This year, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki has invited parishes to consider participating in deanery celebrations of the sacrament of confirmation at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield.

ALTON — Madison County Catholic Charities is selling tickets for its 14th annual fundraiser, “Help on the Move,” which will be held Saturday, March 22 at 6 p.m. at the Alton Holiday Inn, 3800 Homer Adams Pkwy.

The season of Lent begins this year on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and ends just prior to the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, April 17, when the Paschal Triduum begins. Lent is the principal penitential season in the church year.

The Office for Marriage and Family Life is hosting the inaugural gathering of the EnCourage ministry on Sunday, April 6 at Villa Maria Catholic Life Center, 1903 E. Lake Shore Drive on Lake Springfield. The program will run from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

JERSEYVILLE — Bishop Thomas John Paprocki will be the keynote speaker at the Annual Catholic Men’s Prayer Breakfast on Saturday, March 15 in Jerseyville.

MATTOON — June Kriesel, a member of Immaculate Conception Parish in Mattoon, says that thanks to reading an article in Catholic Times in late 2011, she is now on her way to becoming a member of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites. A few months back she officially began her formation by “accepting the clothing” of the order, which is a large brown scapular.

Springfield cardiologist Dr. Charles Lucore is the new president and CEO of St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. The announcement was made Feb. 13 at a news conference at St. John’s Hospital, the largest hospital in the Hospital Sisters System.

For the fourth year in a row, Springfield Right to Life is sponsoring a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil in the see city. This year the vigil will begin on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and conclude on Palm Sunday, April 13. The peaceful vigil will be conducted from 7 a.m. through 7 p.m., seven days a week, on the sidewalk at 1000 East Washington Street, outside the site of Planned Parenthood.

On Jan. 27, arctic weather conditions and school closings forced officials in Quincy to cancel the traditional city-wide Catholic Schools Week Mass with Bishop Thomas John Paprocki at Quincy Notre Dame High School. By the next day, however, conditions improved and Bishop Thomas Paprocki was on the road.

A new online survey is now available to gather information about why Catholics in the Springfield diocese choose to stay active in the church.

VIRGINIA — Father Roger J. Simpson, 88, a retired priest of the Springfield diocese, died Jan. 20 in Walker Nursing Home in Virginia.

QUINCY — Winners of the 2014 Right to Life of Adams County poster and essay contest recently received their prizes following the annual Right to Life Memorial Walk. The awards ceremony marked the 31st anniversary of the poster contest in Quincy. The contest was open to students in grades 3-8 and was based on the theme "The Righteous Choice — Life for All."

Third-graders from the seven Springfield Catholic grade schools — along with their teachers — began their celebration of Catholic Schools Week a little early this year. On Friday, Jan. 24 they traveled to St. Aloysius School on Springfield's north end to take part in the annual Third Grade Day in Faith (TGIF).

"This is our sixth year to have this event," said St. Aloysius principal, Jean Kennedy. "We are trying to bring unity to the Springfield Catholic schools and this is a great kick-off to Catholic Schools Week." Schools take turns hosting the event, she said.

Kennedy and her staff found suitable areas to use in the school, depending on the teachers' lesson plans for the day. "The third-grade teachers are responsible for planning a lesson that is both academic and fun. Then they tell us what they plan to do, so we know where to put them. If they need a lot of space, we put them in the music room. If they need tables, we put them in the science lab."

Students were divided up into small groups made up of children from various schools and they traveled together from classroom to classroom, where each of the activities took place. It makes for a day of fun, food, fellowship and friendship, Kennedy pointed out.

Since St. Aloysius was hosting this year's event, Kennedy asked her eighth-graders to serve as ambassadors for the day, along with five students from Sacred Heart-Griffin High School. "All of our 15 eighth-graders went on the March for Life and Friday was their only day to be in school," said Kennedy. "This worked out well because they were able to help out with the groups."

Kennedy said that Springfield Catholic school leaders believe students should be united and it is important for children to gather with students from other schools that they otherwise might not come to know. The Springfield Catholic school children get together at several other times during the year, she said. Fifth-graders do an annual service project that is hosted by Little Flower School and the seventh-graders have a retreat day. Of course, eighth-graders who attend the March for Life in Washington get to know students from other schools on that trip.

