‘I love everyone here’
Teacher at St. Francis/Holy Ghost Catholic School in Jerseyville wins 2023 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award 
By ANDREW HANSEN
Editor

It was 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 2. The Father Hembrow Center Gymnasium at St. Francis/Holy Ghost Catholic School in Jerseyville was packed with students, faculty, staff, priests, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, and friends and family of Lisa Evans, a fourth-grade teacher at the school.

Those in the gym knew why all these people were together except Evans, at least at first, but that soon changed when she walked in and saw family and friends, and then it was announced that she was the winner of the 2023 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois during a surprise assembly. Everyone erupted in applause as Evans came forward shocked, and Bishop Paprocki presented her with the award.

“I am so humbled and honored with all that I have received today, and I am so thankful that Jesus gives me the strength to give you all the strength to do what we do every day to follow Him,” Evans said during her speech. “I love everyone here.” 

Evans began teaching at St. Francis/Holy Ghost School in 2004 and completed her 19th year as a fourth-grade teacher there. Before that, Evans previously taught at Grafton Elementary School in the Jersey Community Unit School District. Evans is married to Pete and has three children and two grandchildren. They are parishioners of Holy Ghost Catholic Church.

The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award recognizes one Catholic teacher who is making a big difference in the classroom, who authentically lives out what it means to be Catholic and instills the Catholic faith into her students, and who embodies St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who founded Catholic schools in the United States.

The Office for Catholic Schools and Office for Communications for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, organizers of the award, received nearly 100 nominations from across the diocese from principals, teachers, parents, priests, previous students, and current students this year. The Office for Catholic Education then narrowed the list to five finalists (which Catholic Times presented in the April 30 edition) before selecting Evans as the winner. 

One of the most touching moments from the surprise assembly came after Evans was presented the award as each of her 33 current students gave her a hug. 

“I am so close to God, and I just feel closer, and I didn’t think that was possible,” Evans said. 

A common theme throughout the nominations for Evans was that she left a profound impact on students and parents and that she instills the values of our faith into students and authentically lives out the Catholic faith. 

“My son always loved coming to school each day,” said Lynn Goetten, a parent of a student. “Mrs. Evans gave him a sense of belonging and feeling important. I feel that she is a true leader. Her compassion for students and love for learning makes her an excellent candidate for this award.”

“Mrs. Evans continually shows compassion for my son and teaches him how a true Catholic lives every day,” said Jessica Ray, a parent of a student. “She has changed the outlook of school for him this year. He is excited to attend because of Mrs. Evans.”

“Mrs. Evans was a fantastic religion teacher,” said Covelynn Geisler, a previous student. “Everything she taught in religion class I understood and have a clearer relationship with Jesus Christ. She had so many great stories about things she has experienced and turned them into great life lessons I will never forget. She will always be one of my favorite religion teachers ever!” 

“Mrs. Evans is a fantastic example of our Catholic faith to our children, both during the school day where she prays the rosary with them and guides them to be a model of the Father's love, and also when we see her as an active presence in our parish on the weekends and throughout the year at various events,” said Laura McNicholas, a parent of a student. “She is joyful, thoughtful, intentional, and loving in her interactions with students.”

There are 43 Catholic schools in the diocese (36 elementary, seven high schools). Stay tuned in early 2024 as Catholic Times will announce how to submit a teacher for the 2024 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award.

By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor

On Friday, May 26, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki will ordain three men to the transitional diaconate for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. The ordination will take place at 6:30 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. 

A few weeks ago, seminarians Alex McCullough, Daniel McGrath, and Jayke White took time to share their thoughts and feelings about  their ordinations.

Alex McCullough

Alex McCullough, who calls Immaculate Conception in Mattoon his home parish, first felt called to the priesthood during his second year at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where he was studying microbiology. He says it was his Lenten practice of contemplating the daily readings for Mass that helped him to deepen his faith. 

“While I had never really stopped going to Mass when I was younger, I was pretty apathetic about it. I knew it was good to go to Mass, but that was about it,” he said. “But it was in these moments of reading the word of God that I first experienced conversion. I started feeling a small tug to the priesthood after that, so I eventually mentioned this to my pastor, Father John Titus. Father John quickly became a great mentor to me as I navigated my early days of discernment.” 

