Having trouble hearing God’s voice?
St. Boniface Church in Edwardsville hosting a free workshop Jan. 28
By FATHER MICHAEL TRUMMER 
Special to Catholic Times 

We hear stories from the Bible and from other saint stories of God speaking. We also hear, “Prayer is a conversation, prayer is talking with God,” but how often is that your experience? Maybe you know how to tell God what is on your heart, but do you know how to hear what is on His heart, and what He says to you?

Jesus died on the cross not simply to get you into Heaven someday, but He came to draw you into communion and relationship with the Trinity, and such an important part of any relationship is communication, which involves talking and listening. You do not have to be a perfected saint or an extraordinary mystic to hear God’s voice. You can hear God’s voice because of what Jesus did, not because of what you do or have done. God has spoken to you your entire life. He still wants to speak to you. We just need to learn to recognize how He already speaks.

Come participate in a workshop on learning to hear God‘s voice. Come to access what Jesus has won for you and access to the voice and heart of God. You were made to hear His voice. 

I am hosting a workshop along with Michael Nolan, from Shadow on the Water, on Saturday, Jan. 28 from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at St. Boniface Church in Edwardsville (110 N. Buchanan St.). The workshop is free and will begin in the basement of the church. You do not have to be a parishioner or even Catholic to attend. There will be a lunch break at noon. If possible, please bring a Bible and a journal.

If you have any questions, email me at . 

Father Michael Trummer is parochial vicar at St. Boniface Church in Edwardsville and chaplain at Father McGivney Catholic High School in Glen Carbon.

Catholic Schools Week Flyer

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Benedict appointed Paprocki bishop of Springfield in 2010

NEWS: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12/31/2022
Contact: Andrew Hansen ()

Springfield, IL – Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois issued the following statement in response to the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI:

“Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was an authentic example of faithfulness to God and Catholicism, living and preaching the Gospel message with truth and passion. Always writing and teaching, his warm smile, gentle demeanor, and pastoral approach to explaining and living out the Catholic faith inspired millions and brought people closer to Christ. His reverence toward the Eucharist, the Mass, and the sacraments are examples for us today on how we should all view and respect these treasures of the Catholic faith. His steadfast defense of our faith’s teachings and traditions and remaining faithful to them, despite the pressures of the secular world and from inside the Church, is the mark of a true leader.    

“To this day, I am humbled Pope Benedict appointed me as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. I had the honor of meeting with him several times. I will forever remember his friendliness and compassion. His theological genius and his ability to communicate our rich and oftentimes difficult theology to the people in a clear and understandable way was most impressive. The Catholic Church lost an incredible and humble man, but his legacy leaves a lasting impression on the faithful and our Church.”

###

On Monday, March 29, 2010, I was on my way to O’Hare International Airport when I received a message that Cardinal Francis George, then Archbishop of Chicago, had called me. He knew I was on my way to Rome and wanted to talk to me before I got on the plane. I was in the car with another priest, and I did not know if the cardinal wanted to talk to me privately, so I waited until I got to the airport to call him back. 

As soon as the priest dropped me off at the airport, I went inside and called the cardinal. He said, “Good, I’m glad I got hold of you before you took off. Can you talk?” 

I looked around and said, “Well, I’m in the terminal at O’Hare, but I can talk. What’s up?” 

Cardinal George, who was always right to the point without a lot of small talk, said, “The Holy Father is ap­pointing you to be Bishop of Springfield in Illinois.” 

I had heard some rumors to that effect, but rumors are just that: rumors, so when you hear something officially, it still takes you somewhat by surprise. 

After I told the cardinal that I was honored to accept the appointment, I said, “You know, I’m on my way to Rome, and I plan to attend the Pope’s General Audience on Wednesday. If I get the opportunity, should I say some­thing to the Holy Father about this?” 

Cardinal George replied, “Well, it’s still under pontifical secret, so you would want to make sure no one overhears you.” 

Sure enough, at the Pope’s General Audience that Wednesday morning, I was seated on the stage next to three other bishops near Pope Benedict XVI. There was only a small group of bishops present that day because all diocesan bishops were required to be in their own dio­ceses for Holy Week. As an auxiliary bishop at the time, I had the opportunity to go to Rome since Cardinal George would be taking all of the Holy Week and Easter liturgies at Holy Name Cathedral. Of the other three bishops at the General Audience, two worked in the Roman Curia and one was retired. Since I was youngest in seniority, I was last in line to greet Pope Benedict after he finished his talk.  

When I walked up to the Holy Father, there was no one else nearby, so I introduced myself and said that I had just received word that he had appointed me to be Bishop of Springfield in Illinois. I thanked him for the appointment and for his confidence in me, assuring him that I would do my best to try to be a good bishop. He just smiled and nodded. But I do have a great photo of that moment with Pope Benedict XVI! 

Parents, teenagers, and young adults — this event is for you
National speaker to talk purity, theology of the body, dating, and relationships in Alton Feb. 6
By ANDREW HANSEN 
Editor  

With a culture that promotes promiscuity and living a life of “If it feels good, do it,” it’s getting harder to parent teenagers and young adults to live a life of purity and authentic respect. There are many questions parents and young people are facing each day that are confusing and go against our Catholic faith, but they are struggling with how to answer them or are feeling the pressure from culture to go with the culture’s side. Young people are wanting straight answers to tough questions about love, dating, and relationships. 

National Catholic speaker, Jason Evert, will give two talks in Alton Feb. 6 that parents, teenagers, and young adults are invited to that answer many of these tough questions and that will empower people to live a life of virtue.

“We live in a culture of single people who pretend like they are dating, we have a culture of dating people who pretend like they are married, and we’re stuck with a culture of married people who seem to think they are single,” Evert said. “Everything is out of order. We live in a culture where more people hookup than hold hands. 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. I think they are tired of the fear tactics and the shame and the guilt trips. What they really want to know is how to find and build authentic love. I think for the parents, a lot of them don’t even know where to begin when it comes to talking to their kids about dating and chastity.”

Evert’s talks, “Purified” and “Gender and the Theology of your Body,” take place starting at 6 p.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church in Alton (519 East 4^th St.). The cost is $30 and tickets can be purchased in advance by going to chastity.com/purified. After Evert’s talks, the night will end with adoration and confession and all attendees will leave with resources that are geared toward the gender of the teen/young adult and one geared toward parents. For more information, call (618) 581-7055. The event is for teenagers and older.

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. 

By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor 

A year dedicated to the holy Eucharist officially began with a special Mass at Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Alton Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, priests, and the lay faithful were present.

"During this Year of the Eucharist, let us take time to reflect on the mystery of the Eucharist," Bishop Paprocki said. “The reality that, in the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ without ceasing to appear as bread and wine to our five senses, is one of the central mysteries of the Catholic faith. This faith is a doorway through which we, like the saints and mystics before us, may enter into a deeper perception of the mercy 12 and love manifested in and through Christ’s sacramental presence in our midst. While one thing is seen with our bodily eyes, another reality is perceived through the eyes of faith. The real, true, and substantial presence of Christ in the Eucharist is the most profound reality of the sacrament.” (USCCB, The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church, n. 21).

Ss. Peter and Paul Church was chosen for the opening Mass of the diocesan-wide Year of the Eucharist as it is known as the “Old Cathedral,” the cathedral of what was the Diocese of Alton. The diocesan see was transferred from Alton to Springfield in 1923. 

Activities at parishes in the diocese throughout the Year of the Eucharist will be encouraged such as Corpus Christi processions, hosting The Vatican Eucharistic Miracles of the World, establishing and promoting eucharistic adoration, among other events and activities. In Catholic Times over the next year, you will read about eucharistic miracles, saints who were devoted to the holy Eucharist, among other eucharistic content to enliven your devotion to the Eucharist. You can also visit the diocese’s website (dio.org) for further content about the Eucharist. 

The Year of the Eucharist will also include a eucharistic celebration in conjunction with the 100^th year celebration of the transfer of the see city of our diocese from Alton to Springfield. This major event will take place on Oct. 28, 2023, at the BOS Center in Springfield. It will include talks from nationally recognized Catholic speakers Bishop Robert Barron and Scott Hahn, and Mass where the arena will be filled with thousands of Catholics from across the diocese. You are invited! Stay tuned for how to get free tickets and mark your calendar! The Year of the Eucharist concludes on Dec. 8, 2023, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield.

Old Cathedral’s capital campaign 

Carved high above the pinnacle of Ss. Peter and Paul Church, above the rose window, is the date of 1855, indicating the year the church building was begun. The church is built of native limestone and the architecture is a beautiful specimen of Gothic. The interior of the church, with its graceful arches, clustered columns, and capitals and hood-molded windows and spacious choir loft attract many lovers of art. Below the main altar are the tombs of the first two bishops of the Diocese of Alton, Bishop Henry Damian Juncker and Bishop Peter Joseph Baltes. The third bishop of the Diocese of Alton, Bishop James Ryan, is buried in St. Patrick’s Cemetery.

To make needed repairs and better preserve this treasure and history of our diocese, the parish’s capital campaign, Preserving the Past for the Future, is going to help restore the structure of the church at a cost of $800,000. If you are interested in helping the “Old Cathedral” by contributing to their campaign, you can visit ssppalton.com.

Hey, Father! Why do we bow at this part of the Nicene Creed: “By the power of the Holy Spirit He was born of the Virgin Mary and became man”?

Among various groups of Christians, we Catholics are known for emphasizing the importance of symbolism, the body, and the material world. During our liturgies and sacramental rites in particular, we are known for changing postures and using various gestures. It is worth noting the underlying reason as to why our bodily actions are so important in the context of prayer and worship.

As human beings, we are not souls “trapped” or contained in bodies. We are body-soul composites, a union of both body and soul. Our bodies express or communicate our souls in the world of space and time. In his series of audiences now known collectively as the Theology of the Body, Pope St. John Paul II called the human body “a primordial sacrament,” because, “The body, in fact, and only the body, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine. It has been created to transfer into the visible reality of the world the mystery hidden from eternity in God, and thus to be a sign of it.” 

Our bodies visibly express realities that otherwise remain invisible: our mind, soul, thoughts, beliefs, etc. We therefore express something in a more complete and human way when we engage our bodies as well. Just as we express kindness or affection through a smile, handshake, hug, or kiss, we also desire to express our relationship with God through our bodies, especially during times of prayer and worship.

Now, to your specific question about bowing during the Nicene Creed. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “Belief in the true Incarnation of the Son of God is the distinctive sign of Christian faith” (CCC 463). The Incarnation is the central mystery of our salvation, because without taking on our wounded human nature, Christ could not have redeemed it through his obedience to the Father and sacrificial act of love on the cross. He took on our nature in order to heal it from within. As a way of highlighting this awesome and distinctive mystery of our Faith, we bow during the phrase in the Creed that expresses it. 

