother have been so good to accompany me through this vale of tears. It has definitely tested and tried my faith, but I am a better mother and a better person for having birthed all my children and my faith would not be what it is today if I had not experienced such acute suffering.” 

Williams thinks it is important that siblings know about lost babies, even if they are very young.  “Our children know about their heavenly brothers and sisters, and we say their names at the end of every family rosary and ask for their intercession,” she says. “It has given my children a much deeper awareness of the communion of saints and where our true home lies. At times my eldest daughter has happily exclaimed, ‘I am the oldest of 10 children!’” 

Williams, who along with her family belongs to St. Agnes Parish in Hillsboro, has advice for people who have a family member or friend who has had a miscarriage. She says that how people react to a pregnancy loss can make a world of difference to grieving parents. “Be gentle, and do not assume that if the parent has other children, this lessens the degree of their loss. A child is a unique and unrepeatable person who can never be replicated,” she said. “Miscarriage is child loss — no matter if the mother was 5 weeks along, or 25 weeks along, she feels the same pain. Be supportive and loving, ask if there is anything you can do to help, and offer a listening ear if they want to talk about it.

“Allow them space and time to grieve, and recognize the life of their child by sending a sympathy card or a small remembrance gift,” she said. “There is nothing more special to parents of loss than someone who validates the life of their child and acknowledges that child by name.” 

 OB/GYN answers questions about miscarriage/advice for women

Dr. Ann Church, a long-time NFP (Natural Family Planning) only obstetrician/gynecologist who is also trained in NaProTECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology) and who is based in Galesburg, feels it is important for all people to understand the frequency of miscarriage, but also the devastation when a woman miscarries a child.   Managing Editor Diane Schlindwein interviewed Dr. Church to get answers about miscarriage and advice for women.

What can you tell us about miscarriage?

Miscarriage, or the loss of pregnancy before 20 weeks gestation, is fairly common, occurring in one of every five to six pregnancies. Most miscarriages occur in the first trimester. Knowing that they are common does not make the loss any easier. Emotional and spiritual support, in addition to medical care, are essential to help women and their families heal after a miscarriage. Sharing the grief of the miscarriage with supportive family members and friends is very important. Many clergy will offer prayers and memorial services for the child. Some organizations will provide burial locations, but this varies widely from place to place. 

What are the main causes of miscarriage?

In the majority of cases, the cause of the miscarriage is not known. We believe that many are due to genetic or chromosomal abnormalities that occur randomly as the new embryo develops, but not specifically inherited from its parents. 

There are a few conditions that may increase the risks of having a miscarriage. These include, but are not limited to: increased maternal age (more than 35 years); underlying health conditions such as poorly controlled diabetes or lupus; hormone related conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome or abnormal thyroid disorders; some autoimmune or antibody producing conditions; certain infections, especially those that lead to a high fever early in the pregnancy; structural problems with the uterus or cervix such as fibroids that distort the uterine cavity or a weak (incompetent) cervix; and abnormal weight (very underweight or very overweight). 

If a woman miscarries, what is the chance that she will have another miscarriage?

Fortunately, the chances of having a successful pregnancy after a miscarriage is 85 to 90 percent. If you have two miscarriages, the chances are still 75 percent the next pregnancy will come to fruition. If a woman has three or more miscarriages, there is recommended testing that can be offered. 

What is your advice to a woman who had a miscarriage if she wants to have another child?

It is common for women who have had miscarriages in the past to be anxious about future pregnancies. Again, most women will do well in future pregnancies. We recommend a healthy diet and exercise and getting plenty of rest. Avoid smoking and recreational drug use. If the patient has any underlying health concerns, these should be managed prior to conception. Doctors who have an interest in fertility care-based medicine will offer progesterone monitoring and support to help keep the pregnancy going. 

Dr. Ann Church practices with OSF Healthcare in Galesburg.  She has also practiced in South Dakota, New Mexico, and spent a year in New Zealand. In addition to being a NFP only obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Church is also trained in NaProTECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology) which aims to discover and treat the root causes of infertility and other reproductive system issues. She and her husband, Todd, who is a Catholic deacon, have two grown sons, a daughter-in-law, and a 2-year-old granddaughter. 

‘I felt like I wanted to be part of the Church’
The conversion story of Jordan White of Coffeen

By ANDREW HANSEN 
Editor

Growing up, Jordan White was exposed to Catholicism, attending Mass occasionally with his grandparents. He remembers, even as a child, that he was intrigued and thought the Mass was “very interesting.”

Despite that interest, years went by, but it wasn’t until Jordan met his girlfriend and her mom, attending Mass with them, that he was finally nudged toward the faith.

“I felt like I wanted to be part of the Church,” White said. “I had prayed for things, and I really enjoyed going. Also, Father Seth Brown coming to our parish in Vandalia (Mother of Dolors) really inspired me as well.”

White says that he learned the teachings very fast, and especially how the Gospels fulfill the prophecies from the Old Testament. He also felt a connection to St. Jude, even picking the saint for his confirmation saint name. 

“My mom got me into St. Jude, and I had done some research on him, the patron for hopeless causes,” White said. “In my prayer book, there's a prayer I say whenever I am down or feel hopeless. I feel it helps me seek encouragement and works well. My mom had a prayer candle that also had the prayer on it. His feast day also falls on Oct. 28, the day after my birthday, which I didn't know until after I picked him as my saint.”

Being baptized, receiving confirmation, and his first holy Communion last year was a moment he will treasure forever. 

“I felt the presence of our Lord was there,” White said. “It was a very spiritual moment for me in my life.” 

Looking back at his journey to Catholicism, 27-year-old White says what stands out the most is how the angels, saints, and God are all there, listening to our needs and helping us when we pray. What he loves the most about the faith includes many aspects. 

“I feel there are a lot of life's questions that can get answered through the Lord by going to Mass or just by reading a Scripture,” he said. “What I love most about the faith is that our faith helps achieve blessings and holiness to people in the world — the prayers, the Scriptures, and Mass in general. I feel as if we are all disciples of Christ. The Church will forever have a special purpose in this world.”

Eighteen diocesan schools eligible for $10,000 match for scholarship donations
Your donation also gives you 75 percent tax credit

Empower Illinois is excited to share two generous donors are sponsoring a scholarship donation match for eligible Catholic schools in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Gifts made through Empower Illinois for the Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship Program at eligible schools will be doubled up to $10,000.

“Matching gift opportunities inspire greater giving within local communities and help even more students find their best-fit school,” said Anthony Holter, Empower Illinois president. “With five kids remaining on the waitlist for every one scholarship awarded, we look forward to working with our school partners and generous Illinoisans to meet more of this tremendous demand for tax credit scholarships.”

Illinois’ bipartisan Invest in Kids Act Tax Credit Scholarship Program provides need-based scholarships to kids from low-income and working-class families to attend their best-fit school. Program donors earn a 75 percent state tax credit on their gift. For example, if an individual donor contributes $1,000, they will receive a state tax credit of $750. Donors can also direct their donations to a school of their choice. Since 2018, the Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship Program has awarded more than 38,000 scholarships totaling more than $308 million.