McCullough eventually transferred to Eastern Illinois University to study biology so he would be closer to home while he became more serious about discerning the priesthood. In the fall of 2016, he transferred to Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary in Indianapolis where he completed a Catholic studies degree  with a focus on philosophy, as well as a biology degree, in 2018. 

“After graduation I took two years off. These two years were really a time for me to work on a few areas of growth and maturation for me,” he said. It was during that time that he first worked at Decatur Memorial Hospital and then spent a year teaching theology at St. Teresa High School. “In the fall of 2020, I came back to seminary formation, and I have been studying theology at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology ever since,” he said.

McCullough, who is the son of Chris McCullough and Angie McCullough, says his family  might have been initially surprised, even “a bit shocked” about his vocation, however they have been very supportive and will be with him for his ordination.  He says several priests have been true examples of the priesthood, especially Father Titus, Father Steven Arisman, and Father Zach Samples. He has asked Father Arisman to vest him and notes that Father Arisman is not only a fine example of a good pastor but was instrumental in guiding him  as he “navigated the two years between times in the seminary.” 

“I also thank Father Brian Alford as the vocation director as well as Bishop Paprocki for their guidance and their openness to discerning my vocation with me,” he said. “Above all, I thank all the people who have prayed for me over the years. I could not do it without their prayers.”

There is a point in the Rite of Ordination that McCullough will kneel in front of Bishop Paprocki and promise respect and obedience to the bishop and to his successors. Then the bishop will say, “May God who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfillment.” That prayer can be meaningful in many ways, McCullough says. “I think this prayer best captures the entirety of our lives of faith, but it is especially true for those who seek to hear God’s call. God calls every one of us by name. He calls us personally. It is truly God who does the good work in us, and He brings all of our good work to fulfillment. All we must do is be willing to say ‘yes’ to God.” 

Daniel McGrath

Daniel McGrath, who calls Sacred Heart in Virden his home parish, describes himself as excited, confident, and grateful to be ordained to the transitional diaconate. “I definitely get the sense that it is the fruit of a long time in prayer and formation, and that it is exactly where God has been leading me all these years,” he said. “I see it as a great gift that He plans to give to me, and I look forward to receiving it from Him.”

Although he began to realize his priestly vocation between his junior and senior years in high school, McGrath said at first his desire for a family and other academic interests made him choose another direction. As God would have it, he started college at Eastern Illinois University and “very quickly found a small group of men who were discerning the priesthood.” Two of those men were now-Father Zach Samples and Alex McCullough, who will be ordained with McGrath. It was Father Samples, who was not a priest yet, who saw something in McGrath. “One evening he asked, ‘Are you discerning priesthood?’ I had been,” he said. 

McGrath studied for just one year at EIU before entering college seminary at Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary in Indianapolis.  He spent three years in college seminary, then two years at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis. “I then spent a year at Our Lady of Lourdes in Decatur, on a pastoral internship,” he said. “Finally, I finished a third year at Kenrick before ordination to the diaconate.” 

He is grateful to so many people, he says. “I would, firstly, like to thank my parents, Mark and Catherine McGrath, for everything they did to raise me and form me into the man I have become,” he said. “I would also like to thank my siblings, grandparents, and extended family, who have been so instrumental in forming me through my childhood. Also, every seminarian knows the great blessing that the Knights of Columbus councils are throughout the years, so a grateful ‘thank you’ to the K. C. councils around the diocese as well.” 

McGrath says he has had many mentors while in the seminary. “I would like to thank Father (Brian) Alford for his service to me and the other seminarians as vocation director. For their service to me very early on in my process at EIU and beyond, I would like to thank Father Steve Arisman and Father John Titus, as well as everyone at the Newman Center at that time.  I would also like to thank Father Jeff Goeckner, Father Michael Friedel, and Father Michael Trummer for their mentorship in my parish assignments,” he said. 

He has picked Father Trummer to vest him at his ordination.  “I am so grateful to have been assigned so often at the same parish Father Michael has been assigned. … I have seen him grow in boldness and a desire to serve God’s people and have personally benefited greatly from the ways he has put these desires into action. I look forward to that moment in the ordination and pray that I may grow in those same virtues.” 

