A lot of teens go on great retreats, "but trying to get them to pray once back home is not easy," said Jared Dees, a digital publishing specialist with Ave Maria Press in Notre Dame, Ind. Dees' breakout session during the DAEC was "Teaching Teens to Pray in a Digital World."

"Talking to teens About Chastity in a Way That They Will Listen" was a breakout session at the DAEC on Sunday that drew a packed crowd. Paul Masek, coordinator of the REAP Team (Retreat Evangelization and Prayer) in the Catholic Youth Apostolate of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, led the discussion.

A statue of the first Native American to be canonized a saint in the universal church was already standing in place on the grounds of the Franciscan Sisters' motherhouse near Springfield on Oct. 21, when Pope Benedict XVI canonized St. Kateri Tekakwitha in Rome.

Over 450 Catholic school students, teachers, missionaries and supporters of the missions from throughout the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois attended the annual Mission Mass celebrated by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

GRANITE CITY — Nearly 300 people attended a diocesan Respect Life Mass Oct. 13 celebrated by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki at Holy Family Church in Granite City. After Mass, most of those in attendance joined Bishop Paprocki in praying the rosary as they walked several blocks to Hope Clinic for Women for a brief prayer service outside the place where medical and surgical abortions are performed.

EFFINGHAM — During Respect Life Month, members of 18 Catholic parishes and some Protestant churches in the Effingham Deanery are participating in solidarity with an international "40 Days for Life" prayer campaign to witness and pray peacefully to show their opposition to abortion. The "40 days" began Sept. 26, continue through October, which is Respect Life Month, and end on Nov. 6.

QUINCY — At 5 p.m. on Oct. 20, the feast day of St. Luke, patron saint of physicians, St. Peter Church in Quincy will have a White Mass in recognition of the dedicated work of Catholic health care professionals, who are called to take care of others from conception to death. A reception will be held in the cafeteria after Mass.

JACKSONVILLE — A firetruck, ambulances, state and city police cars and other emergency response vehicles are not exactly what parishioners expect to see pulled up in front of their parish church when they arrive for Mass. But at the 4:30 p.m. Mass Sept. 15 at Our Saviour Church in Jacksonville, just such a sight was pretty impressive.

Christ the King School in Springfield opened the new school year with an expanded preschool program located in newly renovated and enlarged facilities in the school. The preschool is named for CTK's former pastor, Msgr. David S. Lantz, who served as pastor from 1996 to June 30, 2012, and who had also served as a parochial vicar at the parish from 1984-89.

NORTH ARM — Present and former parishioners of St. Aloysius Church in North Arm will celebrate the 175th anniversary of their parish on Sept. 9 at a 4 p.m. Mass with Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, the celebrant. Father David Zimmerman, pastor, and other priests will concelebrate Mass.