Older Catholics might recall that, prior to the Second Vatican Council, everyone genuflected during this part of the Creed on all Sundays and solemnities. After the Council, the Church relaxed this practice, and now we genuflect during this part on just two solemnities of the year: the Annunciation on March 25 and the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) on Dec. 25 (see the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, n. 137). We use the more solemn gesture of genuflecting on these days because the Annunciation celebrates the moment of Christ’s Incarnation, while Christmas of course celebrates the birth of Jesus, God Incarnate.

Some people are unable to genuflect or even bow due to age or health, and that is completely understandable. These people can simply bow their heads instead. But for all who are able, the gesture of bowing deeply is a beautiful expression of our reverence and gratitude for Christ, who loved us so much that He assumed our humanity, to redeem us and to unite us to Himself in a new way forever. 

Father Christopher Trummer, S.T.L, is parochial vicar at St. Agnes Parish in Springfield, associate delegate for Health Care Professionals, associate chaplain of the Springfield Chapter of the Catholic Physicians Guild/Catholic Medical Association and has a license in Sacred Theology in Moral Theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, Italy. 

By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor

He is one of several heroes we read about in the Bible, yet he is never quoted, and this hero also suddenly vanishes, leaving the reader wondering what happened to him. 

St. Joseph is one of the most mysterious people we read about in the Bible. Despite being the foster father of Jesus — the Son of God — we know very little about him. We know he was a carpenter, he was a “righteous man” (Mt. 1:19), he was Mary’s husband, and his lineage can be traced back to King David. The last time we read about St. Joseph is in the Gospel of Luke when the Holy Family visited the temple for Passover and Jesus was 12 years old at the time. But how and when did St. Joseph die? Why is his death not even mentioned? Why is he never quoted in the Bible? What did St. Joseph think about raising the Son of God? 

“It’s such a good question: Why does it seem like St. Joseph — who raised Jesus! — appears like he’s almost an afterthought in the Bible?” said Father Mark Tracy, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Decatur. “I think it speaks to who St. Joseph is — his humbleness, his quiet obedience, and his selflessness — but most importantly, I think it comes down to the fact St. Joseph wants us to live our lives like he lived his life, pointing all our attention and giving all our energy solely to Jesus, Our Lord and Savior.” 

It is this reason why Father Tracy says St. Joseph is one of the best saints we can turn to for help, especially during the stresses that can come during the Christmas season. 

“First, St. Joseph was at the first Christmas, and I think we can imagine it was pretty stressful,” Father Tracy said. “I mean traveling with Mary, who is nine months pregnant, on a donkey, finding out there is no room in the inn, Mary giving birth next to animals — I think we could conclude St. Joseph’s blood pressure was pretty high. But beyond Christmas, St. Joseph also knows how stressful a job can be and the uncertainties of budgets and resources. He understands the anxieties of raising a child and all the difficulties that come with parenting. He understands the sacrificial nature of marriage and the burden’s that come with being the head of a family. His life, what he felt, and what he had to do to overcome all these stresses and fears are exactly what we are going through today. He is a wonderful saint to turn to for help and an example for all of us to follow.”

St. Joseph is the Patron of the Universal Church. March 19 is the feast day of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Confessor of the Faith, and May 1 is the feast day of St Joseph the Worker. 

“There is so much turmoil, fear, and uncertainty in our world today,” Father Tracy said. “But St. Joseph is always pointing us back to the one true Hope, Jesus Christ. So, if you are feeling down or stressed, turn to St. Joseph and look to him as an example of humbleness and faithfulness. He understands your feelings, and he will help you not only find joy in the season of Christmas and in your earthly life, but the ultimate joy with his adopted Son, Jesus Christ, in Heaven forever.”

Side bar:

A saint for all

Saints are powerful intercessors for us. Turning to saints by asking them to pray for us is part of our Catholic tradition. For St. Joseph, he is the patron saint of many causes:

• The Universal Church
• Families
• Fathers
• Expected mothers
• Travelers
• The dying
• House sellers and buyers
• Craftsmen
• Working people in general

Ways you can honor St. Joseph:

Check out these wonderful prayers by looking them up online as they are too long to print in Catholic Times: 

• Prayer to St. Joseph after the Rosary
• 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph
• Seven Sundays Devotion to St. Joseph
• Litany of St. Joseph 

This article originally appeared in Catholic Times in 2020.

By TIM STAPLES 
Catholic Answers

In the introduction to his classic Catholic Catechism, Father John Hardon describes well the perennial challenge of the Catholic Church to strike a balance between the manifold and false “either/or” propositions that constitute the great heresies and errors of Church history, and what Father Hardon called the truth of “the eternal and.” For example, the pantheist says the universe consists of God alone. The material is mere illusion. The materialist says it is all and only matter. The truth is it’s both. The Protestant says we are saved by “faith alone;” the various Pelagian sects say it is by “works alone.” The truth is it’s both. The Monophysite says Jesus is God alone; the Arian (or Jehovah’s Witness today) says He is man alone. The truth is He’s both. The list could go on and on.

So it is with the Eucharist. For many, there are only two options. It is either a symbol or it is Jesus. I know this was my thinking when I was Protestant. “When Jesus says, ‘This is my body,’ or, ‘Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man,’ it is obvious he is speaking symbolically,” I would say. “Bread and wine were to nature what Jesus Christ is to our super nature. Bread and wine are obviously excellent symbols of Jesus Christ.” In my mind as a Protestant, if I could show communion to be symbolic, I had proved my point. The idea of “both/and” was never even a consideration.

The Protestant error concerning the real Presence here is easy enough to correct

The Catholic will be rightly and understandably quick on the draw to demonstrate the literal sense of Jesus’ very plain words in both the institution narratives and in John 6. But be careful, my Catholic friends! The Catholic can present great points for the real presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist, and win a very important battle, but lose the war by denying there to be any symbolic value to Our Lord’s words at all. The error in this reasoning can tend to be all his Protestant counterpart will hear. And it is an error to be sure. 

Moreover, a well-read Protestant can present writings of multiple Fathers and Doctors of the Church from Tertullian, St. Clement of Alexandria, and St. Augustine, to the “Common Doctor” himself, St. Thomas Aquinas, replete with references to our Blessed Lord’s words, “This is my body ... . This is ...  my blood … .” as being “figurative,” “signs,” or “symbolic.” Now, of course, each of these great teachers throughout Church history will also teach that the Eucharist truly is what it symbolizes. But to many, like myself as a Protestant, the Catholic denying the truth of the symbolic reality of the Eucharist — and in so doing, denying what is evident in Scripture —will drown out all other good points made.

Listing examples from each of these Fathers and Doctors is beyond the scope of this brief article, but for our purpose we need only reference the Catechism of the Catholic Church to find Magisterial use of the terms “sign” and “symbol” to describe the Eucharist (1148, 1412) alongside many more examples declaring the real presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist (1373-1381). The Council of Trent, Session 22, Chapter 1, does the same:

Declaring Himself constituted a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek, He offered up to God the Father His own body and blood under the species of bread and wine; and, under the symbols of those same things, He delivered (His own body and blood) to be received by His Apostles, whom He then constituted priests of the New Testament; and by those words, Do this in commemoration of me, He commanded them and their successors in the priesthood, to offer (them); even as the Catholic Church has always understood and taught. (Emphasis added)

The Catholic Church has always understood the Eucharist to employ both “figures” or “symbols” and to be God’s instrument to communicate the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ, in his substantial reality, under the accidents or appearances of bread and wine to the people of God for their spiritual sustenance. Once again, the answer is both/and.

A memorial of Christ’s sacrifice, Christ’s sacrifice, or both?

The Catholic evangelizer will inevitably face another “either/or” proposition when it comes to the Eucharist: “The communion the New Testament speaks of is simply a memorial of Christ’s sacrifice that occurred 2,000 years ago, and nothing more. Jesus said, ‘Do this in memory of me,’ in Luke 22:19. It can’t be Christ and a memorial of Christ at the same time any more than the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C., could also be Thomas Jefferson!” 

How do we respond? 

We ought to emphasize as Catholics that the Catholic Church agrees with our Protestant friends on this point. Jesus is unequivocal in Luke 22:19, as I cited above: “Do this in memory of me.” Catholics believe the word of Christ. The Eucharist is the same sacrifice that was offered 2,000 years ago inasmuch as it is the same priest and the same victim being offered, but at the same time it is offered in a different manner — an unbloody manner. Thus, it is truly a memorial of the “once for all” bloody sacrifice of Christ offered in a unique manner 2,000 years ago (Heb. 10:10). As such, the sacrifice of Christ can never and will never be offered in a bloody way again!

CCC 1367 provides:

The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: “The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different.” “And since in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner … this sacrifice is truly propitiatory.

Because the Eucharist is both a memorial of what Christ did 2,000 years ago in a singular way and his true and real presence for his people, CCC 1357-1358 can say:

We carry out this command of the Lord by celebrating the memorial of his sacrifice. In so doing, we offer to the Father what He has Himself given us: the gifts of His creation, bread and wine which, by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the words of Christ, have become the body and blood of Christ. Christ is thus really and mysteriously made present.

We must therefore consider the Eucharist as:

-thanksgiving and praise to the Father;
-the sacrificial memorial of Christ and his Body;
-the presence of Christ by the power of his word and of his Spirit.

So, is the Eucharist a memorial, substantial reality, or both? Father Hardon’s “eternal and” comes to the fore once again. The Eucharist is a memorial inasmuch as it is not a bloody sacrifice as Christ’s sacrifice was 2,000 years ago — it is a memorial of that bloody sacrifice. Jesus told us so when He said, “Do this in memory of me.” The Eucharist is also truly and substantially Christ because He told us so as well. “This is my body ... . This cup  ...  is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20). As Catholics, we believe both.

This article originally appeared on the website of Catholic Answers, www.Catholic.com. Reproduced with permission.

Is Receiving the Eucharist cannibalism?
By TOM NASH
Catholic Answers

I've heard several times that the Church is cannibalistic, since it teaches that bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ. Looking at the definition of cannibalism, they seem to be correct. Are they correct, and how should I respond?

The charge of cannibalism is not new. Roman pagans called early Church Christians cannibals precisely because the Disciples spoke of eating and drinking their God. In doing so, the pagans provide further evidence that belief in the Real Presence of the Eucharist is an ancient Christian doctrine, and that the first Christians understood Jesus to be speaking literally when He established at the Last Supper the ritual we have come to call the Mass.

Yet the charge of cannibalism is misplaced. Cannibalism, simply put, is the eating of human flesh, typically after a person has died. A corpse (dead body) is usually present, or at least a dead body part. Second, the quantity of the flesh diminishes as it is being consumed. Third, digesting flesh results in physical nourishment, protein included. 