Donations must be made before April 15 or when the cap is met at your select school to be eligible for the match. For more information on how to donate visit empowerillinois.org/donate or call (800) 616-7606. The schools in our diocese eligible for the $10,000 match are: 

• Blessed Sacrament Catholic School - Quincy
• Blessed Sacrament School - Springfield
• Christ the King School - Springfield
• Father McGivney Catholic High School - Glen Carbon
• Holy Family School - Decatur
• Little Flower School - Springfield
• Our Lady of Lourdes School - Decatur
• Our Saviour School - Jacksonville
• Quincy Notre Dame High School - Quincy
• Sacred Heart-Griffin High School - Springfield
• St. Agnes School - Springfield
• St. Aloysius School - Springfield
• St. Dominic School - Quincy
• St. Francis Solanus School - Quincy
• St. Francis/Holy Ghost School - Jerseyville
• St. Louis Catholic School - Nokomis
• St. Mary School - Mount Sterling
• St. Mary School - Taylorville
• St. Patrick Elem - Decatur
• St. Patrick Grade School - Springfield
• St. Peter School - Quincy
• St. Teresa High School - Decatur
• St. Thomas - Newton

Father Mike Schmitz on what many get wrong about God, prayer 

By ANDREW HANSEN 
Editor 

Two of America’s most popular podcasts are about Catholicism and are hosted by a priest. Let that sink in. Father Mike Schmitz, a priest of the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain for the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, is the host of the popular podcasts, The Bible in a Year (released in 2021) and The Catechism in a Year (released in January). His podcasts have reached No. 1 on the charts, racking up hundreds of millions of downloads. He is also a national speaker, offers weekly homilies on iTunes, and has appeared in videos for Ascension Presents on YouTube, garnering tens of millions of views. Catholic Times Editor Andrew Hansen sat down with Father Schmitz on Jan. 5 in St. Louis during the SEEK23 Conference to talk faith, prayer, and how we can get loved ones to return to Church.

You travel the country meeting thousands of people. In your conversations with people, what have you found is the most compelling thing about the Catholic faith that people either don’t know or under appreciate?

The individual is very important. I know people who have said like, “The Eucharist was something I never knew. I never realized the importance of the Eucharist until this moment where everything clicked, everything changed.” Others, who will say, “I was so confused, and it was the Church’s authority, and I realized, wait a second, all Christianity comes from the Catholic Church. Jesus founded this. When I got the piece of authority, it was everything.” Or people who have devotion to Our Lady. All those big pillar type things. 

Ultimately, if there is something that I keep going back to, it is that regardless of what someone knows about the Church or the Lord, the most basic truth most Christians are raised with is this truth that they hear many times that God loves you. Most Catholics don’t actually believe that God loves them. They think God merely tolerates them. I have seen the difference. The difference between a person who is like, “I heard that God loves me, but what I really think is that He is OK with my existence, but if I am lost to Him forever, it doesn’t really matter to Him. Or, if I am close to Him, that doesn’t really matter to Him. I don’t really matter to Him.” As opposed to, the cross means something. There is a reason, and the reason isn’t because God tolerates you, it’s because He actually loves you and loves you in a way that you can never live up to. To let that truth break into a person’s heart, it changes everything. I think every Catholic needs to know that.

We’ve seen the statistics that only about 30 percent of Catholics attend Mass. If you had 30 seconds with someone who has fallen away from the faith and doesn’t attend Mass, or maybe only goes on Christmas and Easter, what would you tell them?

I would first say, ask the question, “Why? If you are not coming to Mass, how come?” The most compelling argument, and it could be, I’m kind of lazy. I’ve talked to people about how come they haven’t been to Mass, and ever since the lockdowns, how come you haven’t come back to Church? “I don’t know, I just kind of got out of the habit.” That’s the only reason! There is no deep thing like, “I hate the Church, or I don’t think it’s true.” It’s just they kind of got out of the habit. So, my first question I would ask is, “Has anyone asked you or invited you back if you are not going to Mass … how come?” Then, we can start talking. Someone can say, “I’ve never seen the point.” OK, let’s talk about that then. Or it could be something along the lines of, “I don’t really think that Catholic Church is right on X, Y, and Z.” OK, we can talk about that.

But, we treat people like a problem, as opposed to people. They are names, not just numbers. I think part of that means asking them, “What is your experience?” Bishop (Robert) Barron has this whole thing on the four main reasons why people, young people, have stopped going to Mass. Some of them are that they don’t like the Church’s teaching on some kind of aspect of morality. Others it was because they stopped going and no one asked them back. That’s a pretty wide gamut, a pretty wide range of reasons people are not there.      

What is your advice for people when they are trying to persevere or need help, so they turn to prayer, but then “God didn’t answer their payer” and they feel like “God left them hanging”?  

The fourth pillar of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is on prayer. One of the subsections is called, “The battle of prayer.” It’s one of my favorite sections in the entire Catechism. It talks about this. It says that the witness of the lives of the figures in the Old Testament, New Testament, the great saints, and even Jesus Christ Himself, all testified to this: Prayer is a battle. It’s a gift of grace, but it’s also a determined response on our part that is difficult, it’s a battle. The recognition of it that it is hard to persevere in prayer, well, yeah, in fact, that term faithfulness means steadfastness. It ultimately means perseverance in so many ways. It means other things as well. It’s that image of Moses, as his hands extended with Aaron and Hur holding up his arms as Joshua is battling the Malachites. That sense of, as long as he stood there, the Israelites would win. But, if he didn’t have that prayer, if his hands drooped down, the Malachites had the better end of the battle. 

There is something in there that points to us that God is here, God is working, God is active, but He is also calling upon our participation and cooperation with Him in that intercession. So, there is this recognition of prayer is going to be a battle and part of that battle is against whom? First, against ourselves because we can find a thousand other things to do rather than pray. Then, a battle against the tempter who does everything he can to keep us from union with the Lord. You and I were made for union with God. The evil one hates that so he does everything he can to keep us from going to prayer. 

So, I have the inclination to go to prayer, even the idea and plan to go to prayer, and that’s when this distraction or that distraction … even when I show up, what happens? Well, there is dryness, there is distraction, there is this question like, “Why am I not heard?” 

The Catechism addresses this. It says, “Why do we complain about not being heard in prayer.” The response is just remarkable because the response was written by a man who while he was writing that fourth pillar of the Catechism, he was in a basement in Beirut as it was being bombed out. So, he wasn’t this person in this really comfortable, five-star hotel or home saying, “Prayer is a battle.” No, he was literally in a battle as he is writing about this. 

