Calendar Date

Oct
12
2008
Today
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Students from schools, PSRs celebrate Mission Mass
p3-Mission-Mass-08-025.jpgSt. Isidore School in Farmersville and St. Elizabeth Parish School of Religion in Marine in their respective categories gave the highest per capita contributions to the Holy Childhood Association in the 2007-2008 school year. The top five Catholic schools and top five PSRs were announced at the annual Mission Mass celebrated by Bishop George J. Lucas in Springfield on Oct. 1.
 
Largest turnout ever attends Respect Life Mass, rosary march
dl-abortion-clinic-march.jpgAll the pews at Holy Family Church in Granite City were filled and people were standing in the back of church at the annual diocesan Respect Life Mass, celebrated by Bishop George J. Lucas on Oct. 4. "We had 600 people, the largest turnout I've witnessed, since I've been here," Father Larry Brunette, Holy Family pastor, said.
 
Jamaican man gets treatment due to big-hearted medical community
Oswald-Simpson.jpgLast month, Oswald Simpson of Jamaica spent a few life-changing days in Springfield, thanks to the generosity of Springfield residents and members of the local medical community. The 65-year-old Simpson underwent a pacemaker placement procedure at Prairie Heart Institute at St. John's Hospital.
 
OLOL to sponsor parish mission

Father-Neili-bw.jpgOur Lady of Lourdes will hold a parish mission Oct. 18-22, with Paulist priest Father Bruce Neili leading the discussion and prayer on "Responding to the Spirit."

 
Soldier in war zone thinks of OLQP students
yp-or-dl-olpq-letters-to-soldiers.jpgMaster Sgt. Tomas Lira thinks of home when he reads letters from students at Our Lady Queen of Peace School in Bethalto. Lira, now in his second tour of duty in the U. S. Army in Afghanistan, sent a flag that flew over his camp and a framed certificate signed by his Army commander to the school.
 
Students celebrate school’s anniversary with service projects
SHG-works-1.jpgStudents and adults associated with Sacred Heart-Griffin High School in Springfield wanted to do something special to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1988 merger of Sacred Heart Academy and Griffin High School. However, simply throwing a party didn't seem appropriate, said Terry Farmer, a 1977 GHS graduate and a SHG parent.
 
While interior work begins, Cathedral parishioners adjust

Cathedral-emptied.jpgPews were removed Sept. 30 from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield and sent off to be repaired and refinished, as interior work steps up at the recently closed Cathedral. Carpeting in the Cathedral was removed, the day after the leave-taking Mass Sept. 28.

 
Funny stories down the road
Once upon a time, tying my shoes was an Olympian feat. But my fingers fumbled the loop-and-yank often enough that I'd just get annoyed with the whole business and go find easier shoes to wear. I wore nothing but Velcro sneakers through third grade, risking the ridicule of enemies and friends alike who thought Velcro was for babies.
 
We must find personal response to financial crisis
Much of the news in the past couple of weeks has concerned the crisis in the banking industry and on Wall Street. Because of poor judgment - some say greed - a number of financial giants have toppled. After a false start, the U.S. Congress managed to agree on a $700 billion bailout plan that will shore up faltering banks long enough for them to restructure their debt and/or assets.
 
Parents’ job is to foster ‘missionary spirit’ in our children
We parents can't be accused of not fostering a missionary spirit in our children. ("Missionary," coming from the Latin "mitto," "mittere," "misi," "missus," meaning "to send.") As our kids grow up, one of the most frequent commands they hear from us is "Go!"
 
Importance of building a ‘vocation friendly’ culture
We live in a world that is always seeking to build environments that are "friendly." We want movies and programs to be family-friendly so as to be appropriate for anyone's entertainment. We want items and practices to be eco-friendly so that we can help protect our environment.
 
Tiny nun takes on tall task of defending Pope Pius XII
Nearly 50 years after the death of Pope Pius XII, one of his strongest supporters thinks the beatification of this controversial wartime pontiff may be just around the corner.
 
Guidelines for using patriotic songs as part of liturgy

On the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, for the post-Communion meditation the choir sang a concert version of America the Beautiful; it was well-rehearsed and executed. When the song began, at least a third of the congregation rose to their feet with hands over their hearts, and stood at attention as if for the national anthem. What are the guidelines for using patriotic songs in the context of the sacred liturgy?

 
Invited to God’s banquet
This pericope stands among the judgments delivered against all nations as a beacon of hope for the exiles. It marks a time of renewal and rejuvenation for Israel as a people who will be invited to a "sumptuous banquet" - the shared meal that represented God's heavenly banquet.
 
Daily Readings
Daily Scripture readings for the week of October 12.
 
Diocesan Datebook
Daily events occuring throughout the Diocese.
 
Bishop Lucas' Public Schedule

Bishop Lucas' public schedule for the week of October 12.

 

CNS News

3 Minute Roundup

Synod participants call for emphasis on Bible’s spiritual dimension
VATICAN CITY — Greater emphasis is needed on the spiritual dimension of the Bible and how God uses Scripture to communicate his love for humanity, said two members of the world Synod of Bishops on the Bible.
The theme of the synod is “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.”
Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec, the synod’s recording secretary, told journalists at an Oct. 6 press conference the theme of the spiritual sense of Scripture deserves to get a lot of attention during the Oct. 5-26 synod on the Bible. The faithful should have a more contemplative rather than solely intellectual relationship with the word of God, he said. The Bible is not just “a book of ideas,” he said. “When one opens the book, one opens one’s heart and it is God who speaks” and engages in a dialogue with the person who reads and contemplates what is written, he added.
Another synod participant, Archbishop Claudio Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, said a great challenge for today’s Catholic media is how to communicate to the world God’s love for humanity. Are Catholic media, with all the modern-day and traditional tools of communication available to them, “able to be instruments of this love?” he asked. (CNS)
 
Preaching should change lives, inspire, U.S. bishop tells synod
VATICAN CITY — After the current church year dedicated to St. Paul, the Catholic Church should dedicate a year to the art of preaching, Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., told the world Synod of Bishops on the Bible.
“Unfortunately, preaching in our day can lose its savor, become formulaic and uninspired, leaving the hearer empty,” Bishop Kicanas, vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told synod members meeting to discuss “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.”
Bishop Kicanas and Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, USCCB president, were among the 23 synod members to address the assembly Oct. 7. Each member submitted a summary of his talk, which was released to the press, and a synod briefing officer provided further details to reporters. (CNS)
 
Rabbi asks pope, synod leaders to speak out to defend Israel
VATICAN CITY — Israeli Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen, the chief rabbi of Haifa, asked Pope Benedict XVI and top Catholic leaders to continue learning to appreciate the Jewish people and to speak out to defend Israel.
“I thank God who has kept us alive to be together and work for a future of peace and coexistence the world over,” the 80-year-old rabbi told the world Synod of Bishops on the Bible.
With Pope Benedict sitting nearby, Rabbi Cohen addressed synod members Oct. 6, telling them of the centrality of the word of God in Jewish life and prayer and its continuing relevance in responding to modern concerns, including promoting the dignity of human life, fighting promiscuity and secularism, and encouraging tolerance and peace. But Rabbi Cohen also asked Catholic leaders to speak out against anti-Semitism and attacks on the state of Israel.
Without mentioning Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by name, he spoke of “deep shock at the terrible and vicious words of the president of a certain state in the Middle East in his speech last month at the United Nations General Assembly.” (CNS)