In the banquet of the Eucharist, however, Jesus is not dead but is a living sacrifice. Second, His substance is not diminished by consuming the Eucharist. To the contrary, Jesus is bodily in Heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father, though His body becomes miraculously present wherever the Eucharist is celebrated. Third, the eating of His Body and Blood does not result in practical physical nourishment on a natural level, although some have miraculously subsisted solely on the Eucharist. The purpose of the Eucharist is to provide spiritual nourishment.

In summary, cannibals consume the flesh of a dead person in a way that diminishes and profanes the corpse. Through the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus freely gives Himself to us; and we consume His living body, blood, soul, and divinity in a way that mysteriously and miraculously does not diminish Him but instead enhances our spiritual life.

This article originally appeared on the website of Catholic Answers, www.Catholic.com. Reproduced with permission.

Father Steven Arisman, pastor of St. Francis of Solanus Parish in Quincy, graciously receives the framed image of St. Corbinian from Buhl, who is a parishioner at St. Aloysius Parish in Springfield. By MIKKI BUHL
Special to Catholic Times  

About three months ago, I saw this framed art piece for sale at Hope Thrift Center in Springfield. I knew it was of a saint, but at the time, I was unsure who it was. I was intrigued by the drawing and purchased it, thinking I would use it at home or maybe my church or school could use it, as I have found other pictures at the thrift store and donated them to my church, St. Aloysius Parish, in Springfield.  

After doing some searching, I found it was a picture of St. Corbinian (670-730), a bishop who traveled from Rome to Freising of Bavaria, Germany. The bear is often a symbol of St. Corbinian, who tamed a bear to carry his load while traveling. Corbinian's bear appeared on the coat of arms of Pope Benedict XVI.

My next mission was to find a church in our diocese with the saint’s name, but there was no luck. So, I then searched to find a church that had a German heritage. That is when I found St. Francis Solanus Parish in Quincy that met that requisite. The secretary had me connect Jake Terry, their youth minister.

Now comes the exciting part! After speaking with Mr. Terry, I learned that their youth group had just selected this very saint to learn more about. It was a sign that the framed art piece had to go to this parish, but I wondered how to make arrangements. Mr. Terry and I communicated, figuring someone from their church would be in Springfield for a meeting.

I then received an email saying the pastor would be in town. It was then I looked up who the pastor was, and low and behold, it is Father Steven Arisman. I went on a retreat weekend a few years ago with him, and knew his hometown was Springfield. So, we made for arrangements to meet while he was in Springfield. In yet another God moment, the commemoration of the translation of St.  Corbinian relics is Nov. 20. So, just in time for the feast day, I was able to give the picture to Father Arisman on Nov. 4.

Mikki Buhl is a parishioner at St. Aloysius Parish in Springfield 

Submitted photos

Click here to read the 40 page special edition of Catholic Times on the holy Eucharist as our diocese embarks on a Year of the Eucharist

SPRINGFIELD 

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 7 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 7 a.m., 10 a.m.

Blessed Sacrament Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 11 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. 

Christ the King Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m. 

Little Flower Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

St. Agnes Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m. 

St. Aloysius Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 7 a.m. 

St. Frances Cabrini Xavier Parish
Christmas Eve, 5:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m. 

St. Joseph Parish
Christmas Eve, 5 p.m., 9:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m. 

St. Katharine Drexel Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 7 a.m., 9 a.m. (St. Patrick Church), 10:30 a.m. (Latin), 12:30 p.m. (Spanish) 
All Masses at Sacred Heart Church, except 9 a.m. Christmas Day, which is at St. Patrick Church. 
(There is no Christmas Mass at St. Patrick now due to the laying of carpet at this time)

ALEXANDER

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish
Christmas Day, 10  a.m.

ALTAMONT

St. Clare Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m. 

ALTON

Immaculate Conception Parish (St. Mary)
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. 

Ss. Peter and Paul Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 8 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m. 

ARCOLA

St. John the Baptist Parish
Christmas Eve, 7:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m. 

ARENZVILLE 

St. Fidelis Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m. 

ASHLAND

St. Augustine Parish 
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

ASSUMPTION

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.

ATHENS

Holy Family Parish
Christmas Eve, 6:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m. 

AUBURN

Holy Cross Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.
Overflow seating in the parish center.

BEARDSTOWN

St. Alexius Parish
Christmas Eve, 7 p.m. (Tri-lingual Mass); 
Christmas Day, 10 a.m. (English), 11:30 a.m. (Spanish) 

BENLD

St. Joseph Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m. 

BETHALTO

Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m., 9 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

BETHANY

St. Isidore Parish
Midnight

BRIGHTON

St. Alphonsus Parish
Christmas Eve, 7 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

BRUSSELS

Blessed Trinity Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m. (St. Mary Church, Brussels);
Midnight (St. Joseph Church, Meppen);
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. (St. Barbara Church, Batchtown) 

CAMP POINT 

St. Thomas the Apostle Parish
Christmas Eve, 6:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

CARLINVILLE

Ss. Mary and Joseph Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

CARROLLTON

St. John the Evangelist Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m. 

CHARLESTON

St. Charles Borromeo Parish 
Christmas Eve, 5 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m. 

CHATHAM

St. Joseph the Worker Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m., 9 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.

COLLINSVILLE

Ss. Peter and Paul Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 7 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m. 

DECATUR

Holy Family Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 9 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m. (Spanish);
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

Ss. James and Patrick Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m. (St. James Church); 6 p.m. (St. Patrick Church), 11 p.m. (St. James Church); 
Christmas Day, 10:15 a.m. (St. Patrick Church) 

St. Thomas the Apostle Parish
Christmas Eve, 5 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m. 

DIETERICH 

St. Isidore the Farmer Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m. (St. Aloysius Church, Bishop Creek), 7 p.m. (St. Joseph Church, Island Grove), 10 p.m. (St. Aloysius Church, Bishop Creek);
Christmas Day, 10 a.m. (St. Joseph Church, Island Grove)

EDGEWOOD

St. Anne Parish
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. 

EDWARDSVILLE

St. Boniface Parish
Christmas Eve, 4: 15 p.m., 9:15 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m. (Spanish) 

St. Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

EFFINGHAM

Sacred Heart Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 9:30 p.m.;
Midnight:
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m. 

St. Anthony of Padua Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

FARMERSVILLE

St. Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.

FIELDON

St. Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m. 

FRANKLIN

Sacred Heart Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m. 

GILLESPIE

Ss. Simon and Jude Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m.

GIRARD 

St. Patrick Parish
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m. 

GLEN CARBON

St. Cecilia Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m. 

GODFREY 

St. Ambrose Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. (St. Ambrose), 7:30 p.m. (St. Michael, Beltrees); 
Christmas Day, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m. (St. Ambrose)

GRAFTON

St. Patrick Parish
Christmas Eve, 6:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. 

GRANITE CITY 

Holy Family Parish
Christmas Eve, 8 p.m.; 
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m. 

St. Elizabeth Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m., 11 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m. 

GRANTFORK 

St. Gertrude Parish
Christmas Eve, 7 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m.

GREEN CREEK 

St. Mary Help of Christians
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.; 
Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m. 

GREENFIELD

St. Michael the Archangel
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. 

GREENVILLE

St. Lawrence Parish
Christmas Eve, 5:30 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m., 10 a.m. 

HARDIN

St. Francis of Assisi Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m. (St. Anselm, Kampsville);
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m. (St. Norbert, Hardin), 11 a.m. (St. Michael, Michael) 

HIGHLAND

St. Paul Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 11 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m. 

HILLSBORO

St. Agnes Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m. 

HUME

St. Michael Parish
Christmas Eve, 6:30 p.m.

ILLIOPOLIS

Resurrection Parish
Christmas Eve, 8 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10:15 a.m. 

JACKSONVILLE

Our Saviour Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m.
The 4 p.m. Christmas Eve and 9 a.m. Christmas Day Masses will be LIVE streamed and interpreted for the deaf.

JERSEYVILLE 

Holy Ghost Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 8:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m., 10 a.m. 

St. Francis Xavier Parish 
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m. 8:30 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 10:15 a.m. 

KINCAID

St. Rita Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.

LIBERTY

St. Brigid Parish
Christmas Eve, 7 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. 

LILLYVILLE

Sacred Heart Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. 

LITCHFIELD

Holy Family Parish
Christmas Eve, 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m. 

LIVINGSTON

Sacred Heart Parish
Christmas Eve, 5:30 p.m. 

MADISON

St. Mary and St. Mark Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m. 

MARINE

St. Elizabeth Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m. 

MARYVILLE

Mother of Perpetual Help Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 7 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

MATTOON

Immaculate Conception Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 9 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. 

MEDORA

St. John the Evangelist 
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m. 

MENDON

St. Edward Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m.;
Midnight

MONTROSE

St. Rose of Lima Parish
Christmas Eve, 5:30 p.m.; 
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

MORRISONVILLE

St. Maurice Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m. 

MOUNT OLIVE

St. Pope John Paul Parish
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m. 

MOUNT STERLING

Holy Family Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 9 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 7 a.m. 

MOUNT ZION

Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

MOWEAQUA

St. Francis De Sales Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m. 

NEOGA

St. Mary of the Assumption Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. 

NEW BERLIN

Sacred Heart of Mary Parish (St. Mary)
Christmas Eve, Music 5:30-6 p.m., Mass, 6 p.m.

NEWTON

St. Thomas Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m., 11 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m. 

NOKOMIS

St. Louis Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

NORTH ARM

St. Aloysius Parish
Christmas Eve, 7 p.m. 

OBLONG

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m. 

PANA

St. Patrick Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 8 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

PARIS

St. Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

PETERSBURG

St. Peter Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. 

PIERRON

Immaculate Conception Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m. 

PITTSFIELD

St. Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 8 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m. 

POCAHONTAS

St. Nicholas Parish
Midnight

QUINCY 

Blessed Sacrament Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 11 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

St. Anthony of Padua Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m. 

St. Francis Solanus Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

St. Joseph Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. 

St. Peter Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m., 10 a.m. 

St. Rose of Lima Parish
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. 

RAMSEY

St. Joseph Parish
Christmas Eve, 8 p.m. 

RAYMOND

St. Raymond Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

RIVERTON

St. James Parish
Christmas Eve, Carols, 3:30 p.m., Mass, 4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m. 

ROBINSON

St. Elizabeth Parish
Christmas Eve, 9 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

ROCHESTER

St. Jude Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

SAINTE MARIE

St. Mary of the Assumption Parish
Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m. 

ST. ELMO

St. Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m. 

ST. JACOB

St. James Parish 
Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m. 

SHELBYVILLE

Immaculate Conception Parish
Christmas Eve, 8 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m. 

SHERMAN

St. John Vianney Parish
Christmas Eve, 5 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m. 

SHUMWAY

Annunciation Parish 
Christmas Eve,  4 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. 

SIGEL

St. Michael the Archangel Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m. 

STAUNTON

St. Michael the Archangel Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 9 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. 

STONINGTON

Holy Trinity Parish
Christmas Day, 9 .m. 