Why do we complain about not being heard? He said in the first case, this should strike us as being remarkable that when we are praising God or thanking Him, we are not particularly concerned about whether or not He hears our prayers. I pause there, and I am thinking, “You’re right!” If I need something from God, then I’m on my knees, my hands are folded in the right way, and I am saying all the right words, and I need You to hear me. But when I am thanking God, I am kind of like, “Oh yeah, by the way God, thank you for that.” I’m so casual about it. When it comes to thanking God or praising Him, I am not particularly concerned about whether or not He hears my prayers, but he (the writer of this part of the Catechism) goes on to say, “We demand to see the results of our prayers when we are asking for something. That reveals our image of God.” Is God a Father who cares for us and loves us, and who will only give us good things? Or, is God basically our ATM, he’s our divine slot machine, or vending machine where we go up to Him because we need something. I think that is the key.     

What is one thing you have learned about the Bible or the Catechism as you’ve done your two podcasts?

The biggest surprise in the Bible were the prophets. The prophetic books, I have read them, but in a scattered way. All throughout Advent, we always read from the prophet Isaiah. But, I’ve never read Isaiah Chapter 1, verse 1, to the end of the book of the prophet Isaiah. Oh, and also along the way, trying to figure out what is he saying, what is he exactly communicating? But, here I am recording a podcast, I am going to read Isaiah, and at the end of this, I am going to have to tell people who are listening, “Here is what he just meant.”

So, I had to take the time to really dig in and say, “OK, when Jeremiah is writing, what is he saying when is talking about this prophet from Ephraim. What is Ephraim again?” So, that was really helpful for me because I need to at some point, I guess, an expert for the day, that was huge for me — to know the prophets and to realize the prophets were speaking to a particular people at a particular time then, and those words also spoke to me.    

We see the pews not as full as we’d like and a lack of involvement in our parishes and schools. It can be deflating. What gives you hope for our Church?

One, were at SEEK23. There are 17,000 Catholic college students who are encountering the Lord Jesus, and it’s not just about this week for them. They are here because on a daily basis, there are missionaries on their campuses who are investing in them, who are walking with them, and saying to them, “Here is how you say ‘yes’ to Jesus right here, right now in your life.” I see that happen every day. 

Also, when I read the letters and emails who did The Bible in a Year or are doing the Catechism in a Year, who have said, “I am 76 years old, I left the Catholic Church 50 years ago, but I listened to the Bible in a Year last year, and my life has changed, and I went to confession for the first time in 50 years.” Or, others saying, “I was a committed atheist. I started listening to The Bible in a Year, and I wasn’t sure why, but here I am and now believe.” I hear that all the time. There was another email that said, “I was completely lost, and here I am. God has found me.” Those are incredible signs of hope.

Answers taken from Andrew Hansen’s interview with Father Mike Schmitz on Dive Deep, the official podcast of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. To hear more from their conversation, go to dio.org/podcast or search Dive Deep on all the major podcast platforms.

Is there any benefit to praying in a sacred language such as Latin, Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic? Is it true that exorcisms are more effective when the priest prays in Latin? – Jake in Springfield 

In answer to the first question as to whether there is any benefit to praying in a sacred language such as Latin, Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic, I would say yes, at least in part. When I say, in part, I mean that it is beneficial that some parts of the Mass are prayed in these ancient languages, such as the Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy) in Greek, the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) and Angus Dei (Lamb of God) in Latin, and the Amen (so be it) and Alleluia (Praise the Lord) in Hebrew. Saying these prayers in these ancient languages connects us across the centuries with the historical roots of our liturgy. Most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, hence they are sometimes called the Hebrew Scriptures. Most of the New Testament was written in Greek, while the principal language of the Eucharistic liturgy became Latin as Christianity spread though the Roman Empire.

Since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass has been celebrated primarily in local vernacular languages throughout the world. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, issued by Pope Paul VI in 1963, provided that “the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites,” but opened the door to the use of vernacular languages “since the use of the mother tongue, whether in the Mass, the administration of the sacraments, or other parts of the liturgy, frequently may be of great advantage to the people” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 36). This is reflected in canon 928 of the current Code of Canon Law, which says, “The eucharistic celebration is to be carried out in the Latin language or in another language provided that the liturgical texts have been legitimately approved.”

Some people find that participating at Mass celebrated in Latin, whether the traditional liturgy of the Council of Trent (Tridentine Mass) or the new order of the post-Vatican II Liturgy (Novus Ordo), to be spiritually beneficial for them, seeing Latin as a sacred language reserved these days for prayer. Others find the vernacular more beneficial to understanding what is being said in the prayers of the Mass. Hence, some combination of the ancient and the vernacular languages may be also beneficial in prayer. 

With regard to whether exorcisms are more effective when the priest prays in Latin, there is some difference of opinion among exorcists about this. Some exorcists see Latin as more effective, saying that the Devil hates Latin because it is the universal language of the Church. Others argue that what is actually far more important is for the exorcist to be truly a man of God rather than focusing on the language used in the rite. Indeed, Latin is not taught as extensively to seminarians as it used to be. An exorcist with little training in Latin who stumbles through the rite using words he does not understand will be less effective than a priest using the vernacular who understands the nature of the spiritual battle taking place and is himself fighting that battle in the name of Jesus Christ.

The Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago on Jan. 24, 2003, by Pope St. John Paul II. Bishop Paprocki was named the Bishop of Springfield in Illinois on April 20, 2010, by his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, and was installed as the ninth bishop of Springfield in Illinois on June 22, 2010.

SPRINGFIELD - The author of a new biography about the late Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I. of Chicago will offer the book for purchase and have a book signing and presentation at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception atrium on March 19 at 11 a.m.

Michael Heinlein's Glorifying Christ: The Life of Cardinal Francis E. George, O.M.I. provides not only a factual record of the life of Cardinal George, but also a compelling narrative of the cardinal's extraordinary virtue and humility befitting a true servant of God.

A native Chicagoan, Cardinal George was told as a young man that he would never be a priest in Chicago because of a physical disability resulting from polio. He went on to be ordained a priest with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1963. The native son was appointed as archbishop of Chicago in 1997, created a cardinal in 1998, and served in Chicago until 2014, just months before his death in April 2015. Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois served under the leadership of Cardinal George as a priest and auxiliary bishop of Chicago. 

"March 19 marks the 20^th anniversary since I was ordained a bishop by His Eminence, Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago," Bishop Paprocki said. "It was a great privilege for me to have served as his Chancellor and Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Chicago and as one of his suffragan bishops in the Province of Chicago. I learned an abundance of important lessons that have shaped my life and ministry as a bishop by observing and working closely with this brilliant and holy churchman over the span of almost two decades. Now, thanks to the outstanding biography of Cardinal George by Michael Heinlein, many more people who never had the opportunity to meet Cardinal George will get to know this saintly and towering figure who dedicated his life to giving glory to Christ in the Church and in the world."

Cardinal George was a prophetic voice in the Church - a man able to see things as they are and from the point of view of the whole Church. His episcopal motto, "To Christ be

glory in the Church," encapsulates his legacy, because every decision he made, every action he took, every suffering he endured was about serving others and pointing them to our Savior.