He added that the people at Our Lady of Lourdes in Decatur (where he served a one-year internship) and at St. Boniface Parish in Edwardsville (where he has been ministering with the PSR classes) have all been welcoming. “I am also incredibly grateful for all who taught me and taught with me during the Totus Tuus program … over the three summers I taught in the diocese,” he said.

McGrath concludes that he looks forward to his ordination day and the work he will do beyond that.  “I am so grateful for all the Lord has done in my life to lead me to this day, and I look forward to continuing to serve the diocese with Him afterward.” 

Jayke White

A seminarian who now calls St. Mary Parish in Edwardsville his home parish, Jayke White  says looking forward to his diaconate ordination just seems right. “There is a rightness to stepping into this role that is simply natural,” he said. “It’s as though I’ve been holding my breath for so long and will finally be able to sing.”

White’s desire for the priesthood goes back to when he was a very little boy. “When I was 3 years old, I was sitting in Mass at St. Cecilia Parish (Glen Carbon) when I suddenly grabbed my mom’s face and said, ‘I want to do what Father (Steve Pohlman) is doing.’ She was understandably surprised and asked, ‘What is he doing?’ I replied very seriously, ‘He’s talking about Jesus, and everybody is listening.’ I thought there couldn’t be a better job in the world than that, and while my desire has grown and developed over the years, that simple desire to share our Lord has remained at the root of it.” 

White says he entered seminary right out of high school in 2015. “I left for a year from 2017-2018, got a bachelor’s degree in business management, and then re-entered seminary formation in the fall of 2018. He just completed his third year of theology at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Ind.

White says he has been blessed with a family that supports him and loves him. “I’m very grateful first to my parents, Tami and Leon White, for showing me what the Christian life is meant to be through their examples of love and support,” he said. “My grandparents especially have always been some of my biggest fans and I can’t thank them enough.”  He also acknowledges his siblings, Jenna and Mitchell, and a number of very good friends, including Aaron Johnson, Eric Ouellette, Delaney Dodson, and Kate Timmermann, as well as his seminarian friends who are being ordained with him, Alex McCullough and Daniel McGrath. 

White says he considers Father Pohlman, Father Dan Bergbower, Father Dean Probst, Father Bob Jallas, and Father Zach Samples to be mentors, as well as Father Brian Alford, who has assisted him greatly in the seminary formation process. “I’m also extraordinarily grateful for Father Denis Robinson, OSB, rector at St. Meinrad. His compassionate leadership has shown me how to lead as a spiritual father,” he said. “I’d also like to thank our bishop, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, who has not only been my bishop throughout my time in formation, but also confirmed me way back in 2011.” 

White has asked Father Samples to vest him at his ordination. “During his time with me at St. Meinrad Seminary, he showed me what it means to be a deacon through his service to the community and kindness of caring for those who needed care,” he said. White said he admires Father Samples’ wisdom, gentleness, and good humor. 

White says that he fully believes in letting a person know if he would be a good priest or deacon. “If you know someone in your life who might serve well as a priest or deacon, tell him,” he said. “Encourage him. Annoy him with your suggestions. But above all, support him when he does enter. It’s not an easy road, but the people of God make it worth it.” 

Many times in our lives we feel the need to recharge or renew our passions, our health, our life. What does that look like for you? For some, we may make a commitment to renew a passion we once had. For others, it may be making changes to your lifestyle to improve your health by starting an exercise program or eating healthier.

When we embark on making a change, we study the different methods or ways to make changes and find what works best in our lives. We invest the time in learning information, making a plan, and how to implement that plan to make the most impact and bring about the desired results.

What about your spiritual life? Does it need renewal or recharge? How do you achieve that? For many, it’s by attending a Cursillo. Cursillo (pronounced Kur-see-yo) is a Spanish word meaning “short course.” The process of making changes in your life is acquiring information, making a plan, and then implementing that plan for desired results. This is basically what happens on a Cursillo. 

During a three-day Cursillo, you hear talks by priests and lay persons focusing on growth and knowledge of self, the love of God, and your role in the Church and in your communities. In addition, Cursillistas (participants) pray together, celebrate in the Eucharist, and share in the fellowship of Jesus Christ. Each weekend follows the same format but each is unique because of the different life experiences of the Cursillistas.