SULLIVAN

St. Columcille Parish
Christmas Eve, 6:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10 a.m. 

TAYLORVILLE

St. Mary Parish
Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 11 a.m. 

TEUTOPOLIS

St. Francis of Assisi Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 10 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

TROY

St. Jerome Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 10 p.m.; 
Christmas Day, 8:30 a.m. 

TUSCOLA

Forty Martyrs Parish 
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 8 a.m. 

VANDALIA

Mother of Dolors Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

VILLA GROVE

Sacred Heart Parish
Christmas Eve, Carols, 4 p.m., Mass, 4:30 p.m.; 
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

VIRDEN

Sacred Heart Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.

VIRGINIA

St. Luke Parish
Christmas Eve, 5:30 p.m. 

WAVERLY

St. Sebastian Parish 
Christmas Eve, 8 p.m. 

WHITE HALL

All Saints Parish
Christmas Eve, 10 p.m. 

WINCHESTER

St. Mark Parish
Christmas Eve, 5 p.m.;
Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m. 

WOOD RIVER

Holy Angels Parish
Christmas Eve, 4 p.m.;
Midnight;
Christmas Day, 9 a.m. 

Jesus, present in the monstrance, during adoration at St. Mary Parish in Pittsfield. The Seven Sisters Apostolate at the parish commits to praying for one hour before the Blessed Sacrament one day per week, for the sole purpose of praying for their pastor, Father Mark Schulte and Bishop Thomas John Paprocki.More parishes in diocese joining apostolate, as group encourages other parishes to start one

By ANDREW HANSEN 
Editor 

Recognizing that priests need our constant prayers, a group of women from St. Mary Parish in Pittsfield started a Seven Sisters Apostolate. The apostolate has hundreds of local groups in parishes throughout the world, including our diocese. Each of the seven women in the apostolate commits to praying for one hour before the Blessed Sacrament one day per week, for the sole purpose of praying for the priest or bishop her apostolate is praying for. In the case of St. Mary in Pittsfield, they have two groups for a total of 14 women (one woman being from St. Mark Parish in Winchester). One group of seven women prays for their pastor, Father Mark Schulte, and the other group prays for Bishop Thomas John Paprocki.   

“The action of taking time to go visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the powerhouse behind this ministry,” said Angela Lipcamon, anchoress and coordinator of The Seven Sisters Apostolate in Pittsfield. “There are no other obligations or meetings — just one hour per week with Jesus. It’s simple, beautiful, and abounding in graces for the priest and/or bishop and for the women praying the hour. It’s quite a gift!”

The Seven Sisters apostolate started at St. Mary in March of 2020 and the beginnings of the group has an interesting story. 

“When I called to enroll our group, I was informed of it being St. Margaret Clitherow’s feast day,” Lipcamon said. “I knew it was divine inspiration that I was enrolling on her feast day because she is one of the patron saints of the Seven Sisters Apostolate.”

St. Margaret Clitherow was martyred in 1586 in England under the rule of King Henry VIII’s persecution of Catholics, for supporting and harboring priests in her home and for organizing secret Masses. She was a convert, deeply devoted to the holy Eucharist, and to supporting the priesthood in prayer and action.

“This apostolate is important because of the power of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and because our priests and bishops are tremendously important to the life of the Church,” Lipcamon said. “They are a great gift to us from God, and our prayers are needed to help protect and sustain them. The most important gift we receive through them is the holy Eucharist, Jesus’ Body and Blood for the life of the world, along with providing us with the other sacraments that Jesus instituted for our wellbeing. Our priests and bishops lead us in the faith and are integral to the life of the Church.”

St. Mary’s apostolate added the Fasting Brothers men’s group as an adjunct ministry last year. Twelve men in the parish willingly accepted a call to fast one day per week in conjunction with the women’s prayer apostolate for Father Schulte and Bishop Paprocki.

“I believe there have been tremendous graces given through this ministry to our priest, the priesthood in general, our parishes, our bishop, the women dedicated to this ministry, and thus the diocese and Church at large, because we are one and intricately connected,” Lipcamon said. “Any time spent in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament brings immeasurable blessings and graces. It is impossible to know or measure the profound effect or gain from this ministry, but I believe it to be tremendous.”

The Seven Sisters apostolate is not the first one in our diocese, and it continues to grow. Lipcamon, in her capacity as president of the Quincy Deanery Council of Catholic Women, has promoted this eucharistic devotion and ministry to her deanery and the other deaneries of our diocese. 

Since starting this prayer ministry at St. Mary in Pittsfield, Lipcamon says several other parishes now have one or more of the Seven Sisters Apostolate, including parishes in Jacksonville, Jerseyville, Camp Point, Quincy, Arcola, and Edwardsville, with others embarking on starting an apostolate.   

“I encourage the spread of this devotion for the extreme graces involved in the rebuilding of Christ’s Church through the prayers and sacrificial offerings for our priests and bishop,” Lipcamon said. “Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is the key to the Eucharistic Revival. Through eucharistic adoration will come eucharistic revival! Anyone who fervently goes before Jesus in the Eucharist, never walks away empty. He fills you up. Be fervent in your commitment. One person can make a huge difference. Go forth with prayer and trust. It’s an easy, simple, humble, and sacrificial ministry with tremendous impact.  May God continue to bless our diocese in this endeavor.”

For more information, go to sevensistersapostolate.org. 

Submitted photo 

What is the difference between nuns and sisters; what is a convent, monastery, motherhouse, and friary; and what is the difference between brothers, friars, monks, and monsignors?
- Rachel in Springfield

Dear Rachel,

Your questions about the various expressions and living arrangements of men and women religious is a good one. We Catholics love our lingo and sometimes that lingo can be confusing until we learn what the various words in our Catholic lexicon mean. 

To begin our discussion, it is important to know that people who are called to enter religious life as nuns, sisters, brothers, friars, priests, etc., live a life that seeks to draw them closer to Jesus Christ and His people in and through their radical witness and service to the Church and to the world. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers us:

“The religious state is thus one way of experiencing a ‘more intimate’ consecration, rooted in Baptism and dedicated totally to God. In the consecrated life, Christ’s faithful, moved by the Holy Spirit, propose to follow Christ more nearly, to give themselves to God who is loved above all and, pursuing the perfection of charity in the service of the Kingdom, to signify and proclaim in the Church the glory of the world to come” (CCC 916). 

This “religious state,” more commonly referred to as “religious life,” is lived out in different and unique ways. These unique differences are an asset to religious life, and they exist to bring about the Kingdom here on earth through witness and service. 

For women, living life as either a nun or sister offers an opportunity for women to live out this “intimate consecration” as they seek to serve Christ and His Church. While certainly related, these are two very different expressions of religious life. In common parlance, we often use the term “nun” as a sort of umbrella term for all women who are called to religious life, however, this is not accurate. Nuns are women who choose to retreat from the world, join a religious order, live together in a cloistered setting, and devote their lives to praying for the Church and the world. A good example of nuns for us in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois would be the Dominican Nuns of the Monastery of Mary the Queen in Girard. 

Sisters on the other hand are women who choose to join a religious order, live and pray in community, and devote their lives to serving the Church through various charisms and apostolates in the world. Historically, sisters have worked as nurses, doctors, teachers, university administrators, in parish leadership roles, and in various ministries to the poor, to name just a few. Some good examples of sisters for us in our diocese are the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George in Alton, and the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in Springfield. Depending on the religious order, nuns and sisters live in community in convents, monasteries, or motherhouses. A motherhouse is the home base or “headquarters” for a religious order of women. A convent is a home for religious sisters to live in community and is like a branch campus or satellite of the motherhouse. A monastery is a place where women who have entered a monastic order live, pray, and work. 

For men, living life as a brother, friar, or monk offers an opportunity for men to live out the same “intimate consecration” as they seek to serve Christ and His Church. Brothers live lives which are very similar to sisters. Brothers are men who choose to join a religious order, live, and pray in a community and devote their lives to serving the Church through various charisms and apostolates in the world. Historically, brothers have worked as teachers, in various forms of health care, in homes for people with intellectual disabilities, and other diverse ministries. In our diocese, the Franciscan Brothers of the Holy Cross offer us a beautiful example of this way of life. 

Monks and friars then are men who join particular types of religious orders. 

Monks are men who live in monasteries, follow the monastic way of life, according to a particular rule or set of guidelines, by which they live in common. Typically, monks, like nuns, live a cloistered life in a monastery, though some do undertake work in the world. Historically, monastic communities have primarily served the Church through the example of their contemplative prayer, though they also operate schools, seminaries, and universities.  While we do not have any monasteries in our diocese, monks can be found to the north of us at St. Bede’s Abbey in Peru; to the south of us at St. Louis Abbey in St. Louis; and to the east of us at St. Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Ind.  

Friars are men who join what’s called a “mendicant order.” Unlike a monastic order, a mendicant order serves in active ministries in the world, moving from place to place, embracing a life of poverty, and spreading the Gospel through evangelization. Here in our diocese, we are blessed with the presence of Franciscan and Dominican Friars in a number of our parishes, hospitals, and schools. In terms of where these various male religious live, monks live in monasteries and friars live in friaries. 

Finally, a monsignor is simply an honorific title that the pope bestows upon a diocesan priest in recognition of his years of faithful service to a particular Church, service to the Church in some extra-ordinary way, or because of a position of leadership. We are blessed with the presence of eight monsignori among our diocesan presbyterate.

In their own unique way, nuns, sisters, brothers, monks, friars, and monsignori (oh my!), contribute to the building up of the Kingdom through their witness and service. Their way of life furnishes for us an example of Christ’s merciful love for all of us as they “signify and proclaim in the Church the glory of the world to come.”

- Father Zachary D. Samples is parochial vicar of St. Peter Parish in Quincy and is associate chaplain at Quincy Notre Dame High School.

Click here to to download the the DCJH Brochure

From the very beginning, the Church has believed and celebrated according to the teaching of Jesus Himself: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (Jn 6:54-56). It is not “ordinary bread and ordinary drink” that we receive in the Eucharist, but the flesh and blood of Christ, who came to nourish and transform us, to restore our relationship to God and to one another.

In the Eucharist, with the eyes of faith we see before us Jesus Christ, who, in the Incarnation became flesh (Jn 1:14) and who in the Paschal Mystery gave Himself for us (Ti 2:14), accepting even death on a cross (Phil 2:8). St. John Chrysostom preached that when you see the Body of Christ “set before you [on the altar], say to yourself: ‘Because of this Body I am no longer earth and ashes, no longer a prisoner, but free: because of this I hope for heaven, and to receive the good things therein, immortal life, the portion of angels, [and closeness] with Christ.’”

How can Jesus Christ be truly present in what still appears to be bread and wine? In the liturgical act known as the epiclesis, the bishop or priest, speaking in the person of Jesus Christ, calls upon the Father to send down his Holy Spirit to change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, and this change occurs through the institution narrative, by the power of the words of Christ pronounced by the celebrant.

