The Office for the Missions of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois has gained some positive recognition through well-known national outlets, says Vicki Compton, director of the Missions.

The Springfield diocese has been featured in several issues of Maryknoll Magazine — the English version of the September/October 2012 issue, and both the English and Spanish versions of the November/December issue. Additionally, nine of Compton's mission photographs appear in the Missionaries of Faith 2013 calendar, which is put out by the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States.

Compton took her calendar photos over the last seven years, while on mission trips to Angola, Ghana, Haiti and Peru. She sent the photos in response to an e-mail requesting possible calendar images.

Five 11 by 8½ photos mark the months of January, February, April, August and November, while two 5½ by 8 photos mark the month of June. Two small photos taken by Compton are also featured on the calendar, one on the month of April and one on the inside back cover.

Although she submitted the photos, Compton was surprised about how many were actually used in the calendar. "I was floored when I opened this year's calendar and saw (on the month of January) my photo of the baby girl chewing on a tin can lid in Angola," she says.

"I had requested extra calendars this year because I wanted to encourage participation in the Pauline Jaricot Society, which includes daily prayer and monthly giving to the missions. When I saw all my photos I had to order more calendars so I could share with family and friends."

Compton believes photos help her show what mission work is all about. "I have always felt so blessed to be able to travel to so many places and see what good the church is doing. If people could see what I have seen, they wouldn't take for granted their many blessings.

"Hopefully the photos will encourage people to discover ways to support missionary efforts which are life-saving and life-giving to millions of people in the developing world," she says. "I take a lot of photos because I want to convey some sense of this when I speak to school children or publish an insert in Catholic Times."

The September/October issue of Maryknoll Magazine features Sydney Compton, who is Vicki Compton's teenage daughter. In an article entitled "Mission Heart" Greg Darr, director of Maryknoll's Midwest Region Center, interviewed Sydney about her award-winning history project.

Sydney focused her project, which she called "Big Man with a Big Heart," on the late Maryknoll Father Leopold Tibesar. She began her project at the suggestion of her mother, who had learned about the priest's life through her own mission work.

Father Tibesar was a priest from Quincy who served as a missionary in Japan and China and then lived in an internment camp with the Japanese at Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho. After the war, Father Tibesar returned to Japan to lead the re-building efforts of its war-shattered society. In 1973, three years after the priest passed away, Emperor Hirohito recognized Father Tibesar's efforts on the behalf of the Japanese people.

The November/December issue of Maryknoll Magazine discusses how the Springfield diocese was one that co-sponsored a mission art/video contest with Maryknoll.

"Maryknoll is the premiere mission magazine. It is excellent," Compton says. "Greg Darr partnered with me to celebrate Maryknoll's 100th anniversary along with our annual Mission Mass in 2011. It was through this partnership that Maryknoll Magazine became interested in some of the things we were doing to animate a missionary spirit in our young people."

As Mission director, Compton is naturally pleased that both Maryknoll Magazine and the Pontifical Mission Societies have chosen to feature the diocese and her photos. "It's a nice honor for the diocese," she says. "I am just very honored and very humbled."

For more information on the diocesan Office for the Missions or the Missionaries of Faith calendar, contact Vicki Compton at (217) 698-8500, ext. 120.