Most of all, Cardinal George was a Christian in every sense. He was concerned about relationships and people, not careerism or advancement. He was attentive to the poor and those on the margins. He was a man of prayer, dedicated to Our Lady, and devoted to the Eucharist. He articulated the faith and was committed to reform. He was honest, accountable, genuine, and holy. Admired for his pursuit and proclamation of the truth and his personal witness to the Gospel, Cardinal George remains a model for discipleship and leadership.

Heinlein's presentation at the Cathedral is free and open to the public. The book retails for $29.95

By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor

The Springfield Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (SDCCW) is sponsoring a Lenten retreat Tuesday, March 28 and Wednesday, March 29 at the Villa Maria Catholic Life Center in Springfield. The subject of the retreat is “Our Journey of Faith.” 

The SDCCW retreat is a tradition and features spiritual presentations, prayer, Mass, rosary, the sacrament of confession, and fellowship. The retreat begins with registration and a light breakfast at 9 a.m. on March 28 and concludes after lunch on March 29. 

This year’s retreat speaker is Kim Padan. After the birth of a stillborn son, Padan and her husband Bruce were foster parents to 41 foster children over an eight-year period. She was the executive director of the local prolife group for 11 years. She joined and served two years as president of the Peoria DCCW. She joined the national Spirituality Commission in 2018, and is currently the chair of that commission. She  periodically writes articles for The Catholic Post, the newspaper for the Catholic Diocese of Peoria, and is also a lay Dominican. 

Retreat costs include meals, refreshments, retreat materials, and the use of the Villa Maria facility, which is located on the shores of Lake Springfield.  The cost for an overnight stay, double occupancy is $100. An overnight stay, single occupancy (if available) is $120. Commuters pay $70.  For those who want to stay overnight on March 27, the fee is $70 double/$50 single, with no  meals.

Registration fees payable to SDCCW are due by March 21. Contact your parish office, your women’s group, or your deanery president for additional information and registration form, or contact Alice Massey at or (217) 371-1108. 

By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor

Thanks to her strong faith, as well as the encouragement of her spiritual director, her parents, and her friends, Maggie Deckard had a book of poetry published when she was just 22 years old.

Deckard’s book, Becoming, contains a collection of 31 poems that are close to her heart and bare her soul. They include words that she hopes will “serve as a safe place for women to go to, a place of consolation.” “If my book can do that in some way — then it is a privilege,” she says.

Deckard first starting writing poetry in high school (at Sacred Heart-Griffin in Springfield), but says it was in college (at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville) that writing poems became very therapeutic and drew her closer to Jesus. “Whenever I did not know how to process what was going on in the ups and downs of college, I turned to writing as an outlet,” she says.

Each poem in her book is a part of her “heart and story,” she says. “The topics I chose to put in the book were all real things that I went through and processed during college, some of them very tough and vulnerable, so if my book helps anyone else feel less alone, then to me it is worth it.”

Deckard’s book is obviously faith-driven. “The whole process of creating this book felt very guided by Jesus and the Holy Spirit, so that helped overcome some of the fear around sharing hard things,” she says. Some titles included in the book are Misplaced, Secret Tears, I’d Never Tell You, and One Hail Mary.

Each poem title is accompanied by a reference to a Scripture quote.  “The poems came before the Scripture quotes,” Deckard says. “I actually didn’t have the idea until over halfway through the editing process of the book. I knew I wanted Him (Jesus) to have the final word of the book, so Scripture felt like the best way to do that.”

Before her book was published, Deckard said sometimes it was easy to share poems with friends, yet sometimes it was difficult. “Many of the poems in my book, I shared with a few friends here and there, especially if I thought they could relate,” she says. “Every time I shared a poem, my friends’ responses were always so positive, and they always encouraged me to write more. I eventually just had this strong desire and conviction that my poems needed to go beyond my computer screen. There were definitely times when I would get nervous if I thought too much about what other people would think of certain  poems, especially the deeper ones, but the desire to share them always outweighed the fear.”

It was in her freshman year at SIUE that Deckard began taking part in Newman Center activities and began growing in her Catholic faith. She says it was there she came across Father Rob Johnson (pastor of Mother of Perpetual Help in Maryville), who eventually helped to get her book published. “I first met Father Rob my first week of college at SIUE. I met him at the Newman Center during a community night,” she says. “I got to know him my first semester of college through different Newman events and then later that year he became my spiritual director. He helped me grow in my faith immensely, and he helped me to actually know Jesus as a person, as a friend.

“After he became my spiritual director, I began sharing different poems with him over my time in college, because writing poetry was a form of prayer for me,” she says. “And then during my senior year, he told me if I wrote a poetry book geared toward college students, that he would help me get it published. And here we are. His support helped give me the courage to share my writing with the world.” Today, Father Johnson, who wrote the forward to her book, is her pastor, too.

Deckard’s friend, Kayla Bridick, was the illustrator for Becoming. “We met at college through the Newman Center,” she says. “The illustrations were really fun to brainstorm and see come to life. Kayla really wanted to make the illustrations, images that were not specifically described in the book, yet had significance to the story. The illustrations were actually all based on actual items or objects in my house, or from Mother of Perpetual Help Church.”

Another person who assisted Deckard was her friend and editor, Megan Ulrich. “She has written and self-published two of her own poetry books, Hell, Bring the Kids Too, and Return Unto Me,” she says. “She helped guide me through the self-publishing process which I have come to learn is very tedious. It was a labor of love to say the least.”

Originally from Springfield, after her graduation from SIUE, where Deckard earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, she accepted a dual teaching position at St. John Neumann Catholic School in Maryville. “I am a PreK teacher for 4-year-olds on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and then I am the art teacher for kindergarten through fourth grade on Tuesday and Thursday,” she says. “I never thought I’d be an art teacher, but they had a need for an art teacher and I needed a full-time job when I took the part-time PreK job, so I took it. It has actually been so fun to get to be creative with the kids. What can I say, Jesus always knows better than me!”

In addition to teaching, Deckard says now that she has published one book, she is working on a new collection of poetry. She hopes to publish that book and since children are so important to her, “Eventually, I think it would be cool to write a children’s book.”

As far as her faith goes, Deckard has an important message for young people. “I want to tell people to simply show up. There have been times when I did not want to go to Mass at all, but I showed up anyway and that made all the difference,” she says. “Even though I did not realize it in the moment, Jesus used those times for good. He grew my heart in those times. Show up, that’s all.  Jesus will do the rest.”

Note: Becoming, by Maggie Deckard is available on Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com. There is a hardcover or an eBook option.