The reality that, in the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ without ceasing to appear as bread and wine to our five senses is one of the central mysteries of the Catholic faith. This faith is a doorway through which we, like the saints and mystics before us, may enter into a deeper perception of the mercy and love manifested in and through Christ’s sacramental presence in our midst. While one thing is seen with our bodily eyes, another reality is perceived through the eyes of faith. The real, true, and substantial presence of Christ in the Eucharist is the most profound reality of the sacrament. This mysterious change is very appropriately called by the Church transubstantiation. 

Though Christ is present to us in many ways in the liturgy, including in the assembly gathered, the presiding minister, and the word proclaimed, the Church also clearly affirms that “the mode of Christ’s presence under the Eucharistic species is unique.” As St. Paul VI wrote, “This presence is called ‘real’ not to exclude the idea that the others are ‘real’ too, but rather to indicate presence par excellence, because it is substantial and through it Christ becomes present whole and entire, God and man.” In the sacramental re-presentation of His sacrifice, Christ holds back nothing, offering Himself, whole and entire. The use of the word “substantial” to mark the unique presence of Christ in the Eucharist is intended to convey the totality of the gift He offers to us.

When the Eucharist is distributed and the minister says, “the Body of Christ,” we are to look not simply at what is visible before our eyes, but at what it has become by the words of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit — the Body of Christ. The communicant’s response of “Amen” is a profession of faith in the Real Presence of Christ and reflects the intimate personal encounter with him, with His gift of self, that comes through reception of holy Communion.

Taken from The Mystery of Eucharist in the Life of the Church, produced by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2021

Results from miracle are match to another eucharistic miracle hundreds of years earlier

By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor 

After Mass on Aug. 15, 1996 at a parish in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a woman approached the priest saying that she found a consecrated Host in the church. The priest — following proper procedures in such a case — placed the Host into a glass of water so it would dissolve and put the Host into the tabernacle. Days later, to the priest’s amazement, the Host appeared bloody and had a flesh-like appearance.

Then-Cardinal Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, who was Archbishop of the area at the time, was notified and had the host photographed, which clearly showed bloodied flesh that had somehow grown larger than the original Host. It was then placed back in the tabernacle and after several years, with no sign of decay, Cardinal Bergoglio officially opened an investigation. A sample of the blood was sent to scientists and doctors in the United States.  

The experts, without knowing where the sample came from, issued their results that it was human flesh and blood. Moreover, cardiologist and forensic pathologist, Dr. Frederic Zugibe said that it was “a fragment of the heart muscle found in the wall of the left ventricle close to the valves.” In addition, it was concluded that “the heart had been under severe stress, as if the owner had been beaten severely about the chest.”

Perhaps most fascinating about the findings, Dr. Zugibe said, “The heart muscle is in an inflammatory condition and contains a large number of white blood cells. This indicates that the heart was alive at the time the sample was taken. It is my contention that the heart was alive, since white blood cells die outside a living organism.”

It’s important to note that after blood is drawn from a person, the white blood cells disintegrate after 15 minutes. Therefore, it’s scientifically unexplainable that in 2005, white blood cells were found in a blood sample from 1996. 

Another Eucharistic miracle occurred in Italy in the eighth century when a consecrated Host physically changed into flesh and the wine physically changed to blood before the eyes of a priest who had doubted the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Those present at Mass also witnessed this. Today, despite no form of preservative, that host, which changed physically into flesh and blood is still present at a church in Lanciano, Italy and can be viewed. 

What do these eucharistic miracles have to do with us today?

In 2019, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey and found with self-identified Catholics that 69 percent do not believe that during the consecration at Mass, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. On the other hand, only 31 percent of Catholics believe Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, something the Church joyfully teaches, and has taught from day one. The Church also says that the “Eucharist is the source and summit ecclesial life.” It’s worth noting the survey found that most Catholics who believe the bread and wine are only symbols don’t know that the Church teaches they are transformed into the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ by the power of His own words. 

“While the survey results are troubling, they are not all that surprising,” said Father Daren Zehnle, director of the Office for Divine Worship and the Catechumenate for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. “Even some of Jesus’ first followers questioned His credibility when He spoke about the necessity of eating and drinking His Body and Blood. He did not lessen the strength of His words but doubled down. The difference between some people today and those early followers of Christ, is that the early ones who did not believe Him had the integrity to stop following Him. They knew they had to follow Him on His terms, or not at all. Some people today, however, try to follow Jesus on their own terms and ignore what He says.” 

Consider the evidence of the Church’s teaching on the Eucharist:

Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (John 6:53-56). 

At the Last Supper, Jesus was also quite clear: 

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins’” (Matthew 26:26-28).

Notice, Jesus said that this is my body. This is my blood. He didn’t say that this is a symbol of His body or blood. He also told his Apostles to “do this” in remembrance of Him. 

“From the beginning of the Church, Christians have taken Jesus’ words at face value,” Father Zehnle said. “If we look at the writings of the Church Fathers, we find people like St. Ignatius of Antioch speaking bluntly about the Eucharist as the Body and Blood of the Savior. People who disagreed with them, they knew to be outside the communion of the Church.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is helpful in breaking this teaching down, saying, “The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, that is, of the work of salvation accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, a work made present by the liturgical action. It is Christ himself, the eternal high priest of the New Covenant who, acting through the ministry of the priests, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. And it is the same Christ, really present under the species of bread and wine, who is the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice” (CCC 1409-1410).

If what Jesus said 2,000 years ago doesn’t get the attention of non-believers, perhaps that’s why God allows these Eucharistic miracles to occur — a “wake up” call to the Gift in front of them.

“The challenge for all of us is to believe what Jesus says because He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life who cannot deceive us,” Father Zehnle said.

Catholics in our diocese who converted to the faith shared with Catholic Times what it was like receiving the Eucharist for the first time. Their responses will inspire you. 

“I remember thinking, ‘This is it! This is it! And, you’re home. No matter what happens now, the most important thing in your life is now open to you and the rest in God’s hands.’”

• Father John Titus, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Mattoon and St. Columcille Parish in Sullivan

“The first time I went to Mass with my spouse who is Catholic, I didn’t know what to do with myself. My husband said to fold my arms and the priest would say some kind words giving me a bit of grace to carry on through the week. After I became Catholic, I thought, ‘Finally!’ I can fully participate in Mass. I was overwhelmed with the spirit of Christ and felt I had pleased Him with the direction I had chosen for my life. I was incorrect in thinking this was the end of my journey in coming to Christ. Each time I partake of the Eucharist, I know it draws me closer to God and gives me focus to continue His work in serving those in most need.”

• Deegee Kienstra, St. Mary Parish in Edwardsville 

“It was …  April 2019, at the Easter Vigil that I joined the Catholic faith and received the Eucharist for the first time. I was finally able to take part in what Christ requested, ‘Do this in remembrance of me.’ I became more and more aware throughout RCIA what it really meant to be part of such a union with other Catholics throughout the world. I was so excited and deeply aware of what it meant to take part in what was truly one bread and one body — Christ’s body. I was finally able to physically, mentally, and spiritually receive with each Communion a renewal, as well as a reminder the deep love Christ has for all who take part.” 

• Rebecca McIntire, St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Effingham

“Incredible. Receiving the Eucharist for the first time—knowing that I was truly receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ—those feelings and emotions are just impossible to describe. What I experienced that day is something that will stay with me forever.”

• Gerald Broadwater, St. Elizabeth Parish in Granite City

“It was a very personal experience. At that time, I felt like the world was at peace, and I truly felt united with Christ. Being baptized and receiving the Eucharist on the same day was an overwhelming experience filled with love, joy, and happiness for me. “

• Makenzie Miles, St. Francis Solanus Parish in Quincy

“It was a point of letting my guard down and accepting that I didn’t have it all figured out and that God and I were going to get to know each other better.” 

• Nathan Grider, St. Agnes Parish in Springfield     

“I was very nervous at the 2001 Easter Vigil when receiving the holy Sacraments as a convert, but I remember feeling peace come over me as I exclaimed what my pastor taught me to increase my faith in the holy Eucharist, ‘My Lord, and my God.’"

• Alex Foster, St. Francis Xavier Parish in Jerseyville

“As a born southern Baptist, Christianity never made any sense to me. I could never figure out what the big deal was. After learning about the Eucharist, things slowly began to make more and more sense, and when I actually received the Eucharist for the first time, I had this feeling of clarity. I almost felt as if my brain had been rewired. I don’t know that it was miraculous but, in my mind, suddenly life and more importantly the Scriptures made sense.”

• Calvin Bell, Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield   

“When I received the Eucharist for the first time, two things came to mind: First, was an overwhelming sense of peace. I felt closer to Christ than I ever had before. The other feeling or thought I had was that I was finally home. I had waited a long time to be a part of Christ's church and I was so grateful to now be His own. I prayed for the feeling to never subside. I remember the song they played, 'How Beautiful,’ and that I cried.”

• Bret Ware, St. Elizabeth Parish in Granite City

“As I approached Father Joe (Ring) to receive my first Communion, I felt completely humbled and most reverent of the great sacrifices Jesus Christ made for me. After receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus, I was overwhelmed, emotionally and physically, with the love of the Holy Spirit. So, in total gratitude, I knelt down to pray that I would be a vessel for His light to shine through me.”

• Pamma Kaufmann, Our Saviour Parish in Jacksonville 

“I entered the Catholic Church in a humbling manner. I never thought that I would have a conversion. I had been raised in the Baptist church and my entire family was of Protestant faith. I had taken communion throughout my life as a ‘symbolic gesture.’ As I attended the Catholic church with my future husband, many times I would be moved to tears. Watching the faithful partake in Communion, there was something special about this, something that I had never experienced. At the Easter Vigil when I received my first Communion it was a feeling of gratitude and renewal. I knew that Jesus was in the Eucharist. I am so appreciative of the Eucharist and what it means to my life, and I look forward to growing in my Catholic faith.”

• Lynda Wrigley, Blessed Trinity Parish in Brussels  

“Coming from a Protestant background, receiving the holy Eucharist for the first time felt like stepping into a world I had never encountered before. I feel as though I have truly joined the marriage Supper of the Lamb and received the fullness of the faith.”