Men and women make separate Cursillos as we each face our own challenges and communicate differently. Cursillo is a Catholic experience, but all Christians are welcome to attend. If married, men must attend first followed by their wives.  This allows the focus on men as spiritual leaders in the family and allows couples to grow together in their faith. Single, widowed, and divorced persons are also encouraged to attend and strengthen their faith life as well. Anyone age 21 and older can attend.

Cursillo weekends are held at the Quincy University Franciscan Retreat Center in Quincy, eight times a year — four weekends for men and four weekends for women. The cost is $165. 

The next weekends are June 22-25 for men and July 27-30 for women.

Visit quincycursillo.com for more information or email: .

Click here to download the Springfield Dominicans 150th PDF

Click Here to download the Religious Jubilarians PDF

What is the procedure if the Eucharist is dropped during the distribution of holy Communion?
Jim in our diocese

Whether through simple inattentiveness or by way of a genuine accident, it sometimes happens that a consecrated Host falls to the ground or that a chalice with the Precious Blood is dropped or spilled. In such a situation, what is one to do? 

Of course, it goes without saying that every effort should be made to ensure that the Eucharist — either the Precious Body or the Precious Blood — never touches the ground. This is why the bishops of the United States remind us that “all ministers of Holy Communion [whether ordinary or extraordinary] should show the greatest reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist by their demeanor, their attire, and the manner in which they handle the consecrated bread and wine” (Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America, no. 29).

While the bishops give this admonition to those who distribute holy Communion, they also remind those who receive holy Communion that “we are to approach the altar for holy Communion with reverence, love, and awe as part of the Eucharistic procession of the faithful. This includes making a reverent bow of the head just before receiving holy Communion, which expresses both our individual and communal adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist as well as acknowledgement of our belief in the Real Presence of Christ in holy Communion” (“Happy Are Those Who Are Called to His Supper”: On Preparing to Receive Christ Worthily in the Eucharist, Part 5). 

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the text from the Holy See governing the celebration of the holy Mass, provides this brief direction: “If a host or any particle should fall, it is to be picked up reverently and if any of the Precious Blood is spilled, the area where the spill occurred should be washed with water, and this water should then be poured into the sacrarium in the sacristy” (no. 280). The sacrarium is a particular sink that has been set aside only for such a purpose, with pipes leading directly into the ground and not into the sewer system. They are often — unfortunately — absent in churches of more recent construction. 

If a consecrated Host should fall to the floor during the distribution of holy Communion, that Host should be presented to the communicant again, consumed by the minister, or even reserved for dissolution in water which would then be poured into the sacrarium. The preferable option is that the Host be consumed either by the communicant or by the minister.

The most common way to wash the area where the Precious Blood has fallen is to use purificators, the linen cloths used to wipe the chalice after each communicant has consumed the Blood of Christ. If the Precious Blood has been spilled, as many purificators as are needed should be used to gently soak up the Precious Blood. Once the Precious Blood has been absorbed into the purificators, fresh water and a clean cloth should be used to clean the area where the spill occurred, the now dirtied cloth being placed with the purificators to be washed in the usual manner. All of this should be done as soon as possible and with the greatest reverence and devotion.

Father Daren Zehnle is pastor at St. Augustine in Ashland and is the director for the Office of Divine Worship and the Catechumenate for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. 

Official Appointments
Effective July 1, 2023
(unless noted otherwise) 

Pastor Emeritus

Reverend R. Dean Probst is appointed Pastor Emeritus of Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish, Newton, Illinois, and Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish, Sainte Marie, Illinois; from Pastor of Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish, Newton, Illinois; and from Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish, Sainte Marie, Illinois, while retaining duties as Judge of the Diocesan Tribunal.

Pastor

Reverend T. Joseph Havrilka is appointed Pastor of Saint Patrick Parish, Pana, Illinois, and Sacred Heart Parish, Oconee, Illinois; from Pastor of Saint Clare Parish, Altamont, Illinois; from Saint Mary Parish, Saint Elmo, Illinois; and from Saint Anne Parish, Edgewood, Illinois.

Reverend Paweł Łuczak is appointed Pastor of Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish, Newton, Illinois, and Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish, Sainte Marie, Illinois, from Parochial Vicar of Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish, Newton, Illinois, and from Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish, Sainte Marie, Illinois.