I see that St Patrick's Day falls on a Friday during Lent again this year. So, I assume Bishop Thomas John  Paprocki will not give us permission to enjoy corned beef in our Irish celebrations. Would it be a mortal sin to travel to a nearby diocese where their bishop grants a dispensation, allowing Catholics to enjoy their corned beef that day?
- Nancy in Springfield

Dear Nancy,

You must be quite the devotee of American custom that you would be willing to drive outside of our diocese to enjoy corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day. Would it be a mortal sin to do so? I would argue no, but one could make an argument that it is still sinful, though less sinful, to attempt to circumvent the Church’s Lenten disciplinary laws in such a manner. That being said, you may not need to go to such lengths to licitly get your corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day.

No, Bishop Paprocki is not granting a diocesan-wide dispensation for St. Patrick’s Day. Granting a dispensation from an ecclesiastical law is seen as a “wounding” of the law so there needs to be a proportional reason for doing so, especially such a broad action as dispensing an entire diocese. If we were the Archdiocese of Boston, filled with Irish Catholics, there would be greater reason to justify the dispensation, but that is not so much the case here. However, you may approach your own pastor who has authority to dispense his own parishioners in such matters on a case-by-case basis. He may grant you the desired dispensation or he may commute your observance of abstinence from meat to another day such as the day before or the day after St. Patrick’s Day. Pastors can find this in canon 1245 in the Code of Canon Law.

Earlier I referred to the custom of eating corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day as being American. I remember a conversation with a buddy of mine in college about the Irish and corned beef and St. Patrick’s Day. Mark, whose parents came over from Ireland to the United States before he was born, told me that in Ireland the Irish would never dream of eating corned beef in honor of St. Patrick. Beef was never a staple of food in Ireland, like pork or lamb, and beef was completely unaffordable for most of the Irish population after the nation was subjugated by England. The custom of eating corned beef comes from the arrival of the Irish in America in 19^th and early 20^th centuries and the fact that they could afford some beef when they came to the United States, but mostly only corned beef.

Whatever we choose to do or not do in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I would encourage all of us to remember the man himself. History tells us that Patrick was devout, very determined, and rather austere. Let us ask the great Apostle of Ireland to pray for us that, like him, we might seek to bind ourselves to the Blessed Trinity in all that we do.

- Father Christopher House is pastor of Christ the King Parish in Springfield and is vicar judicial and director of the Department for Canonical and Pastoral Services.

House opened in November 2022 and welcomes women/children in need

By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor

MATTOON — It was a dark, cold night in Mattoon last December. For a mother of four girls living in the city, the night represented her year.

“I’ve had an extremely difficult year,” the mother, who wished to remain anonymous, said. “I’ve lost everything. I need help getting into my own place.”

Another young woman, also living in Mattoon, who also wished to remain anonymous, felt empty.

“I moved to Illinois in 2022,” she said. “I didn’t have much and was struggling to find a secure, safe, and stable place. I was staying with a friend for a couple of months and then was asked to leave due to ‘life happening.’”

All hope seemed lost for these women until the Catholic and pro-life community in Mattoon stepped in and offered these women things they desperately needed: love, support, resources, and a warm, comfortable place to live. That place, the St. Mary House, which opened in November of 2022, has become the symbol of hope for these women and future women who will live there.

“Having been a part of the community effort in Charleston that brought together St. Charles Borromeo Parish, the Newman Center at Eastern Illinois University, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society that walked with people in need, we saw an opportunity to provide a transitional home environment in Mattoon for women and children on the Catholic worker model,” said Father John Titus, pastor of Immaculate Conception in Mattoon and St. Columcille in Sullivan.

When a home across the street from the Immaculate Conception Church parking lot opened, the Catholic and pro-life community acted. Money was raised, the home was demolished, and the new, three-bedroom St. Mary House was built in one year.

“As Catholics, we embrace the spiritual and corporal works of mercy,” Father Titus said. “The St. Mary House is a manifestation of both, caring for body and soul and helping make it possible for women to regroup. We affirm that every life has value — born and unborn. We want to help mothers make good choices for themselves and their children at the dawn of life and in the shadows of life. When a cynical world scoffs and says as Catholics we do not care about what happens to moms and their children after birth, we can invite them to join our efforts to serve even more women and children in our community.”

For these two women, the St. Mary House has become a beacon of light in their lives.

“The home is beautiful,” the young woman said. “It’s homey and safe, and you feel nothing but love when you walk in. Physically and emotionally, this home has helped me become more OK with spending time with myself, and it has helped me create a healthy routine. I was able to find a job within walking distance so maintaining that means saving money will be a lot easier.”

For the mother of four, the St. Mary House is also giving her a new, refreshing outlook.

“You have your own private bathroom which is a plus for me,” she said. “My youngest and I love that it’s safe. There’s also a code for entry into the home. The home has given me hope that there are people out there that still care.”

Those caring people include the Springfield Dominican Sisters who offered a grant, generous individual donations, including from area businesses, and one family that gave $25,000, all which contributed to the construction of the home. The Springfield Dominicans also donated furniture. Proceeds from fundraisers in the area and more donations keep the home in operation for women and their children. 

Guests of the home sign off on the “Expectations of Guests” policies and agree to a background check.   The home is communal living with shared house responsibilities. The food is shared and the home offers commonly used items. The home has a washer and dryer, and volunteers are “on the house” throughout the week, which means while they are not babysitters, Uber drivers, cooks, or housekeepers, they may voluntarily come to assist in any of those capacities, and they are a caring presence who visit and help the guests to become acquainted with the larger community and often help guests plug into community resources. Each guest has a volunteer contact person who meets regularly with them to discuss personal and financial goals. There is no charge for rent or utilities, and there is no expiration date for a guest’s stay, but they need to develop an exit strategy. This is part of their regular discussion with their contact person. The St. Mary House is run by an independent board and is registered as a not-for-profit. While there is no formal or financial relationship with Immaculate Conception Parish, the faithful play an active role. 

“When you give people the opportunity to be generous and do good things according to the Catholic principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, then you will change hearts and lives in time and for eternity,” Father Titus said. 

“I am extremely thankful to the Catholic community,” the mother of four said. “It has put my faith back that people still help and that there are angels among us still.”

“This is the first time in my life that I’ve been able to care for myself solely and learn that it is OK to be alone,” the young woman said. “Staying at the St. Mary House has helped me in so many ways, and I am beyond thankful to everyone that was involved in the making of this beautiful home.”

Want to support the St. Mary House?

Mail checks made out to “St. Mary House” to: St. Mary House, 320 N. 21^st St., Mattoon, IL 61938.

By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor

As a child, Allison Jayne Meinhart of Dieterich remembers attending Baptist and Methodist churches. Despite that non-Catholic background, Meinhart says that she had always been intrigued by the Catholic faith especially the structure and prayers. Little did she know that her marriage to her husband, Anthony, and two children would be a catalyst for her joining the Catholic faith.