• Joseph Smith, St. Francis Solanus Parish in Quincy

1. Because Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist reserved in the tabernacle, commonly behind the altar, Catholics should genuflect when entering and exiting their pew to show reference to God, who is truly present. 
2. Likewise, one should also kneel (if physically able) during and after the Consecration. 
3. Catholics must pray and deeply prepare to receive the holy Eucharist. 
4. Catholics must reverently receive the Eucharist. This includes, first, bowing your head before receiving. You should receive the Eucharist, not take the Body or Blood of Christ (no grabbing, pinching, or biting). 
5. Say “Amen” after receiving, which means “It is so” or “I believe.” 
6. One must never receive the Eucharist while in a state of mortal sin.
7. One must go to confession if one has purposely skipped attending Mass (breaking the Third Commandment) before one can receive the Eucharist again.
8. Catholics must also consume the Eucharist immediately after receiving it. If you ever see someone not consume the Eucharist, confront him or her at once and alert the priest. Some people who do this are intentionally stealing the Host for desecration. If a Catholic knowingly desecrates a consecrated Host, they are committing grave sin and face immediate excommunication from the Church. 
9. After receiving Jesus, Catholics should spend time in a prayer of thanksgiving for this incredible gift from God. 
10. Catholics should remain until after the dismissal from Mass.

“Because we are human beings, a union of body and soul, what we do with our bodies affects our hearts and minds,” said Father Daren Zehnle, director of the Office for Divine Worship and the Catechumenate for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. “If we approach the Eucharist in a sloppy or hurried manner, we run the risk of forgetting who it is we are receiving and of setting a bad example for those whose faith might be weak. Rather, if we approach the Eucharist with a reverent demeanor, it can help strengthen the faith of others and offers the respect to God that He deserves. 

“If a Catholic has intentionally not participated in Mass every Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation, he or she may not receive the Eucharist without first being reconciled to God and the Church through the sacrament of confession. We should remember that the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is not the same as receiving holy Communion. If we are not prepared to receive the Eucharist, we should not do so.”

St. Maximilian Kolbe, who gave his life in order to save another man’s life during his imprisonment in Auschwitz during the Holocaust in World War II, said, “If the angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.” That’s a great reminder we have the most holy and pure gift available to us every Mass, Jesus, truly present in the holy Eucharist.

My answer to better prepare for Mass would be prayer, study, and live. If possible, I would arrive a few minutes early before Mass. Use the time to pray and quiet yourself. Most of us live very rushed and busy lives these days, so that time of silence allows us to focus our attention on God and offering worship to the Lord. Also, I would suggest praying over the readings before Mass on Sunday. By praying over the readings ahead of time, you will be more familiar to them and ready to let the Lord our God speak to you through them.

The second suggestion I would offer would be to study the Mass. Today as Catholics, we have so much Catholic media at our hands to learn more about our Catholic Faith. We have Dynamic Catholic, Catholic Answers, EWTN, or Word on Fire, to name just a few, literally at our fingertips. Studying the Mass can really open our eyes to the amazing meaning behind the symbols and gestures that are used at Mass. One excellent series on the Mass that I recently watched was Bishop Barron’s The Mass. It is a short series that goes through the different parts of the Mass and explains the rich meanings.

Finally, my third suggestion would be to live the Mass. The Mass is meant to form how we live because the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. At every Mass, the Lord Jesus speaks to us and pours out his grace to heal and nourish us. One way we live the Mass is to bring an intention to every Mass. We all know someone or something to pray for at every Mass. Offer that intention up during the Prayers of the Faithful in your heart. 

Also, we can live the Mass by offering up and uniting our sacrifices up to the Sacrifice of the Eucharist. We see and hear this at every Mass when the priest says, “Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.” We are all invited here to offer our sacrifices from our lives that we do for God like our work life, family life, and prayer life represented by the gifts of bread, wine, and money. So, to better prepare for Mass, think of your sacrifices that you want to offer to God before Mass and offer them up during the Eucharistic Prayer. Then look in awe as your sacrifices and mine are lifted up literally by the priest to God the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit, and we receive the ultimate gift back, the sacrifice of Christ’s Body and Blood. 

 Father Mark Tracy is pastor of Holy Family in Decatur and Catholic chaplain for the Illinois Army National Guard 

We believe as Catholics that in the holy Eucharist the Lord is truly and substantially present. If we believe this, we also believe that we are unworthy to receive the most holy of gifts offered by Christ, the gift of Himself — Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.  

This response at Mass comes after the priest, elevating the Body of Christ in the sacred Host and the chalice of the Blood of Christ says, "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to receive the supper of the Lamb” (the reference to John the Baptist's words when he observes the coming of Jesus). When we respond, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed," we are using the words of the centurion from St. Matthew's Gospel when he asked Jesus to heal his servant who was paralyzed. 

In the Gospel passage I just referenced, Matthew 8:8, the centurion refers to the word of Jesus as enough to heal his servant and not his soul as we respond. The responses we make at the liturgical celebration of the Mass refers to our individual response in faith to the power of Jesus and so “soul” was inserted in place of “servant.” 

This does not change the words of sacred Scripture but strengthens it, because we are servants of Christ and therefore called to serve in mastery over sin and embracing the spiritual nourishment of our souls. 

The Body and Blood of Jesus can heal our souls. Our worthiness to receive the holy Eucharist is found in our disposition to receive what we believe and reflects our dependence upon Christ to help change our hearts to receive what is sacred and holy as nourishment for our souls. To receive the holy Eucharist in an unworthy manner is taken up by St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:27-29) when he says, "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself." 

To acknowledge our unworthiness to receive the Eucharist is to embrace humility before the Blessed Sacrament and to prepare ourselves to be united more intimately to Christ in His passion and death and as a member of His body. Our mind, our heart, and our soul must be prepared to receive what the Church says about the Eucharist in the document Sacrosanctum Concilium from the Second Vatican Council, that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian faith.

Father Stephen Thompson is pastor of Holy Family Parish  in Granite City and St. Mary and St. Mark Parish in Madison

The power of eucharistic adoration

By LISA REXROAT 
Special to Catholic Times

Eucharistic adoration. What does it mean to me? Wow, I could never explain this fully in words. I will do my best to express the pure joy and the bursting of my feelings that I get and the feeling of not wanting to leave! Eucharistic adoration is a place where I feel happy, joyful, secure, and safe.

I usually attend eucharistic adoration at our church on every Tuesday when we have perpetual adoration that day. I attend at our hospital chapel on other days if I feel the need for extra help on a different day. It is hard on me if I have to miss my hour, as it has become a habit, a habit which I am so happy to embrace. 

While at adoration, I like to kneel as close to the Blessed Sacrament as possible. Sometimes I walk and do the Stations of the Cross. Sometimes I pray the rosary. I usually always lay my special needs up on the altar (not physically). Before I begin, I usually sing all the verses of Amazing Grace. I would be lying if I didn’t tell you a couple times I have caught myself dozing off or getting distracted. But, we are all human, we all have free will, and Jesus loves us right where we are right now!  

Through adoration, I have realized He has given us all the gifts we need. We just need to be with Him in silence and ask specifically for things that we feel we need at a particular moment. We need to adore Him and thank Him. Remember, He came to earth in the flesh and suffered and died on the cross because He loves us so much. So, over the many years that I have been going to adoration, I have realized that I need to take that time and sit in silence with Him, away from the hustle and bustle.  

We must believe that He can heal and answer our prayers, but we must also realize the healing may be eternally in Heaven and not here on Earth. I have had many situations that I took to prayer at adoration — for family members, friends, or myself who were sick or even a young girl that was needing to find beautiful parents to adopt her that she could trust. Those prayers were answered. So many times, I go in with an anxious heart and come out with peace and forgiveness in my heart. 

Each of us has our own gift. A gift that God has given me is after each Tuesday night after adoration, He gives me a spiritual reflection, and I share that with others on my Facebook page, through text, and in our local paper. I know I have to take that quiet time and peace to hear what He reveals to me. 

Some days I will cry while praying because I feel remorse — or just know He is there with me, and I get super excited. Other times, I feel a sense of peace. 

I highly recommend putting adoration on your schedule. I had to do every week, otherwise I wouldn't attend because it just wouldn't get done. That is my nature. Now, I feel an emptiness when I am unable to go. If your church does not have eucharistic adoration, talk to your priest about starting it. If you have one already about your parish, set a schedule and/or bring a friend literally to Christ. We need these graces He gives freely to us. You will have no regrets. God will give you everything you need. All you need to do is ask and adore Him right there in the Blessed Sacrament.

Lisa Rexroat is a parishioner at St. Isidore Parish in Dieterich.

In 1857, what was then the Diocese of Quincy, became the Diocese of Alton, making Ss. Peter and Paul church the Cathedral of the diocese - at that time, the southern half of Illinois. Below the main altar are the tombs of the first two bishops of the Diocese of Alton, Bishop Henry Damian Juncker and Bishop Peter Joseph Baltes. The third bishop of the Diocese of Alton, Bishop James Ryan, is buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery.During the Year of the Eucharist in our diocese, Catholic Times and the social media channels for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois will also get you ready for the 100^th anniversary of the transfer of the diocesan See city from Alton to Springfield (October of 2023). This includes articles and photos about the rich history of our diocese, videos from the Office for the Archives and Records Management showcasing fascinating documents and objects from our history, and 100 trivia questions, so stay tuned! 

In this edition of Catholic Times, we present to you a brief history of our diocese up to the See transfer and the pioneers that made our region flourish in faith. 

By KATIE and P.J. OUBRE 
Office for the Archives and Records Management
Special to the Catholic Times

Even though Springfield has been the See city of our diocese for just under 100 years, the story of our diocese spans over 300 years. The land that our diocese occupies was once the home to Illini Nations and the migration path of the Peoria, Kickapoo, and Kaskaskia tribes of Indigenous People. 

In 1789, the newly formed Diocese of Baltimore included the territory that is now the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. At that time, only a small population of Catholics lived in this area, practicing their faith in the settlement established by Father Jacques Marquette, who had arrived in the areas in 1673 with a group of French explorers. Since then, this area has passed under the administration of the Diocese of Bardstown, Kentucky (1808), St. Louis, Missouri (1826), and Vincennes, Indiana (1834). In 1843, the entire state of Illinois was formed into a single diocese with the See city in Chicago. 

On October 26, 1923 Pope Pius XI transferred of the see of the diocese from Alton to Springfield. Just 12 days earlier, the pope had named James Griffin (pictured) as the first bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Griffin was consecrated at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, on February 25, 1924.In 1852, American bishops and archbishops met in Baltimore for their first Plenary Council.  There, they discussed creating more dioceses in the United States. They recommended that Illinois be divided, and on July 29, 1853, Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Quincy, which was comprised of the current Diocese of Springfield in Illinois and Diocese of Belleville. A bishop of Quincy was appointed but declined the honor. On Jan. 9, 1857, Pope Pius IX moved the vacant see to Alton and appointed Henry Damian Juncker, a priest from Ohio as the first bishop of Alton. 

Bishop Juncker traveled to Europe and recruited priests and seminarians to commit to serve in the new diocese. Bishop Juncker built a solid spiritual foundation that made it possible for our diocese to flourish. He died on Oct. 2, 1868, having overseen the dedication and erection of over 50 local parish churches and missions. 