Reverend Aloysius Okey Ndeanaefo is appointed Pastor of Saint Mary Parish, Paris, Illinois, and Saint Aloysius Parish, North Arm, Illinois, from Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Villa Grove, Illinois, while retaining duties as Pastor of Saint Michael Parish, Hume, Illinois.

Reverend Angel Sierra is appointed Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Villa Grove, Illinois, while retaining duties as Pastor of Forty Martyrs Parish, Tuscola, Illinois, and Saint John the Baptist Parish, Arcola, Illinois.

Reverend Hyland Smith is appointed Pastor of Saint Michael the Archangel Parish, Sigel, Illinois; Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish, Neoga, Illinois; and Sacred Heart Parish, Lillyville, Illinois; from Pastor of Holy Ghost Parish, Jerseyville, Illinois, and from Saint Mary Parish, Fieldon, Illinois. 

Reverend Martin Smith is appointed Pastor of Holy Ghost Parish, Jerseyville, Illinois, and of Saint Mary Parish, Fieldon, Illinois, while retaining duties as Pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Parish, Jerseyville, Illinois, and of Saint Patrick Parish, Grafton, Illinois.  

Reverend Adam Zawadzki is appointed Pastor of Sacred Heart of Mary Parish, New Berlin, Illinois; Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Alexander, Illinois; Sacred Heart Parish, Franklin, Illinois; and Saint Sebastian Parish, Waverly, Illinois; Chaplain and Director of the Office for Deaf Ministry; and Chaplain, Jacksonville State Correctional Facility, Jacksonville, Illinois; from Parochial Vicar of Our Saviour Parish, Jacksonville, Illinois; from Chaplain, Routt Catholic High School, Jacksonville, Illinois; and from Chaplain for the Deaf Apostolate.

Parochial Administrator

Reverend Ron Lorilla is appointed Parochial Administrator of Saint Clare Parish, Altamont, Illinois; Saint Mary Parish, Saint Elmo, Illinois; and Saint Anne Parish, Edgewood, Illinois, from Parochial Administrator of Sacred Heart of Mary Parish, New Berlin, Illinois; from Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Alexander, Illinois; from Sacred Heart Parish, Franklin, Illinois; from Saint Sebastian Parish, Waverly, Illinois; and from Chaplain, Jacksonville State Correctional Facility, Jacksonville, Illinois.  

Parochial Vicar

Reverend Ramesh Babu Matta with permission of his bishop, is appointed Parochial Vicar of Holy Ghost Parish, Jerseyville, Illinois; Saint Mary Parish, Fieldon, Illinois; Saint Francis Xavier Parish, Jerseyville, Illinois; and Saint Patrick Parish, Grafton, Illinois; from Chaplain of HSHS Saint John’s Hospital, Springfield, Illinois. 

Reverend Rodney Schwartz is appointed Parochial Vicar of Saint Paul Parish, Highland, Illinois, from Pastor of Saint Patrick Parish, Pana, Illinois, and from Sacred Heart Parish, Oconee, Illinois. 

Reverend Wayne Stock is appointed Parochial Vicar of Christ the King Parish, Springfield, Illinois, from Medical Leave of Absence, effective May 3, 2023.

Reverend Zachariah Patibandla with permission of his bishop, is appointed Parochial Vicar of Our Saviour Parish, Jacksonville, Illinois, and Associate Chaplain, Routt Catholic High School, Jacksonville, Illinois, from Parochial Vicar of Sacred Heart Parish, Effingham, Illinois.

Chaplain

Reverend Samuel Bagyo is appointed Chaplain of HSHS Saint John’s Hospital, Springfield, Illinois, with residence at Little Flower Parish, Springfield, Illinois, from Academic Leave and weekend supply ministry. 

Reverend Aaron Thomas Kuhn is appointed Chaplain of the Western Illinois Correctional Center, Mount Sterling, Illinois, while retaining duties as Pastor of Holy Family Parish, Mount Sterling, Illinois, and Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish, Camp Point, Illinois. 

Reverend Joseph G. Ring is appointed Chaplain of Routt Catholic High School, Jacksonville, Illinois, while retaining duties as Pastor of Our Saviour Parish, Jacksonville, Illinois, and Chaplain of Illinois College, Jacksonville, Illinois.