“I watched my son (Gavin) be baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Church,” Meinhart said. “We then had our daughter (Mabri) and again baptized her in the Catholic Church. I went to sign my daughter, Mabri, up for religion classes at St. Rose of Lima Parish (Montrose) and talked with Lisa Probst, who was very helpful I might add about joining the Church. At this point, I knew we were going to be raising our children in the Catholic Church and wanted to be able to understand everything they were doing and be able to take them to church and participate with them.”

Going through the process of learning and accepting all the Church teachings can sometimes be a daunting experience for people going through a conversion, but for Meinhart, it was anything but.

“I didn’t struggle with anything that I can recall,” she said. “Matter of fact, I felt like things became much clearer for me once joining the Catholic Church, and I feel so much closer to God.”

In 2022, Meinhart was baptized, confirmed, and received first holy Communion at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Montrose. It’s a day she’ll remember forever, especially receiving the Eucharist for the first time.

“It was so different from what I was used to growing up,” Meinhart said. “Growing up when we would do communion, we would get a broken-up cracker and grape juice and just pass it down the pew on the first Sunday of every month. I love that you receive the Body of Christ at every Mass.”

As a 34-year-old wife and mother who works in the medical field as a respiratory therapist, Meinhart says she chose St. Gianna Baretta Molla as her confirmation saint for several reasons.

“St. Gianna is known as the patron of mothers, physicians, and unborn children,” Meinhart said. “St. Gianna was a loving wife, a working mother, and worked in the medical field as I do. St. Gianna chose the gift of life for her daughter when she was told she had a tumor in her uterus. I could relate to this in a couple of different ways. When I was conceived, my mother was told that I would have Down Syndrome and the doctors recommended that she have an abortion. My mother also chose the gift of life and here I am today with no development delays. I also was told a few years after having my son that I had pre-cancerous cells, and it was strongly recommended that I have a hysterectomy. I knew that I wanted more children and refused to have the hysterectomy at that time and am glad I did because many years later I was blessed with my daughter.”

One year into her conversion to the Catholic faith and Meinhart says she loves every bit of it, most especially the Mass.

“I love being able to arrive at church early and get the Breaking Bread Missal out and being able to read to over the Scripture before church starts so that I can take it all in during Mass,” Meinhart said. “I mostly love being able to sit in church on the weekends with my whole family and having those bonding moments.”

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Lent, a holy time of preparation, begins Feb. 22
By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor 

Lent is the 40-day penitential season of preparation for the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter, which falls this year on April 9.  It begins on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 22) and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday with the beginning of the paschal Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday — April 6-8). 

Pope Francis has said, “Lent is a path: it leads us to the triumph of mercy over all that would crush us or reduce us to something unworthy of our dignity as God’s children.” 

Lent is a time to read Scripture, attend daily Mass, and practice self-control by giving alms, fasting, or doing an act of charity. Moreover, Lent is not totally about abstaining from certain foods and luxuries, but is about seeking a true inner conversion of heart. 

Here, therefore, are the Lenten regulations: 

All the Christian faithful are urged to develop and maintain a voluntary program of self-denial (in addition to the Lenten regulations that follow), serious prayer, and performing deeds of charity and mercy, including the giving of alms. 

Abstinence — Everyone 14 years of age and over is bound to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 22) and all Fridays of Lent. 

Fasting — Everyone 18 years of age and under 59 is required to fast on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 22) and on Good Friday (April 7).  On these two days of fast and abstinence, only one full meatless meal is permitted. Two other meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to each person’s needs, but together these should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted, but liquids (including milk and fruit juices) are allowed.

Remember, to disregard completely the law of fast and abstinence is seriously sinful.  

2023 Lenten calendar - Please support the Rice Bowl and Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

What does a priest feel during Mass?
Anonymous in Jerseyville

Humility is what priests surely feel most when presiding at Mass — their sense of unworthiness to fill this role in The Lamb’s Supper. We, who often preach about God’s unfathomable mercy, rely on this mercy ourselves as we stand at His holy altar. There, we echo His consecration words: “This is my Body … . This is my Blood … .” Nothing captures what a privilege this is — so yes, humility is key. 

Humility is also involved as a priest homiletically sheds light on Sacred Scripture and preaches on unspeakably beloved figures such as our Blessed Mother. The insights shared can lift hearts to Heaven and potentially carry eternal ramifications for some souls in the pews.  What a responsibility! What a gift!

“Say each Mass like it is your first Mass, and your last Mass.” This advice came from my first rector in seminary, Msgr. Ross Shecterle, who repeatedly emphasized focus, and not getting distracted.

Yet distractions happen. Babies move from sweet cooing and gentle laughter, to outright screaming. Cell phones go off. A pillar-light over the ambo flickers. An organist forgets a musical cue. A server rings the consecration bell too early, or too late. End-of-Mass announcements prematurely pop into the head.  In other words, among a presider-priest’s thoughts is the need to stay focused! This is often, also, where gratitude enters, for God’s patience, and for His guiding Spirit, and for the wealth of supportive prayer coming the priest’s way. 

Gratitude, then, like humility, is central to what a presider feels. We know Eucharist means “thanksgiving,” which carries a strong component of joy. A priest celebrating Mass should always convey gratitude and joy! Indeed, his bearing and manner contribute considerably to the celebration and are noticed by his flock. 

I know this in part after decades of Mass participation from the pews before entering seminary with a second-career vocation. I had witnessed hundreds of priests celebrate Mass and noticed how some conveyed joy and appreciated reverence more than others. These observations even now sometime enter my thoughts as I prepare for, and preside at, liturgy.

Finally, as goes what a priest feels during Mass, he stays aware of his in persona Christi role. Although a humble and distracted sinner, the priest is called to represent — or at least to strive to represent — Jesus.  The priest can succeed in the striving, but never adequately in the representation — hence, more humility. Always humility!

Father David Beagles is pastor of St. Elizabeth in Robinson and Our Lady of Lourdes in Oblong.

Does one complete the Sunday Mass and holy day obligation by attending by watching via TV or computer? I am handicapped. I walk with a cane and have partial use of my right leg and arm due to a stroke. There is always the fear of falling. I cannot drive. The Masses have a Spiritual Communion Prayer, and my wife brings holy Communion to me on occasion.
- Mike in Troy

The Code of Canon Law states, “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass” (canon 1247). The faithful are those who “are incorporated into Christ through baptism” (canon 204 §1). Consequently, baptized Catholics are required to attend Mass on every Sunday and every holy day of obligation.

This obligation to attend Mass “is satisfied by one who assists at Mass” — that is, by one who attends Mass — “wherever it is celebrated in a Catholic rite, either on the holy day itself or on the evening of the previous day” (canon 1248 §1). This is a grave obligation and purposefully failing to honor it is mortally sinful (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2181).

Because humans are a union of body and soul, the Lord Jesus established the sacraments as composed of both words and material things. While watching the Mass on television or via the internet may bring some comfort, it does not technically fulfill the obligation to attend Mass, which must be fulfilled in person.  

While it is important to remember the gravity of this obligation, it is also important to keep in mind the fact that the Church does not oblige us to do what is physically or morally impossible, which is why the Catechism of the Catholic Church says the obligation binds “unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor” (no. 2181). 