The second bishop of our diocese was Peter J. Baltes. He was consecrated at St. Peter Church in Belleville on Jan. 23, 1870. Bishop Baltes actively recruited women religious for the Diocese of Alton and three communities established motherhouses. He stabilized the administration of the diocese and oversaw continued growth. 

In 1887, upon the death of Bishop Baltes, Pope Leo XIII split the diocese in two, establishing the Diocese of Belleville from the southern portion of the diocese. Father James Ryan from the Diocese of Peoria was appointed as the third bishop of Alton.

Bishop Ryan had the longest tenure of any bishop of our diocese, serving a little over 35 years.  His episcopacy saw a massive rise in immigration to the area. Thousands of immigrants settled in Central Illinois and Bishop Ryan had to contend with providing religious services to more than a dozen ethnic groups. He steered the diocese through a period of growth and change and is best known for his role in expanding the Alton orphanage. Bishop Ryan died on July 2, 1923. 

Bishop Griffin's first task was to move the chancery from Alton to Springfield and to establish a new cathedral. St. Mary's Church in downtown Springfield became the pro-cathedral, but the building, which was built in 1859, was showing its age. In 1927, Griffin launched the Cathedral Campaign to raise money for the new building and within a month, the campaign had reached its goal of $750,000 and shortly thereafter, it topped the million-dollar mark. Griffin had timed the construction of the cathedral so that it would be completed in time for the celebration of the diocese's Diamond Jubilee. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was dedicated on October 14, 1928 as the highlight of the four-day jubilee festivities. This photo of the cathedral was taken in 1928.On Oct. 26, 1923, Pope Pius XI translated the diocesan see from Alton to Springfield. Just 12 days earlier, the pope had named Father James Griffin of Chicago as the first bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Bishop Griffin's first task was to move the chancery from Alton to Springfield and to establish a new cathedral. 

St. Mary Church in downtown Springfield became the pro-cathedral of the newly-formed diocese, but the building, which was built in 1859, was showing its age. In 1927, Bishop Griffin launched the Cathedral Campaign to raise money for the new building and within a month, the campaign had reached its goal of $750,000 and shortly thereafter, it topped the million-dollar mark. Bishop Griffin had timed the construction of the cathedral so that it would be completed in time for the celebration of the diocese's Diamond Jubilee. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was dedicated on Oct. 14, 1928, as the highlight of the four-day festivities.

Bishop Griffin worked to centralize the administration of the diocese by creating several new offices. The creation of Catholic Social Services (now Catholic Charities) in 1925 exemplified his new management style. During the Great Depression, Catholic Social Services, in cooperation with St. John's Hospital, initiated a systematic program to feed the hungry. St. John's Breadline operated directly from the kitchen of the hospital at first, but eventually became a freestanding operation. 

The death of Bishop Griffin on Aug. 5, 1948 marked a turning point in our diocese. He ushered the diocese into the modern era, but he could not have imagined the challenges that would face the Church in the coming decades.  

Our diocese continues to thrive as we celebrate the centennial of the translation of the See from Alton to Springfield, and we look forward to both the centennial of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and the 175^th Anniversary of our diocese in 2028. 

Katie Oubre, MLIS, CA, CRM is the director of the Archives and Record Management for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. P.J. Oubre, MA, CA, is the assistant archivist for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. 

By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor

Berni Ely and Bev Hoffman, both parishioners at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Springfield, agree that by helping people deal with loss, they have found their special niche in life. 

The two women co-facilitate a program that helps believers of all faiths paddle through the waves of grief. That program, GriefShare, is now under way on Tuesdays, from 1-2:30 p.m. in the Cathedral School library. It’s a 13-week program (the current one began Nov. 1) that allows people to join in at any time — and Cathedral runs two sessions a year. 

GriefShare has existed for over 25 years and is made available in over 19,000 churches in the United States and several other countries. It is a Christ-centered video-based support group that equips lay volunteers to encourage and comfort people going through bereavement. 

At Cathedral GriefShare meetings — usually attended by between five and 15 people — each person is welcomed by name. The leaders explain the agenda, offer refreshments, and welcome any new members. When everyone is settled, they say an opening prayer. The leaders inquire about the last week, to see if anyone wants to share any special concern or incident, then discuss the workbook session that has followed the previous week’s topic. The invitation to share is open, but not required. After that discussion, the group views a video, followed by a brief discussion. Guests look over the workbook pages for the upcoming week and then the session is closed with another prayer. 

Because they are all feature the same GriefShare videos and share a nation-wide support team, most of the sessions are similar, no matter where they take place. For example, at the urging of her friends, Eli attended her GriefShare program at Athens Christian Church. She later approached Vicki Compton, coordinator of Faith Formation and Mission at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and asked if the parish be able to offer the program.

 “I wasn’t sure if the parish could offer it — because it was Christian but not specifically Catholic in origin — but Vicki listened to me and looked into it,” Ely said. “She was very helpful. Our pastor at the time approved it and then we got started.” 

“Berni said it was the best thing she could do after her husband’s death. GriefShare is what finally helped her move forward after Jack’s death. She encouraged us to start GriefShare and been part of the team since the beginning (in 2019),” Compton said.

Hoffman says, like Ely, she is pleased to be part of the GriefShare team. “I witnessed the depth of grief my sister and husband experienced following the loss of their 18-year-old son in a car accident, as well as my mother’s grief following my dad’s death. While I could not change the situation, I wanted so much to ease their pain.

“I am a long-time Cathedral parishioner. I have regretted for a long time that Catholic churches have not offered the supportive programs that some other denominations offer,” said Hoffman. “After early retirement from my career in state government, I wanted to do something that made a difference — and that was a position at a local funeral home. For many years, I referred families served by the funeral home to GriefShare programs offered by other churches. I was delighted when it could be offered by Cathedral and wanted to support and be a part of it. It is important to remember that we are not counselors, but presenting information in a compassionate manner and facilitating healing discussion. ” 

“We’ve found that our guests find so much solace in good video and print resources, but mostly from the deep and sincere listening of the other participants. We have seen people change over the 13 weeks,” Compton said. “At the beginning they could only cry, but by the end were finding some moments of happiness and sharing stories and supporting others. It is really beautiful to see.”

“After several sessions, individuals feel safer about sharing their grief and tears as they recognize that they are not alone in their grief and others in the group understand,” Hoffman said. “It is easier to share the grief, though the grief doesn’t get ‘easier’ for some time.” 

Most people who experience loss have people around them to help immediately after a death. But GriefShare is designed to extend a grieving ministry that follows in the months or even years after a loss, when people around the griever have returned to their busy lives. 

“Some guests come as soon as few weeks after the death of a loved one, some years after the death,” Compton said. “All seem to find some healing and hope. Several participants, especially those who come soon after their loss, return to repeat the course. When grief is fresh it is difficult to take in any of the content, but being with others who know how they feel, is a comfort in itself. The second time thru is like a completely new experience for them.”

The materials point to Christ as the ultimate healer, something that Ely thinks is most important. “I don’t know how you can grieve without God,” she said. “I had been to other grief programs, but GriefShare really helped me more than anything. I felt like it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I just want to help people. I understand now that my husband had to die for me to get to this point, but I feel like this is my calling. ”

To find out more about beginning a GriefShare program in your parish, go the website, www.griefshare.org. Or, you can contact Vicki Compton at (217) 522-3342 or email . 

Deacon Krug and his mother, Mary Jane, hug after Deacon Krug is ordained to the permanent diaconate.By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor

Husband, father, and now, a deacon for the Catholic Church. Deacon Andrew Krug was ordained to the permanent diaconate Oct. 28 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki. Family, friends, priests, and deacons of the diocese were all in attendance.

“The Church has always been a major part of my life,” Deacon Krug said. “My mom instilled that in my siblings and myself. So, that thought of serving has always been present. One day, Deacon David Sorrell (director for the Office for the Diaconate) brought the idea of the diaconate to me. I spoke to my family, and it made sense as a move in the right direction. God has blessed me, and I want to serve and help others see God's graces in their lives.”

Those blessings include his marriage to Deanne and daughter, Ally, and now a granddaughter, Aviana Marie.

“I can truthfully say that I can relate with others fears, joys, doubts, and hopes,” Deacon Krug said. “I hope to think of those experiences will help others see that, yes, I can understand and serve by that, walk/talk with them on their journeys of faith. Life can be challenging. It helps to have a friend along the way.”

Deacon Krug will primarily be ministering at St. John Vianney Parish in Sherman and occasionally at Resurrection Parish in Illiopolis. In addition to his work in the Church, he’ll continue as a marketing specialist for Levi, Ray, & Shoup, Inc. When asked what he’s looking forward to the most as a deacon, his response was one of positivity. 

“At each level of my journey as a Catholic, be it student, adult, husband, parent and now deacon, the new adventures, challenges, and joys that come with each new level, I witnessed others in that office and watched them help others and themselves in their faith journey, and I hope with enthusiasm for the new experiences,” Deacon Krug said.

Learn more about the permanent diaconate on page XX of this issue. 

An exterior view of the Evermode Institute in Springfield.

Father Augustine Puchner is the prior of the new Norbertine community at the Evermode Institute. All Catholics to benefit from new Evermode Institute in Springfield
Prior of community that will lead the Evermode Institute details timeline, mission, programing

By ANDREW HANSEN 
Editor 

Father Augustine Puchner was serving as pastor of a large, multilingual parish with a school in the Diocese of Orange in California earlier this year when he was approached by the abbot of his community with a new assignment. He remembers that moment as “a day my life changed.” 

“I didn’t know too much about Springfield, Ill.,” Father Puchner said with a laugh.

Since that moment, he has come to  know a lot more about Springfield. That’s because Father Puchner, a priest of the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey based in Orange, was given the assignment of being the prior of a community of Norbertine Fathers who are tasked with opening and leading the new Evermode Institute in Springfield, which the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois announced plans for last March. The Evermode Institute is something that is expected to become one of the nation’s top centers for Catholic spiritual and intellectual formation, opening in July 2023.

“The Evermode Institute will teach and train the teachers and administrators who themselves are in positions of responsibility and influence in regard to teaching the faith,” Father Puchner said. “Our mission is for the glorification of God and the salvation of souls through the imparting of Catholic doctrine, true Catholic teaching, in regard to all the aspects that will help school principals, administrators, teachers, directors of religious education, catechists, directors of RCIA programs — all of those involved in Catholic formation. They will be participating in the program in a variety of ways, and we’ll be offering classes that we’ll make sure that they themselves really know the faith and know it in a way that will give them the tools along with the enthusiasm and zeal to be even better teachers. But for all lay people, it will be a program that many people can benefit from.” 

