Catholic Charities agencies in Joliet, Springfield and Belleville might still stand a chance of providing foster care and adoption services for the state of Illinois if a Senate bill introduced in the General Assembly fall veto session makes it onto the Senate floor for debate. Proponents are optimistic the Senators would want to clarify the "religious freedom protection" intent of the bill, and pass it on to the House to concur.

SHERMAN — Fathers in Faith and Family, a half-day Springfield area Catholic men's conference will be held Saturday, Nov. 5, at St. John Vianney Church in Sherman.

Court denies stay; state begins to transfer adoption and foster cases to other agencies

The Thomas More Society has until Oct. 26 to file an appeal in the Illinois 4th District Appellate Court in Springfield on behalf of Catholic Charities agencies in Springfield, Belleville and Joliet, if the agencies have a chance to remain in the field of providing foster care and adoption services for the state.

DECATUR — St. Teresa High School is launching a $4.8 million capital campaign to enhance and expand its campus. "Believe-Build-Become" is the theme of this campaign, only the third in the 81-year-old private Catholic school's history.

CHARLESTON — Hedwig Haus of Hospitality, a Catholic Worker House, will soon open at 227 Jackson Ave. in Charleston. The two-story brick residence, which has five bedrooms and three bathrooms, will provide women and children in need with a place to live. Three young people will eventually also live there to provide guests hospitality. Steve Joebgen, an EIU graduate, is living at the house, during the renovation work, and taking an active part in getting it ready for guests.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki will celebrate the annual diocesan Respect Life Mass at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 at Holy Family Church in Granite City. After Mass he will lead a rosary walk to Hope Clinic for Women, to hold a prayer vigil outside the place where medical and surgical abortions are performed.

A group of farmers in Cass County are reaching out to help farmers in Sierra Leone, Africa. The Cass County Cluster is participating in a Foods Resource Bank growing project. They have donated land and the profits they make from growing crops on that land will go to their Sierra Leone project.

TEUTOPOLIS — During October, people in Teutopolis will celebrate 150 years of presence, service and ministry of School Sisters of Notre Dame in their community. All SSNDs who have entered the convent from Teutopolis and Effingham or have served in their schools and parishes will be remembered.

The 40-year history Catholic Charities in Illinois has of partnering with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to provide foster care and adoption services for the state's abused and neglected children is in jeopardy of abruptly ending.

The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois has 20 seminarians studying for the priesthood. This is up nine men from last year, and is almost three times as many seminarians as the diocese had in 1999.