The Office for Ministry Formation of the Springfield diocese has announced the beginning of a new Year I in the Lay Ministry Formation Program.

DECATUR — Catholic Radio WDCR 88.9 is on the air in Decatur. Bishop Thomas John Paprocki celebrated a Mass of dedication and thanksgiving for the station May 25 at St. Mary’s Hospital Chapel, just down the hall from the station’s studio. A live broadcast of the Mass was the first broadcast on WDCR airways.

Ignoring the cool wet weather outside, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Brownies, their Scout leaders, parents and siblings came to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Sunday afternoon, May 15, for a Scout Mass celebrated by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki. Msgr. John Ossola was a concelebrant.

ALTON — “Can you beat the bishop?”

That was the challenge given to the students and participants of the fourth annual Marquette Catholic High School 5K fun run and walk on May 14.

The weekend of June 11-12 people throughout Illinois are invited to contribute to SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center, said Rose Fogarty, communications manager at the Cardinal Glennon Foundation. The theme for this year’s collection on Glennon Sunday is “Where Faith and Healing Unite.”

Noelle Garcia, a WLP Catholic recording artist who performed at the Australia World Youth Day, the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) and the recent Springfield Diocesan Youth Conference, will give a benefit performance Friday, June 17, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick Church in Springfield. A suggested donation is $10.

Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Court Madonna #148 in Springfield will celebrate its 100th anniversary June 11 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield.

Sister Mary Pauletta Overbeck, OP, was inducted into the Sacred Heart-Griffin Hall of Fame May 22 during SHG graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2011.

On May 15 Bishop Thomas John Paprocki conferred the Ministry of Acolyte on 14 men who are candidates for the permanent diaconate in 2012. These men, along with their spouses, children, grandchildren and other family members, were at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at 10 a.m. Sunday Mass.

Transitional Deacon Brian Alford will be ordained a priest by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield on May 28.

From May through August, members of the Springfield diocese can expect a visit from a missionary at Masses one weekend. “In accord with a plan established by Bishop William A. O’Connor in 1959, missionaries have been assigned to speak at all parishes in the diocese this summer,” says Vicki Compton, director of the Office for Missions.

Father Martin Ignatius O’Hara, a priest of the Springfield diocese for 54 years, died Sunday, May 8, at Taylorville Memorial Hospital.

Sister M. Annette Bocke, OP, 96, a Dominican Sister of Springfield, died Saturday, May 14. She was born to Bernard and Emma Hacker Bocke in Quincy. She joined the Springfield Dominicans in 1934.

Catholic Charities directors from all five downstate Illinois dioceses were at the Illinois State Capitol May 4 to urge quick legislative action to preserve vital adoption and foster care services which the agencies provide for thousands of children and families throughout Illinois. Directors included: Tricia Fox (Peoria), Steve Roach (Springfield), Gary Huelsmann (Belleville), Glen Van Cura  (Joliet) and Frank Vonch (Rockford).

The Diocesan Office for Worship and the Catechumenate and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception are sponsoring a study day on the new English translation of the Roman Missal for music and choir directors from parishes, schools and other Catholic institutions. The study day will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 18, in the atrium of the Cathedral in Springfield.

The Office for Marriage and Family Life (OMFL) will be hosting its first Familiaris Consortio (The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World) adult study group this year. The initial meetings will be held at St. Mary's Parish in Alton.

ALTON — Men and women 18 years old and over are welcome to attend an "Afternoon with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George" from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 21 at the sisters' convent, 1 Franciscan Way.

After more than a year of grass roots discussion and hard work, the 2010 Parish Pastoral Plan has been presented to Bishop Thomas John Paprocki and approved for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

It was with great joy that Deacon Albert Allen was ordained to the transitional diaconate by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki during 10:30 a.m. Mass on Saturday, April 30 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.  At age 61, he is much older than the traditional seminarian, but he believes this ordination and his eventual ordination to the diocesan priesthood has always been God’s plan for him — it just took longer than usual.

Mother of Dolors Parish in Vandalia achieved a welcome addition to its 171-year history Saturday, April 30, when parishioner Zachary Edgar was ordained a transitional deacon by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield. Deacon Edgar is the first Dolors parishioner to be ordained.

A celebration of the 125th anniversary of the priestly ordination of Father Augustus Tolton will be held Sunday, June 5, in Quincy, beginning with Mass at 3 p.m. at St. Peter Church, 2600 Main St.

To prepare more nurses to serve those in a variety of faith traditions, St. John’s College, Department of Continuing Education, will host a Basic Parish Nursing class Thursdays through Saturdays, June 9–11 and 23–25. The course will be held at the Chiara Center on the grounds of the motherhouse of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis near Springfield.

The Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be coming to several parishes in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois during May.

Sharon Hengehold of Edwardsville was installed as state regent for the Daughters of Isabella Illinois State Circle at the April 1-2 state convention at Rend Lake Resort in Whittington.

Calvary Cemetery in Springfield is in the process of erecting a columbarium area for the respectful inurnment of cremated remains. It will be the first Catholic cemetery in the diocese to have a columbarium area.

On Saturday, April 30, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki ordained two diocesan seminarians to the transitional diaconate during 10:30 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Several hundred people — priests, deacons, family members, classmates, fellow parishioners and friends — were present to celebrate with Albert Allen and Zachary Edgar.

CARLINVILLE — About 75 participants from a dozen parishes around the diocese traveled to Carlinville April 15 and 16 to take part in the 2011 Diocesan Youth Conference held at Lake Williamson Christian Conference Center. The conference, entitled “Planted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith” was a project led by Kyle Holtgrave, associate director for Youth and Young Adult Ministry in the Office for Catechesis.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki joined Catholic leaders from across the state at a press conference in the Illinois State Capitol on April 6 to call attention to pending legislation of particular concern to Catholic teaching.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki has authorized that beginning immediately the Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel be said at every Mass celebrated in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois after the dismissal and before the recessional or closing song.