St. Francis of Assisi Church at the Evermode Institute.A native of Milwaukee, Father Puchner has been living in Wisconsin the past several months, making trips to Springfield often as he embarks on this rare and exciting opportunity to start the Evermode Institute from scratch. The Norbertine Fathers also announced Father Ambrose Criste as the director of the Evermode Institute. Both priests have already been working on the programing for the institute.

“It (the programming) will be at a level that is not overwhelming,” Father Puchner said. “It will start with a more basic curriculum to reinforce what our teachers already know about the faith, but maybe they don’t know the reasons behind some of the teachings or how those teachings can be effectively integrated with other teachings. So, it’s a comprehensive program of theology and spirituality. It will be accessible to the common person but it a way that will definitely elevate the knowledge of their faith.”  

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, overnight accommodations for guests, and beautiful outdoor prayer trails, Stations of the Cross, and grottos.  

“It’s an incredible gift, and we, the entire Norbertine Community, everyone realizes this is an incredible gift from God,” Father Puchner said. “The first time I came, and now that I am here, the beauty of the grounds and the property and the majestic beauty of this gorgeous church (St. Francis of Assisi Church), all this to glorify God and the mission of evangelization, faith formation, and celebrating the sacraments — it will be renewed in a very powerful way.”

Before the Evermode Institute fully opens in July next year, several more priests from the Norbertine Fathers will join Fathers Puchner and Criste as they will all set up full-time residence at the property, with the Evermode Institute being their primary apostolate. 

“Our plan is to make this not only special for Springfield, but far beyond,” Father Puchner said. “There will be in-person classes at the Evermode Institute and electronically.

“The Nobertines have a long history of faith formation programs. We feel we bring a certain amount of gifts, talents, expertise, and experience in regard to the Evermode Institute which will really form the teachers and administrators to be even more well-versed in teaching and living the Catholic faith.” 

For the past several years, the Norbertine Fathers were looking for another location in the country to grow their community as they have had to reject potential seminarians because they were full. This happened despite them completing a new and expanded home just last year in California.

Immersed in the 900-year tradition of their order, the Norbertine Fathers live a common life of liturgical prayer and care for souls. Their life at St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange, and next year in Springfield, is organized according to prayer of the Church: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. The public will be able to pray with them and attend Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Church, many of whom call the church a “gem of the Midwest” for its striking beauty, history, and relics on display.

The Evermode Institute (4875 Laverna Road, Springfield, IL 62707) is being established under the patronage of St. Evermode, a Norbertine prelate who died in 1178 and was a close collaborator of St. Norbert. St. Evermode is credited with great and effective works of evangelization and formation in the Catholic faith. 

The front of St. Francis of Assisi Church at the Evermode InstituteIn addition to the Evermode Institute, the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is also working with the daughter of one the most popular modern day Catholic saints, who announced plans to establish an international pilgrimage site and center very close to the Evermode Institute (a block or two away). Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, the daughter of Italian saint, St. Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962) and Pietro Molla, will establish the St. Gianna Beretta Molla and Pietro Molla International Center for Family and Life, which will be a peaceful place of prayer, learning, study, and spirituality for pilgrims geared to spreading the knowledge of and devotion to her holy parent’s virtues and, thus, to promote the holiness of the family and respect for the sanctity of all human life. 

That means in the future, Central Illinois will be home to the Evermode Institute; the St. Gianna Beretta Molla and Pietro Molla International Center for Family and Life; Venerable Father Augustine Tolton, the nation’s first black priest who is buried in Quincy and who is on his way to sainthood; and Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who is buried in Peoria and is also on his way to sainthood. When asked if this area could therefore become a “Catholic mecca,” Father Puchner laughed and said, “That’s our plan.”

“After every meeting (with Bishop Thomas John Paprocki and his staff), we all agree that this can be huge,” Father Puchner said. “I mean, all glory be to God, we’ll do the work. God has chosen this place for a ministry that will be so far reaching and renew and reform so much in regard to Catholic education, Catholic formation, and sacred worship. It’s a lot to grasp, but we have great ideas and resources to make it all happen. It’s really exciting.”

Answers taken and edited from Andrew Hansen’s interview with Father Puchner on Dive Deep, the official podcast of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. To hear more of their conversation, go to dio.org/podcast or search “Dive Deep” on all the major podcast platforms. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast as a new one comes out every month.

By DEACON DAVID SORRELL
Special to Catholic Times  

As we reflect over the past 20 years, much has happened regarding the permanent diaconate in our diocesan Church. Shortly after Bishop George Lucas was installed as our bishop in 1999, he began a conversation concerning the permanent diaconate in our Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Since Vatican II had restored the permanent diaconate, many dioceses in our country had already implemented a formation program and called many men to holy orders. Members of our diocesan Curia, Quincy University, and Father Bill Burton, a Franciscan Friar at Quincy University, began collaborating on a formation program for our diocese. From the effort, a dual path was created resulting in a certificate or master’s degree in pastoral theology.

After exhaustive consultation, in the fall of 2002, Bishop Lucas issued an invitation to all interested Catholic men, single and married, above the age of 35 and in good standing in the Church to come and learn more about the permanent diaconate in our diocese. More than 30 candidate families completed the application and evaluation. To be admitted to the formation program, it was necessary for each applicant to be supported by their family and parish. Supported by the faculty of Quincy University and diocesan priests, classes began in December 2002. Two groups of men and wives were graduates of the Quincy University program. In June 2007 and 2009, 28 men petitioned and were ordained to the holy order of deacon. 

Periodically throughout the Quincy University program, goals were reevaluated. Further discernment resulted in the formation team looking east to the Benedictine’s at Saint Meinrad in Indiana. They were actively engaged in preparing deacons in more than 20 dioceses across the country and Caribbean in a non-degree model. However, the classes could benefit a deacon after ordination should he desire to continue higher education. The Villa Maria Retreat Center in Springfield, with all its accommodations, became the venue for the permanent diaconate formation. For 12 years, Saint Meinrad’s national network of faculty provided exceptional professors who traveled to Springfield monthly. During this time, 27 men petitioned and were ordained to the holy order of deacon.

Once again, as the formation team reevaluated process and goals, it was determined that formation was lacking in certain dimensions. It was also during this time that the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in Springfield entered into agreement with the diocese to assume responsibility of the marvelous campus and facilities. Now, the Evermode Institute at that campus has been formed to provide formation not only for teachers and catechists but also for priests and deacons. In August, a group of six men began their path to ordination, God willing, in 2027. Once fully implemented, this new model will allow for men to enter into formation every year.

However, what remains the same is the purpose of formation of future ministers for our diocesan family. So how might we ask the question, “What is a deacon?” A deacon is an ordained minister of the Catholic Church. There are three groups, or "orders," of ordained ministers in the Church: bishops, presbyters, and deacons. Deacons are ordained as a sacramental sign to the Church and to the world of Christ, who came "to serve and not to be served." The entire Church is called by Christ to serve, and the deacon, in virtue of his sacramental ordination and through his various ministries, is to be a servant in a servant-Church.

This review of our permanent diaconate formation once restored and through these renewals remains in fidelity to the call to serve in the manner and example of Christ the Servant. Visit dio.org/diaconate to learn more about this vocation and contact information.

Deacon David Sorrell is director of the Office for the Diaconate for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

Why are we asking for the “Sacred Heart” of Jesus to pray for us? Does the Heart of the Lord pray to the Lord or to God? In the traditional Mass, we ask for the Sacred Heart to have mercy on us and not to pray for us.
- Jake in Springfield

Dear Jake, 

Thanks for your question. It brings up a couple of opportunities for clarification that I find are pretty common. First, on the distinction of asking for God's mercy versus asking the intercession of the saints: We can look at the centuries-long practice of the Church's use of litanies in her public prayer to answer your principal question. 

Litanies today seem to be recited, more often than not, but in former times, they were nearly always sung, which better illustrates that they are a dialogue. Some of the litanies that people might be familiar with still today include the Litany of the Saints, Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, Litany of the Most Precious Blood, Litany of the Holy Ghost (a central element of St. Louis de Montfort's Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary), the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (commonly called Loreto), and the Litany of St. Joseph (to which Pope Francis recently added additional invocations). Since you mentioned the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, you might also be familiar with the Major Litanies of the Rogation Days celebrated each spring, leading up to Ascension Thursday, and those of the feast of St. Mark. 

In all these, we begin by praying, “Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.” These are supplications first to the Father, then to the Son, and finally, to the Holy Spirit. Then we ask for Christ to hear us, and then more emphatically, to graciously hear us. Then we pray, “God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.”

This would be the most appropriate point to address the second clarification. Many people colloquially use "God" when what they are talking about is "God the Father." Additionally, many use "Lord" only when they mean "Jesus," but we know from the Old Testament that Lord in Hebrew is "Adonai," and they were certainly invoking God the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when saying "Lord." This leads to some people saying they invoked "both God and Jesus," which is extremely problematic language we should not use, because the three Persons of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are indeed all God and Lord.  This is most clearly expressed in the ancient Preface of the Holy Trinity which says:

"It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God. For with your Only Begotten Son and the Holy Spirit you are one God, one Lord: not in the unity of a single person, but in a Trinity of one substance. For what you have revealed to us of your glory we believe equally of your Son and of the Holy Spirit, so that, in the confessing of the true and eternal Godhead, you might be adored in what is proper to each Person, their unity in substance, and their equality in majesty." 

I am unfamiliar with any prayers that would ask the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus to "pray for us." Instead, the proper response is either "have mercy on us" or "save us" (as in the Litany of the Most Precious Blood), or "Lord, deliver us we pray" (as in the Litany of the Saints), or "hear us / Lord, hear our prayer" (as opposed to not hearing our petitions).

In the Litany of the Saints, the Litany of Loreto, the Litany of St. Joseph, etc., we always respond "pray for us" after invoking the saints. It's possible whatever resource you saw that put Jesus on the same level as the saints just made an error in typing. The distinctions in what we ask from the Persons of the Trinity and what we ask of the saints, by God's power, has been consistently expressed in the ways I've mentioned for a very long time. This is true in both the Extraordinary and Ordinary Forms of the Mass. 

To best envision how prayer works in general is to remember what happens at the Offertory of the Mass. We have the horizontal dimension of the faithful entrusting all their prayers and needs symbolically to the priest, who then offers all these needs along with the bread and wine that will later become the Body and Blood of the Lord at the consecration. Then there is the vertical dimension where the priest, on behalf of the faithful, offers up all these things to Jesus on the cross at the Consecration, Who, in turn, offers it all up to God the Father. The priest also asks that the Holy Spirit would come down upon the gifts on the altar and sanctify them. So, Heaven meets earth on the altar, and the vertical dimension of prayer (our love of God) and the horizontal dimension (our love of neighbor) meet. Many hours of meditation can be spent on that reality alone!  

I hope this was helpful. Please pray for me and all the clergy.

Father Zach Edgar is in residence at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Quincy and is chaplain at the Illinois Veterans Home.