Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin High School’s Encore director Karen Danner accompanies the singers on the piano as the group leads the liturgical music at the annual Mission Mass, Oct. 3 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield. St. Jude Parish in Rochester is the winner of the 2007 Mission Spirit Award for its efforts which involved the entire parish in fostering mission awareness and support. The award was announced at the annual Mission Mass, Oct. 3, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield. The top five Catholic schools and top five PSRs, based on per capita contributions to the missions during the last school year, are: St. Louis School, Nokomis; St. Isidore School, Farmersville; St. Mary School, Paris; Cathedral School, and Blessed Sacrament School, Springfield; and St. Elizabeth PSR, Marine; Sacred Heart PSR, Villa Grove; St. Agnes PSR, Hillsboro; St. Louis PSR, Nokomis; and St. James PSR, Riverton.
Over 700 students, missionaries and relatives, teachers, chaperones, and PSR representatives from throughout the diocese attended the Mass celebrated by Bishop George J. Lucas. Fathers Tom Meyer, Chris Comerford, Dean Probst, Chuck Edwards, Donald Knuffman and Michael Haag, were concelebrants, and Father Chris House was master of ceremony.
Music for the liturgy was led by Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin High School's Encore, under the direction of Karen Danner.
"It makes me so proud of all of you," Bishop Lucas said, as he looked out at a crowd that nearly filled the cathedral. Some traveled more than three hours to attend, and over a third raised their hands when the bishop asked for a show of hands if it was their first time in the cathedral.
"So many children visit the cathedral for the first time when they come for the Mission Mass," Vicki Compton, director of the Office for the Missions, said later. "It is a real thrill for them to come to this beautiful place and shake hands with the bishop, or have their picture taken with him. And it's powerful for the students to see priests and laypeople, adults and children, all united in their commitment to spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth."
In the awards presentation, Compton thanked everyone for their generous support of the missions. "Because of your love and concern for children around the world, we have been able to send nearly $60,000 this year to the National Holy Childhood Association Office to support their work with children around the world," she said.
"We can put a number to how much money you have raised, but we can't know the many children who have been touched by your prayers and by your personal efforts to model the life of Christ. I know you are guided by dedicated mission moderators, teachers, principals, DREs and parents whose efforts are deeply appreciated."
Two individual award winners were recognized. Carmen Gobble-Barger from Cathedral School was recognized for her artwork, which was chosen as one of the 24 designs included in this year's Christmas cards sold by the Holy Childhood Association. Maura Cummins, a student at St. Thomas School, Newton, was recognized for a prayer she wrote for a prayer/poem contest sponsored by the Columbian Fathers. The theme for the contest was "Earth In Our Hands." Prayer cards with Maura's prayer will be distributed nationally.
Any school or PSR can nominate its program for the Mission Spirit Award at the end of the school year. Compton said the steering committee found that "two things set apart this year's winner from the rest of the applicants."
"The first was the way the entire parish at St. Jude was invited to be a part of the fund-raising and service activities of the children and youth in the parish. The second was that the primary goal of the mission project, Sponge the Monkey, was to increase the children's awareness that they are connected to the wider Catholic community in the world. The secondary goals were to raise funds for the Holy Childhood Association and to nurture a strong sense of stewardship in gratitude for how God has blessed us," Compton said.