CARLINVILLE — Almost 90 individuals, both high school youth and adult chaperones, gathered at the Lake Williamson Christian Conference Center in Carlinville Feb. 28-March 1 for the 2014 Diocesan Youth Conference.

Father Fernand “Ferd” Cheri, OFM, will be preaching a Springfield deanery mission March 23-25 at Christ the King Parish, 1930 Barberry Drive in Springfield. The mission will begin at 7 p.m. each night and is being sponsored by Black Catholic Ministry in the Office for Social Concerns and Respect Life.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, along with a former member of the Chicago Blackhawks and a number of other hockey players, will be suiting up and hitting the ice for the third-annual Catholic Charities’ fundraiser “Hockey with Bishop Paprocki.”

MATTOON — June Kriesel, a member of Immaculate Conception Parish in Mattoon, says that thanks to reading an article in Catholic Times in late 2011, she is now on her way to becoming a member of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites. A few months back she officially began her formation by “accepting the clothing” of the order, which is a large brown scapular.

For the fourth year in a row, Springfield Right to Life is sponsoring a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil in the see city. This year the vigil will begin on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and conclude on Palm Sunday, April 13. The peaceful vigil will be conducted from 7 a.m. through 7 p.m., seven days a week, on the sidewalk at 1000 East Washington Street, outside the site of Planned Parenthood.

Third-graders from the seven Springfield Catholic grade schools — along with their teachers — began their celebration of Catholic Schools Week a little early this year. On Friday, Jan. 24 they traveled to St. Aloysius School on Springfield's north end to take part in the annual Third Grade Day in Faith (TGIF).

"This is our sixth year to have this event," said St. Aloysius principal, Jean Kennedy. "We are trying to bring unity to the Springfield Catholic schools and this is a great kick-off to Catholic Schools Week." Schools take turns hosting the event, she said.

Kennedy and her staff found suitable areas to use in the school, depending on the teachers' lesson plans for the day. "The third-grade teachers are responsible for planning a lesson that is both academic and fun. Then they tell us what they plan to do, so we know where to put them. If they need a lot of space, we put them in the music room. If they need tables, we put them in the science lab."

Students were divided up into small groups made up of children from various schools and they traveled together from classroom to classroom, where each of the activities took place. It makes for a day of fun, food, fellowship and friendship, Kennedy pointed out.

Since St. Aloysius was hosting this year's event, Kennedy asked her eighth-graders to serve as ambassadors for the day, along with five students from Sacred Heart-Griffin High School. "All of our 15 eighth-graders went on the March for Life and Friday was their only day to be in school," said Kennedy. "This worked out well because they were able to help out with the groups."

Kennedy said that Springfield Catholic school leaders believe students should be united and it is important for children to gather with students from other schools that they otherwise might not come to know. The Springfield Catholic school children get together at several other times during the year, she said. Fifth-graders do an annual service project that is hosted by Little Flower School and the seventh-graders have a retreat day. Of course, eighth-graders who attend the March for Life in Washington get to know students from other schools on that trip.

Participating in the day were students and teachers from Blessed Sacrament, Cathedral, Christ the King, Little Flower, St. Agnes, St. Patrick and St. Aloysius schools.

Beginning on Ash Wednesday (March 5) and continuing through Pentecost Sunday (June 9) the Catholic Conference of Illinois (CCI) will be offering a 91-day program, called 91 Days, of daily emailed readings of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.

Survey for Synod of Bishops reflects concerns for families, marriage

During December, clergy, religious and lay members of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois were invited to answer a questionnaire regarding the "Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization" that will be used to help prepare for the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops scheduled in Rome for this-coming October. The Synod will proclaim the Gospel teaching on family and marriage in the face of today's challenges.

QUINCY — On Jan. 1, St. Rose of Lima became an official parish of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. In a decree released Dec. 23, 2013, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki established St. Rose of Lima as a "personal parish."

MARSHALL — The St. Mary's Helping Hands Committee of St. Mary Parish in Marshall held its 14th annual holiday food basket distribution a week before Christmas at the local IGA. "The manager at Martin's IGA and her staff provided a tremendous amount of support with our effort this year," said Barb Igleheart, a long-time parishioner at St. Mary. "For this we extend our gratitude."