MT. OLIVE — Dark grey skies, wind gusts and intermittent bursts of chilly rain showers did little to brighten the spirits of people going to Mass Dec. 4 at Holy Trinity Church in Mt. Olive. It was the last Mass in the church, built in 1913 to serve a then-growing Slovak Catholic community.

A Nativity scene stands in the rotunda of the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield to celebrate and bear witness to the reason for this holiday season — the birth of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is the fourth year a privately funded Nativity scene has been set up in the rotunda, next to the governor's "holiday tree." It will remain on display through Dec. 28.

Three parishes and a Newman Center in the Springfield diocese each will host Vianney, a live theatrical one-man drama, portraying St. John Vianney, the 19th century saint Pope Benedict XVI chose as "the model of all the priests in the world."

GRANITE CITY — Considering the popularity of the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) in parishes throughout the Springfield diocese in the late 1950s, '60s, and early '70s, former CYO members at St. Elizabeth Parish in Granite City may be on to something. On Nov. 12, St. Elizabeth CYOs (1962-1975) held a 40th anniversary reunion at the parish.

DECATUR — One of the groups to emerge from the interfaith Decatur Poverty Summit that grew out of the Just Faith program in 2008 at St. Thomas Church recently opened much needed housing — a Decatur Family Refuge.

MARYVILLE — A much anticipated Father McGivney Catholic High School in southeastern Madison County is a step closer to opening in the fall of 2012. The school received $110,000 in new pledges over the summer, hired a principal, signed up its first 10 students, completed the first phase of renovations to a wing of St. John Newman in Maryville which will serve as its initial facility, and hosted an open house.

EDWARDSVILLE — A Mass of dedication and thanksgiving was celebrated last month for a new grotto and prayer garden on the grounds of St. Mary Church and School on Madison Street. When former pastor Father Thomas Meyer discovered a statue of Mary from the original St. Mary Church on Park Street in a parish storage room, he and members of the St. Mary Ladies Guild, and other parishioners, set about to restore the statue to its original beauty and create a permanent setting for it. Autenreib Studios was hired to restore the statue.

DECATUR — Sisters in Christ, an apostolate of prayers, evangelization and mutual support for women interested in growing in their spiritual lives, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Father Richard Chiola, spiritual director of the Sisters in Christ, celebrated the 4:30 Mass, on Oct. 29, at Holy Family Parish in Decatur, with some 20 past and present Sisters in Christ and some of their family members in attendance. A memorial service for 13 deceased members was held after Mass in the Holy Family Parish Hall, where a catered banquet was served.

Villa Maria Catholic Life Center in Springfield is getting a new roof.

Over 500 Catholic school and PSR students, adults accompanying them, missionaries and supporters attended the annual Mission Mass and awards presentation at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield on Oct. 13.