Consequently, those who legitimately cannot attend the Holy Mass — whether because of a lack of transportation, a serious illness, immobility, etc. — are excused by the Church from the obligation to attend Mass. If there is a question about whether an individual member of the faithful is excused, he or she should speak with his or her pastor who can best judge the particular situation.

Those who cannot attend Mass for a serious reason should make a Spiritual Communion and even request the Blessed Sacrament be brought to them. Therefore, it is good, Mike, that you are still watching the Mass on television and still receiving the Eucharist, and when you are unable to receive the Eucharist, you are making an Act of Spiritual Communion. 

Father Daren Zehnle is pastor at St. Augustine in Ashland; parochial administrator of St. Alexius in Beardstown, St. Fidelis in Arenzville, and St. Luke in Virginia; and is the director for the Office of Divine Worship and the Catechumenate for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. 

How do we navigate these tough topics as parents and grandparents? What should we be saying to our children?

Many young people are wanting straight answers to tough questions about love, dating, and relationships, but they struggle to find the answers. Parents and grandparents oftentimes don’t even know where to begin when it comes to talking to their children about dating and chastity. No matter the issue, living a life of virtue and holiness is challenging. It’s also becoming more difficult communicating a message of purity to young people with a culture that promotes promiscuity and living a life of “If it feels good, do it.”

Jason Evert, an international Catholic speaker and author, has a mission to tackle these subjects head-on, providing answers rooted in Catholic truth. Evert has a master’s degree in theology and degrees in counseling and theology. He and his wife run Chastity Project and its website, chastity.com, the podcast Lust is Boring, and lead an international alliance of young people who promote purity in more than 40 countries. Evert spoke at the SEEK23 Conference for college students in St. Louis in January and is giving two talks on Feb. 6 at St. Mary Parish in Alton starting at 6 p.m. (go to chastity.com/purified for tickets). Catholic Times Editor, Andrew Hansen, spoke with Evert last month. 

Let’s start with contraception and the Church’s position against it. This is one teaching that not only does the culture disagree with the Church’s position, but so many Catholics as well. Explain why the Church teaches what she does, and how do we convince young people to not use contraception? 

A lot of people want to know why the Church is against contraception. It’s not so much the Church is against something as the Church is for something, for God’s plan for human love. The Church’s teaching on sex is pretty simple: Love, marriage, sex, and babies go together and in that order, and when we start to flip those around and change them, civilization starts to crumble, and so God has joined together life and love, babies and bonding. 

The Church is not saying that parents shouldn’t plan their families. But sometimes responsible parenthood means being open to more children. So, what contraception does in a certain sense is saying, “I want bonding with you, but I don’t want babies with you.” But, what if we did the opposite? “I want babies with you, but I don’t want bonding with you.” We’d obviously see there is a distortion there like, “I would like to make love to you, but I don’t want to look at you because I want to avoid any emotional entanglement that might ensue from this because I want to use you as an incubator for my offspring”… (We’d say), “OK, that guy is weird.” What contraception is doing is saying that I want the bonding, but I don’t want the lifegiving potential. 

So, God has already created in a woman’s body seasons each month, the fertility and infertility. It’s not necessary to shut down the woman’s fertility with chemicals and barriers. What is needed is for us to understand the woman’s body. What Natural Family Planning taught me is that my wife’s body is perfect. She doesn’t need drugs, pills, or shots. She needs to be understood because if we can understand her fertility, then instead of suppressing it with chemicals to conform to our desires, we can conform our desires to the perfect way her body has already been created.   

Jason Evert appeared on Dive Deep, the official podcast of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Go to dio.org/podcast to listen or search Dive Deep on all the major podcast platforms.Society, especially young people, paint the Catholic Church as the church of “no” when it comes to sex, certain dating things, IVF, living together before marriage, and we just discussed contraception. How do we respond to that and teach young people that what the Church teaches is actually freeing?

God’s plan for human love is not a litany of prohibitions. How we can communicate this is to ask people, “What do you really want in a relationship? Do you want a love that is free or coerced?” “I want a love that is free.” “Do you want a love that is total or half-hearted?” “I want total love.” “Do you want a love that is faithful or one with hooking up and friends with benefits?” “I want a love that is faithful.” “Do you want a love that is life giving?”  “Yeah, yeah.” “OK, so you want a love that is free, total, faithful, fruitful — those are the wedding vows.” 

The total gift of the body should correspond to the total gift of the person. The total gift of the person is marriage, and your body should correspond with that. So, all the Church is trying to give you is what you want! So, what we are doing when we disagree with the Church is we’re disagreeing with the desires of our own heart. 

You have said, “I think for young people, they are being told everything they are not supposed to do when it comes to dating and relationships, but nobody is talking to them about what they are supposed to do when it comes to dating.” What are they supposed to do?

What we have to teach is dating etiquette. What is the purpose of dating? It’s to find a spouse. It’s like getting on a freeway with only two exits: breakup and marriage. If that is the reality, what is the point of committing to anybody unless you can see this relationship potentially going the distance? So, having more intentionality with dating. I  find that young people, they love to hear this stuff. What are the specifics? How do I ask her out? And all that stuff because it’s not enough to tell them what not to do. The reason they don’t know how to date is because when you look at the culture, we have this culture of single people who pretend like they’re dating, the dating people behave like they’re married, and the married people seem to think they are single. Everything is out of order, and it’s because the parents forgot how to date each other. So, they (children) never saw their own parents pursuing each other in love, going on weekly date nights.

This is why parents should put their marriage first, before their children?

Putting your marriage first is putting your kids first. As much as it gags them out to see Mom and Dad kiss, or hug, or be affectionate, they need to see it. It is so good for their mental health to see that, the safety and stability that creates in their hearts of knowing that Mom and Dad are a united front. They often say the best thing you can do for your kids is to love your spouse. 

Parents don’t even know where to begin when it comes to talking to their kids about dating and chastity. What should they be saying?

One, get over your insecurities about talking to your kids about sexuality because if you do not speak up, the world will fill the void of your silence with a very contrary message. Obviously, it needs to be age appropriate. But there is going to stuff the world throws at your kids and you got to see that this is a teachable moment. I took my kids to an NBA basketball game and one of the cheerleaders was male, dressed up as a female doing all the female dance moves and my boys are like, “What’s going on there?” I’m like, “Well, I didn’t expect to have to address gender dysphoria on the way home from the basketball game, but let’s go there,” — and pastorally and lovingly explaining that situation. 

So, see those teachable moments, dive into them, and give the kids formation even in subjects you didn’t want to cover yet. Be bold and age appropriate. 

What is a grace of the sacrament of marriage that you never expected, or one you discovered many years into marriage?

