TROY — Deacon William J. Maurer, 69, who served at St. Jerome Parish, died July 15 at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

DECATUR — Dorothy M. "Dot" Wolford Rice, 92, of Decatur, mother of Father Donald Wolford of the Springfield diocese, died July 11 in Hickory Point Christian Village.

QUINCY — Members of Blessed Sacrament Parish recently held a reception to honor their pastor, Msgr. Michael Kuse, and their two senior priests, Father Donald Knuffman and Father Kenneth Venvertloh, for their combined 137 years of service to the priesthood. The reception was held July 24 in the Father McGivney Hall at the Knights of Columbus in Quincy.

ALTON — On Aug. 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady, the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George will celebrate 13 sisters making their final profession of vows, three novices making their first profession of vows, and the reception of two postulants into the novitiate, at Mass at St. Mary Church in Alton. Bishop Thomas John Paprocki will be the main celebrant at the 8:30 a.m. Mass, with other bishops and priests as concelebrants.

DECATUR — Sister Sue Paweski, SP, will give a presentation on the life of St. Mother Theodore Guerin on Sunday, July 29, at 4 p.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 3850 Lourdes Drive.

Don Jolly, a teacher at Our Saviour School in Jacksonville, was one of 29 educators honored at the Exemplary Teachers Recognition Award Luncheon June 19 hosted by the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers. Jolly was named the Gilder Lehrman History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

QUINCY — An eight-week Divorce Recovery Workshop will be held Monday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m., beginning Sept. 10, in the rectory of St. Francis Solanus Church, 1721 College Ave.

ROCHESTER — St. Jude parishioners of all ages have been supporting several good causes at once this summer, says Dan Frachey, the parish director of Christian formation. Adults are supporting the students who attend Vacation Bible School by contributing VBS food items; children brought cereal, peanut butter and other canned items to VBS sessions to help fill shelves at the local food pantry; and this year a good number of children and adult parishioners have been sponsoring the purchases of mosquito nets for children in Western Africa.

From July 16-20, youth and their adult chaperones from Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri met in Springfield for a time of service and prayer within a program called Just5Days. The group gathered at St. Joseph Parish in Springfield to learn more about Catholic social teaching, and from there to volunteer in a variety of worksites in and around Springfield.

WASHINGTON — When the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops asked Catholics to dedicate 14 days to the preservation of religious freedom through prayer, education and public action, they listened.

Beginning July 1, the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois has implemented a restructuring process of the civil law entities of the diocese and each of its parishes.

VANDALIA — On Sunday, June 24, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki blessed the Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother in Vandalia.

The diocesan Office for Marriage and Family Life is planning a marriage enrichment retreat July 27-29 to be held in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Associate director Carlos Tejeda is arranging for couples to benefit from a retreat similar to one that he and his wife Elena have already attended in another state.

On Saturday, June 16, Bishop Kevin W. Vann of the Diocese of Fort Worth — and a priest of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois — ordained 14 men to the sacred diaconate. The ordination Mass took place at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield.

The approximately 300 people who attended the Mass in Observance of the Fortnight for Freedom broke out in applause after Bishop Thomas John Paprocki concluded his homily at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on June 22.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki will lead a prayer rally in support of religious liberty at noon Monday, July 2, at the foot of the statue of Abraham Lincoln on the grounds of the Illinois State Capitol at South Second Street and East Capitol Avenue.

QUINCY — A panel of priests and a Quincy historian will consider the church's cause for sainthood for Father Augustus Tolton, who was born a slave and became the nation's first African American priest, beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 8, in St. Boniface Church, at Seventh and Maine in Quincy. The event will be sponsored by the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County.

DECATUR — St. Teresa High School's capital campaign Believe-Build-Become has already completed $3.6 million in improvements to the school's infrastructure, installing new heating and central air-conditioning throughout the campus.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki will celebrate a Mass for the Fortnight for Freedom at 5:15 p.m. Friday, June 22, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield. 

The Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois has entered into a collaborative partnership with Aquinas Institute of Theology to promote and give access to graduate education and ministerial formation for Catholics in the diocese.

The Springfield Diocesan Council of Catholic Women recognized 66 members with its first Our Lady of Good Counsel Women of Distinction awards on June 9 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield. Awards were presented after Mass celebrated by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki. Msgr. John Ossola, CCW spiritual advisor, and 16 priests were concelebrants, with other priests arriving in time for the awards presentation. 

Nine central Illinois organizations have received local grants from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development of the Springfield diocese. The awards were made at a luncheon June 9 held at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Springfield. The announcements were made by Msgr. Carl Kemme, vicar general and moderator of the curia for the diocese, and Sister Jane Boos, SSND, director of the diocesan Office for Social Concerns.

VANDALIA — Our Sorrowful Mother ministry in Vandalia is holding a Healing and Forgiveness/Fatima Relics, and Refuge dedication on June 22-24 in Vandalia.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki celebrated the final all-school Mass for St. Joseph School students in Springfield on May 30. The parish opened the school in 1875 to teach English-speaking Irish Catholics living on Springfield’s north end. 

STE. MARIE — The community of Ste. Marie, and St. Mary Parish share something in common — their 175-year history.

BEARDSTOWN — For the past 15 months Father Chris Brey and the people of St. Alexius Parish in Beardstown have been supporting one special parishioner in both action and prayer. Susan (not her real name) is one of many undocumented immigrants who face possible deportation from this country. 

On Saturday May 26, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki ordained three men to the diocesan priesthood: Father Albert Allen from St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Springfield; Father Zachary Thomas Edgar from Mother of Dolors Parish in Vandalia; and Father Scott Arthur Snider from St. Francis Solanus Parish in Quincy.

Springfield diocese, Catholic Charities joins freedom of religion lawsuits

The Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois and Catholic Charities of the Springfield diocese filed suit May 21 in the Northern District of Illinois asking the court to rule that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's mandate requiring employers to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization and contraceptives violates the constitutionally protected free exercise of religion.

Father Thomas von Behren, CSV, provincial superior of the Clerics of St. Viator, was inducted into the Sacred Heart-Griffin High School Hall of Fame on May 20 during the graduation ceremony for the SHG Class of 2012.