Reverend Leland Thorpe, O.M.V., with the consent of his religious superior, is appointed Chaplain of Marquette Catholic High School, Alton, Illinois, while retaining duties as Parochial Vicar of Saint Mary Parish, Alton, Illinois.

Prison Minister 

Deacon Michael P. Ellerman is appointed Prison Minister of the Western Illinois Correctional Center, Mount Sterling, Illinois, while retaining duties as Deacon at Holy Family Parish, Mount Sterling, Illinois, and Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish, Camp Point, Illinois.

Delegate for Legal Professionals

Mr. James A. Bock, Jr. is appointed Bishop’s Delegate for Legal Professionals, while retaining duties as Chancellor and General Counsel for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois .

Appointment Concluded

Reverend Valery Safari Burusu concludes his appointment as Parochial Administrator of Saint Mary Parish, Paris, Illinois, and Saint Aloysius Parish, North Arm, Illinois, to be reassigned by his Bishop of the Diocese of Nyundo, Rwanda. 

Reverend Sunder Ery concludes his appointment as Pastor of Saint Michael the Archangel Parish, Sigel, Illinois; Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish, Neoga, Illinois; and Sacred Heart Parish, Lillyville, Illinois; to be reassigned by his Bishop of the Diocese of Cuddapah, India. 

Reverend Clinton Honkomp, O.P., concludes his appointment as Parochial Vicar of Christ the King Parish, Springfield, Illinois, effective May 2, 2023.  

Reverend Paul Kallal, O.M.V., concludes his appointment as Chaplain and Campus Minister of Marquette Catholic High School, Alton, Illinois, due to his appointment as Vocation Director for the Oblates of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Boston, Massachusetts.

Reverend Jason P. Stone concludes his appointment as Chaplain of the Saint Thomas More Lawyers’ Guild, and Bishop’s Delegate for Legal Professionals; while retaining duties as Pastor, Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Parish, Mount Zion, Illinois, and Saint Isidore Parish, Bethany, Illinois.

Active Outside the Diocese

Reverend Paul Kala is given permission to continue his work with the Missionary Society of Saint Theresa of the Little Flower on loan to the Diocese of Wa (Ghana) for another three years until June 30, 2026.

Creating safe environments for schools, parishes 
By ALI SMITH
Special to Catholic Times 

As we wrap up April, which is Child Abuse Prevention Month, let’s take a look at how the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is continuously educating and providing awareness to prevent the abuse of children. 

The Springfield diocese has been implementing training and screening requirements for adults since 2002. These measures continue to promote a safe environment in the Catholic schools and churches of this diocese. 

Adults in every family, school, community, and church are the protectors of the minors within. As leaders, adults should be educated to recognize signs of abuse. Before serving in diocesan parishes and schools, employees and volunteers must complete educational training which helps them to identify warning signs. Previously, the training used was called Protecting God’s Children. 

As of July 1, 2022, the diocese has switched training programs and is now utilizing Catholic Mutual Group’s (CMG) Safe Haven training. The new training program is offered on a fully virtual platform which allows the user to take the course on his or her own time. The content is more engaging and relevant than previous trainings. CMG’s Safe Haven safe environment training is comprised of components to increase awareness for protecting children and to help adults recognize and report signs of abuse or neglect. 

Along with being required to complete safe environment training, adults serving as employees and volunteers in the diocese are required to complete background checks. While screening requirements have been in place since 2002, the diocese began requiring all employees and volunteers to be background checked as of 2010. Previously, criminal history and DCFS background checks were done with hardcopy forms and were both required to be renewed every five years. Now, the criminal history background check is done electronically through the CMG training platform with the DCFS check instructions included in the process. The new criminal history searches are much more thorough and reliable, with routine automatic re-checks which removes the need for regular five-year renewals. While DCFS checks are still required every five years, the new criminal history screening method is quite an improvement from the previous process.

The diocesan Office for Safe Environment is dedicated to the prevention of child sexual abuse in the church. The goal of these changes is to keep the training and screenings programs as relevant and reliable as possible. For more information about the updated requirements, please contact your school or parish Safe Environment Coordinator or the Office for Safe Environment.

Ali Smith is director of the Office for Safe Environment for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. 