One of the functions of marriage is the sanctification of the spouses and one of the ways God does that is He brings your faults to the surface, like oil and water. Before you’re married, you’re thinking, “I’m a pretty good catch. I’m patient, I’m forgiving.” Then, you get married, and you realize, “I’m a jerk. I’m unforgiving, impatient.” So, one of the surprises is the sanctification that comes through the sacrament because the children and the spouse, they’re like a sandpaper of sanctity constantly rubbing off those rough edges.    

What’s one thing you want someone struggling with an addiction to pornography to hold onto in the midst of that struggle?

Whether it is male or female, because I am meeting more and more young women who are struggling with the same things too, realize this isn’t what you ultimately want. I heard of one guy who was addicted to all this stuff, and he finally confessed this to a Christian brother, and the Christian guy said to him, “Well, if what you want to do is look at pornography and all that stuff, then go ahead and do it.” And he said, “No, that’s not what I really want to do.” And his friend looked at him and said, “Exactly.” It was this watershed moment for him that maybe there is still something good in him that desires something noble, sacrificial, beautiful, and pure. 

So, pornography is this counterfeit to the desires that we really long for. So, get accountability. Get some software on your computer, be able to find a good spiritual director, talk to some brothers and sisters about this stuff. Don’t try to go lone ranger to win this thing. On our website, chastity.com, we’ve got books for the guys and girls, resources, apps, software, router recommendations — all kinds of stuff. This is a battle you cannot afford to lose. Your whole vocation is at stake here. I know it’s difficult, but it’s more difficult envisioning your life 10 years from now still stuck in the same stuff. Trying to beat this thing on your own and winning it isn’t working. It’s because you aren’t supposed to beat this on your own. Find some accountability, and you’ll have the victory.

When it comes to transgenderism, as people of Catholic faith, how do we communicate with people who do think they are the opposite sex?

A lot of times we think, “What do we need to say? What is the silver bullet that can explain to them why puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and top surgery is not the answer for them.” What we need to do is listen to these individuals, meaning enter into their lives, go to the movies, have a beer, have a coffee, get to know these people and know their story because what we need to do is enter this conversation with a posture of reverent curiosity about this dysphoria. When did you start feeling this? Thank you sharing that with me. I’m sure that must have been really hard. What has that been like? Where is this coming from? 

The reason I say we have to listen is because a boy came to me, and said he’s trans. We had a long conversation. It turns out he has two older sisters and two younger sisters who can do no wrong. They are loved, and everything he does for his mom and dad is not enough. He’s always the black sheep. I said to him, “Do you think if you were born a girl, you would be loved the way your sisters are loved?” He said, “I know I would have.” You can see that there is this unmet legitimate need that has found an outlet through this expression of gender dysphoria. Everyone has their own story. Our job is to make these individuals understand that the Church sees them, we realize they didn’t choose to feel this way, God loves them, He has a plan for them, and then we have to hold one hand to them, one holds onto reality, and not let go of either one. Walk with them. Accompany them. Not only with the love, but also with the truth.        

What about speaking with people who do support transgenderism? How do we talk to them that this isn’t God’s plan?

A lot of times they are given this idea of false compassion like, “If you don’t accept these people, you’re rejecting them, and they’re going to commit suicide.” Well, look at the suicide rates of people who go through puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries. About 10 years after the surgery, their suicide rate is 19 times higher than the general population. If you isolate out the female to male transitioners, the suicide rate is 40 times higher than the general population. It’s because surgery is not the answer to these deeper mental health issues. We need to be affirming the person, not the dysphoria.  

We just came out with a book called Male, Female, Other — A Catholic Guide to Understanding Gender. Whether they experience dysphoria, a kid who wants top surgery, or you’ve got a nephew with this, this book will help to explain where is this coming from. How do I give solid answers, but most importantly, how do I pastorally accompany these people with sensitivity giving them the truth that this is not the answer? This is not a left versus right issue. You look right now, there are 43,000 de-transitioners on the Reddit website screaming from the rooftops that “I did this, it was not the answer, hit the brakes.” Lawsuits are on the way, and I think things are going to change, but there is going to be a lot of damage done, unfortunately.       

Answers taken from Andrew Hansen’s interview with Jason Evert on Dive Deep, the official podcast of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. To hear more from their conversation, including what gives Evert hope and inspiration about the future, go to dio.org/podcast or search Dive Deep on all the major podcast platforms.

The Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael's Abbey based in Orange, Calif., have announced six of the seven priests who will open and run the new Evermode Institute in Springfield. The Evermode Institute will be a center for Catholic spiritual and intellectual formation and these Norbertine Fathers will form a new community there. 

Standing in front of the altar at St. Francis of Assisi Church are Father Godfrey Bushmaker, O. Praem.; Father Gregory Dick, O. Praem.; Father Stephen Boyle, O. Praem.; Father Augustine Puchner, O. Praem., Prior; Father Anselm Rodriguez, O. Praem.; and Father Ambrose Criste, O. Praem., Director of the Evermode Institute. A seventh priest is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Located on Springfield’s northeast side on the grounds adjacent to the convent of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, the Evermode Institute includes St. Francis of Assisi Church, a large conference room, other large meeting rooms, and beautiful outdoor prayer trails, Stations of the Cross, and grottos.

“The Evermode Institute will be a place where we form and instruct in the faith all those good people in the Church whose responsibility it is to teach the faith,” Father Criste said. “So, Catholic school teachers, the catechists and religious education instructors in the parishes, eventually, hopefully, the permanent deacons, and trickling out to anybody like parents — people who are responsible to teach the faith. We want to help them to understand the faith better so they can impart the faith to those people in their sphere of influence. There will be some in-person teaching happening at the Evermode Institute, and then we’ll ramp up a robust online presence.”

When the Nobertine community opens the Evermode Institute this July, the public will be welcome to come to Mass at the stunning St. Francis of Assisi Church, go to confession, and participate in the prayer life of the Norbertines.

Can novenas be created by lay people or do they come from the magisterium?
Jake in Springfield

The word novena takes its origin from the Latin word novem, meaning “nine.” Consequently, a novena is a series of nine prayers prayed for a specific intention either individually or with a group of the faithful. While the origin of novenas is traditionally seen in the nine days between the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost, a novena can be prayed over nine days, nine weeks, nine months, or presumably even over nine years (though such a novena might be hard to keep track of).

The Church does not have, so far as I am aware, any specific legislation governing novenas. Because a novena can be as simple as praying nine Our Fathers, it is possible for a layperson to create a novena for his or own purposes, provided, of course, that the prayers used or in the intention behind the novena are not contrary to the faith. Such a novena would be for private use. 

If a layperson creates a novena and intends it to be for public use, such a novena should be presented to the local bishop for his consideration and approval. He may grant permission for its private use or for its public use, as he judges fit.

 Father Daren Zehnle is pastor at St. Augustine in Ashland; parochial administrator of St. Alexius, Beardstown, St. Fidelis, Arenzville, and St. Luke, Virginia;  and is the director for the Office of Divine Worship and the Catechumenate for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.