For many parents, getting kids ready to go back to school plays havoc with the family's finances. Those seemingly endless lists of required school supplies are often costly, not to mention paying the price of replacing clothes the children may have outgrown over the summer.

With the new school year just under way, a few Catholic schools in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois are depending on new principals to lead them in a positive direction.

Most of the principals have been in the schools this summer, preparing for the 2014-2015 academic year. Moreover, they were also at the Catholic Pastoral Center in early August, attending the annual new principal’s orientation.

Michele Levandoski, director of Archives and Records Management for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, recently was recognized by the Association of Catholic Diocesan Archivists (ACDA). She received the Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Award at a banquet during the ACDA biennial conference held July 21-25 at St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein.

LITCHFIELD — When Pearl Hitchings turned 100 years old on July 23, Father Chuck Edwards was one of the people on hand to wish her well. That’s because he’s known Hitchings since his days in the seminary; back when she first promised to pray for him. Father Edwards says he appreciated the prayers then and adds that he’s always been fond of Hitchings, a woman he first met about 30 years ago.

TEUTOPOLIS — During the year 1839 Martin Van Buren was president, the United States passed the first state law permitting women to own property, Abraham Lincoln was courting his future wife and the village of Teutopolis (which means City of the Teutons) was founded by five German immigrants who made their way from Cincinnati, Ohio to settle there.

EDGAR COUNTY — With a bumper crop of corn standing tall and beans growing abundantly in fields across Illinois, farmers have much to be glad about this summer. However, approximately 50 family members of Evelyn Ring’s extended farm family had even more to be thankful for this year.

Totus Tuus week-long Catholic summer mission sessions for 2014 are wrapping up just as summer school breaks are winding down. This year’s program was very successful, said Kyle Holtgrave, associate director for Youth and Young Adult Ministry, adding that 16 college students brought the mission to students in grades 1-12 in about 20 diocesan parishes and one parish in Indianapolis.

“God is good!” youth leader Becky Bauerle called out to her young charges, who were laughing and talking among themselves.

“All the time!” they called back — and immediately they were quiet.

Over 50 individuals, both middle school youth and adult leaders from four Catholic parishes around Illinois and Wisconsin were in Springfield from July 14-18 as volunteers in the Just5Days service program.

Some areas of Benedictine University at Springfield have looked like a construction zone this summer — and campus leaders say that is a good thing. That is because the college is in the first phase of a five-part plan to modernize and upgrade the campus on the city’s north end.