The subject of holiness and being holy has confused me for many years. I am specifically asking about Mary and the saints. In Eccl 7:20 it states the following: “… yet there is no one on earth so just as to do good and never sin.” I have often read and heard of the Virgin Mary and the saints being holy. I understand, based on the Bible, which is the true Word of God, that no human is or ever was holy. No one. Being holy would mean all the saints, the Virgin Mary, and the Triune God are all holy and that’s not true! Only the Triune God is holy! Would you explain this, based on what the Bible says?  I’ve been conflicted about this for a long time.
Pat in St. Louis

Hey, Pat! Your question is a good one. As with any passage of Scripture, it’s important to start with context, lest we misinterpret the Scriptures or use them as proof texts for errant theologies.

The Book of Ecclesiastes (Eccl; sometimes called Qoheleth, and not to be confused with the Book of Sirach, whose other name is, rather confusingly, Ecclesiasticus) is one of the Wisdom books of the Old Testament. Its primary thesis is essentially that all of man’s striving cannot bring about true happiness; hence, the opening line of Ecclesiastes is: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!”

In the subsequent chapters, the preacher speaks of his experiences seeking after happiness through various pursuits — knowledge and pleasure and riches and wisdom — but all of these fail to attain the true happiness for which we were created, which is a share in God’s own blessed life (see CCC 1).

Eccl 7:20 comes amidst the preacher’s discussion of wisdom. The Scriptures argue frequently that the truly wise man is the man who fears the Lord and therefore obeys the commandments of God. Except, per the verse you cited, “there is not a just man on earth who does [only] good and does not sin” (translation and emphasis my own). True wisdom (in the sense of “pure” wisdom) can’t be found, because none are perfectly just/righteous (the meaning of the Hebrew tsaddiq, which shouldn’t be translated “holy”). No one, at least up to the time of the preacher, had yet perfectly followed the commandments of God, and therefore, no one was “righteous” or “justified.”

St. Paul argues the same in his letter to the Romans, where in fact he references Eccl 7:20 (cf. Romans 3:10). Jew and Gentile alike, St. Paul says: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This is why we needed a Savior!

Enter Jesus, and with Him the Good News! In comes the Christ, and as St. Paul tells it, the righteousness of God (i.e. His righteousness and our righteousness ordered to Him) is now manifested to us through faith in Jesus Christ (see Romans 3:21-22). This means that for those of us who believe, we can now be “justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Feel free to read Romans for a beautiful exposition on how this is the case! So now, true righteousness, and with it, holiness, are possible through faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His will.

With Jesus Christ, we can now read Ecclesiastes in a different light. Although it’s still true that on our own all our efforts would be vain striving and there would seem to be no saints (because we cannot make ourselves holy), with the grace of Jesus Christ, the door to true righteousness, salvation, and therefore, holiness is now open to us!

The saints knew this well, that holiness was only afforded to them by sheer grace. It was not they who made themselves holy, but rather their cooperation with the grace of Christ Jesus. Holiness is properly, then, the work of God. In fact, it is God’s own life. But “[t]he Word became flesh to make us ‘partakers of the divine nature’” (CCC 460, quoting 2 Peter 1:4). The entire purpose of Christ’s coming, according to the Church, was to make us holy — to let us share in the life of God. Holiness is not only possible, it’s the very purpose of our existence (cf. Matthew 5:48).

So, in sum, we can’t make ourselves holy, but through Christ, we are invited to participate in the life of grace. But importantly, the saints and Mary aren’t pseudo-gods; they are partakers in God’s nature because God has willed that they be, and they accepted His invitation through the grace of Jesus Christ our Savior. While the lives of the saints were not perfect, they did model for us the receptivity needed to live a grace-filled life (Mary, however, was perfect, but that too was a prevenient grace which was given to her through Jesus). Heaven, in fact, is only filled with saints, which comes from the same word as “holy,” although you could never tell that in English. So, think of it this way: If we want to spend eternity in heaven with God, our only option is to become holy by God’s grace or spend eternity in hell! Please Jesus, make us holy!