Participating in the day were students and teachers from Blessed Sacrament, Cathedral, Christ the King, Little Flower, St. Agnes, St. Patrick and St. Aloysius schools.

VATICAN CITY — Michael Friedel, a seminarian at the North American College in Vatican City, was installed as lector at Mass, as were 58 members of his class, during a service held Jan. 7, in the college's Immaculate Conception Chapel. Friedel is the son of Edward and Patricia Friedel from Holy Angels Parish in Wood River.

Beginning on Ash Wednesday (March 5) and continuing through Pentecost Sunday (June 9) the Catholic Conference of Illinois (CCI) will be offering a 91-day program, called 91 Days, of daily emailed readings of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.

Seven busloads of young people and adults from the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois journeyed to Washington, D.C., to participate in the March for Life on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

The preliminary investigation of an allegation of clerical sexual misconduct with a minor said to have occurred over 30 years ago has been concluded in the case of Father Robert "Bud" DeGrand. After examining the results of the preliminary investigation, the Diocesan Review Board unanimously found that the allegation against Father Robert DeGrand is credible.

ALTON — Msgr. Paul Willis Sheridan, 82, retired priest of the Springfield diocese, died Jan. 12 at Saint Clare's Villa in Alton.

Thirty-nine Sacred Heart-Griffin High School students in Springfield have received recognition as Illinois State Scholars. The Evanston-based Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) identified 19,300 high school students from 675 high schools across Illinois for recognition this year.

QUINCY — Parishioners at St. Francis Solanus Parish in Quincy are naturally proud of their parish church, but they received an unexpected Christmas gift when a photo of that beloved building was featured on Hy-Vee plastic shopping bags in December.

Survey for Synod of Bishops reflects concerns for families, marriage

During December, clergy, religious and lay members of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois were invited to answer a questionnaire regarding the "Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization" that will be used to help prepare for the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops scheduled in Rome for this-coming October. The Synod will proclaim the Gospel teaching on family and marriage in the face of today's challenges.

QUINCY — Quincy Catholic Elementary Schools Foundation will honor Sam and Pat Rinella with the "Friend of Catholic Education Award" at the sixth annual foundation dinner, Feb. 1, at the Quincy Holiday Inn.

QUINCY — On Jan. 1, St. Rose of Lima became an official parish of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. In a decree released Dec. 23, 2013, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki established St. Rose of Lima as a "personal parish."

Former parish church to become additional worship site for St. Mary, St. Elmo

ST. ELMO — Effective Jan. 1, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki canonically suppressed St. Bonaventure Parish in St. Elmo, in accord with Canon 515, assigning St. Bonaventure Church in accord with Canon 1214 as a "sacred building destined for divine worship attached to St. Mary Parish in St. Elmo."

MARSHALL — The St. Mary's Helping Hands Committee of St. Mary Parish in Marshall held its 14th annual holiday food basket distribution a week before Christmas at the local IGA. "The manager at Martin's IGA and her staff provided a tremendous amount of support with our effort this year," said Barb Igleheart, a long-time parishioner at St. Mary. "For this we extend our gratitude."

ALTON — St. Mary parishioners and supporters of St. Mary School stepped up to meet the challenge of an anonymous benefactor to improve the school's technology program. In fact, they exceeded the goal.

Marriage — and the legal definition of marriage — was a concern for many in Illinois during the year 2013.

On Jan. 3, a hearing took place during the lame duck session of the Illinois General Assembly, with speakers, both in favor and opposed, addressing a senate executive committee considering legislation that would legalize so-called "same-sex" marriage.

Parish churches and school buildings across the diocese have undergone a number of updates and renovations during 2013, said Greg Fleck, director of the diocesan office for Property, Buildings and Cemeteries.

The year 2013 was an important time for the youth of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, says Kyle Holtgrave, associate director of youth and young adult ministry in the Office for Catechesis.