Two former pastors, a  former assistant pastor and a former seminarian intern will provide evening talks through the week. Father Don Wolford, pastor at Immaculate Conception Parish in Shelbyville and parochial vicar at St. Aloysius from 1971-1983, will speak on Monday night about the church being “one.” On Tuesday, Father Dan Willenborg, pastor of St. Louis, Nokomis, and a 2003 seminarian intern at St. Aloysius, will speak about the church being “catholic.” On Wednesday, Father James O’Shea, pastor of St. Aloysius from 1990-1996, will speak about the “holiness” of the church. Finally, on Thursday, Father John Titus, chaplain at the EIU Newman Center, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Charleston, and pastor of St. Aloysius from 1996 to 2003, will speak of the “apostolic” nature of the church.

Each evening will begin with a holy hour at 6 p.m. The talk will take place at 7 p.m. Refreshments and table discussion and fellowship will follow at 8 p.m.

“Our parish, like most, has struggled with its identity in recent years,” says Father Tom Donovan, current pastor. “With fewer people in the pews, the challenge of motivating and energizing our young people to be good Catholics, challenges in operating our school and maintaining our physical plant, and the aching memory of the scandals that have overshadowed the larger church for more than a decade, we tend to define ourselves in terms of challenges, shortfalls, and even, sometimes, failures. While we need to continue what we are doing to overcome these challenges, I do think it is important that we remind ourselves of what really does define us and make us great as a people: our dignity in the Mystical Body of Christ, united in purpose and mission to be a sign of God’s glory to all nations and peoples.

“As we embrace these four marks which define us as a church — four visible marks which we profess every week in the Creed about ourselves as an article of faith in God, himself — we find the inspiration and ability to embrace the mission which lies before us to ‘teach and baptize all nations,’” he said.

Father Donovan said that St. Al’s “has a great history on the north end of Springfield. The priests who have served before me allow me to stand on the shoulders of giants as we look to chart the course ahead. Our former priests are, by and large, revered by the faithful for their years of faithful, priestly service. During this mission, I hope to hear a few of the stories from some leaders who have done their best to bring us to this point. I also hope that our speakers can also tell about how the faithful have impacted their own lives in ministry during the years since leaving St. Aloysius. This is an important bit of continuity which helps me, as a still-relatively-new pastor, to continue to get to know the parish better.”

All are welcome to attend and participate. For more information, call the St. Aloysius Parish office at (217) 544-4554.