On Feb. 16, seven parishes from the Springfield deanery came together for confirmation at the Cathedral. The parishes were: Cathedral, St. Cabrini and St. Katharine Drexel, Springfield; St. John Vianney, Sherman; St. Jude, Rochester; Holy Cross, Auburn; and Sacred Heart, Virden.

Other area deanery confirmations at the Cathedral  are scheduled on March 16 for the Decatur deanery and May 4 for the Quincy deanery.

“This is designed to provide an opportunity for our young people to be confirmed at the Cathedral Church and to experience its renovated beauty as well as participate in a ceremony where others from beyond their own parish are confirmed,” said Msgr. Carl Kemme, formerly vicar general and now bishop-elect for the Diocese of Wichita, Kan.

Pastors are free to choose the deanery celebration or to have the bishop come to the parish for their confirmations, he said. “But for those who choose to participate, a sense of the diocesan church at prayer with the bishop administering the sacrament of confirmation is a positive experience for young Catholics.”

Madonna Jones, liturgy director for St. Cabrini Parish, was cantor at the Mass and brought some members of her choir from St. Cabrini to help lead the singing.

“I loved doing the deanery thing,” said Jones. “It was great for the parishes. I was glad they were able to do something like this. I thought it was good.”

“There were 120 confirmed, which was a lot,” said Cathy Becker, pastoral associate and youth minister at St. Katharine Drexel. “It was standing room only in the Cathedral, and they used the Atrium for the overflow. The service lasted an hour and a half.”

A reception was held in the Cathedral School cafeteria after Mass.