Father Michael A. Friedel is pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Decatur, chaplain at Millikin University, and associate vocations director for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

You are invited to a historic event that will feed your soul and inspire your faith in a radical way
Eucharistic Congress at BOS Center set for Oct. 28 features four national Catholic speakers
By ANDREW HANSEN 
Editor 

PREPARING FOR EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS - Members of the Eucharistic Congress event team visited the BOS Center in Springfield for a tour of the facility on March 29. Led by Father Jeffrey Goeckner, pastor of St. Boniface Parish in Edwardsville, the team includes several priests and staff members of the diocesan curia. Learn more about this historic event taking place on Oct. 28 by visiting www.dio.org/revival-bos.

Mark your calendar for Sat. Oct. 28 for an event unlike any other. National Catholic speakers, inspirational videos, sacraments, and Mass with 7,000 Catholics from across the diocese will be the essence of the Eucharistic Congress at the BOS Center in downtown Springfield, and you are invited. The experience will be the highlight of the diocesan Year of the Eucharist going on now, which is part of the nationwide Eucharistic Revival.

For the past several months, several diocesan priests and staff at the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois have been working to organize this historic event, and they are excited to formally announce what people can expect and how people can attend.

“In a world full of selfishness, violence, and uncertainty, the Eucharistic Congress will be an incredibly uplifting and powerful experience,” said Father Jeff Goeckner, pastor of St. Boniface Parish in Edwardsville and leader of the group spearheading the event. “No matter where you are in your faith journey, this day will re-energize your faith life, radically improve your relationship with Jesus, and inspire you to live as an authentic disciple of Christ. Whether it’s one of the four speakers, the videos, the Mass, or just being there with so many people of faith, the Eucharistic Congress will have something for everyone, most importantly, Jesus, present in holy Eucharist.”

Featured talks will be from nationally popular Catholic speakers Dr. Scott Hahn, Sister M. Karolyn Nunes, FSGM, Father Chase Hilgenbrinck, and Father Denis Robinson, OSB. The Eucharistic Congress will also include Catholic vendors, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, confession, a Kid's Corner, a showing of the documentary God is Alive | Incredible stories of faith and miraculous events in Central Illinois, and a showing of The Chair, which highlights the beauty of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield and the history of the diocese. The day culminates with the very essence of the Year of the Eucharist going on now in our diocese, the Mass, with an arena full of Catholics eager to hear the Word of God and receive Jesus present in the holy Eucharist.

To attend, you must contact your parish office as each parish in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois will be designated a specific number of available seats. You can inquire with your parish starting July 1. If your parish has all their available seats reserved when you inquire, the public release of any more seats will be Sept. 1, if they become available.

The schedule of the Eucharistic Congress on Oct. 28 is as follows: 

• 10:30 a.m.: Doors open, Kids Corner open, vendor row open
• 11 a.m.: Eucharistic adoration and confession available in basement (both end at 3:30 p.m.), concession stands open
• 11:30 a.m.-12:35 p.m.: Screening of documentary, God is Alive | Stories of incredible faith and miraculous events in Central Illinois
• 12:50 p.m.-1:35 p.m.: Dr. Scott Hahn presentation
• 1:50 p.m.-2:15 p.m.: Screening of The Chair, video that highlights the history of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and Bishop Thomas John Paprocki's journey to Springfield
• 2:30 p.m. -2:50 p.m.: Sister M. Karolyn Nunes, FSGM presentation
• 2:50 p.m. -3:10 p.m.: Father Chase Hilgenbrinck presentation
• 3:10 p.m. -3:30 p.m. Father Denis Robinson, OSB presentation
• 4 p.m.: Mass 

Food will be available for purchase at concession stands, and you will be allowed to exit and return to the BOS Center throughout the day. 

There will be no Masses at parishes on Sat. Oct. 28. For more information about the Eucharistic Congress including frequently asked questions, go to: www.dio.org/revival-bos.

We would love your help!

Are you interested in financially supporting this historic Eucharistic Congress? Please consider donating or becoming a sponsor. If you would like to make a financial gift to support the Eucharistic Congress, visit www.dio.org/give. If you are interested in event sponsorship, contact Rachel Langdon at or (217) 321-1113. Thank you!

Volunteers needed for Eucharistic Congress

Come join us as we put into practice the pillars of hospitality and service. Volunteers will receive a seat to the event, lunch, a T-shirt, and graces of the day! Sign up at www.dio.org/revival-bos by June 1. Any questions?  Contact Teresa Gray at .