January 18, 2024 Parish Link

Video series - Now that the Catholic Times new website is the one-stop-shop for all the content the communications office has and will continue to put out there (articles, columns, videos, podcasts), there is one section we want to highlight in this Parish Link that can be used by your parish leaders, catechists, school teachers. If you go to the videos tab and scroll down, you will see seven video series. These are some of our most popular videos that teach and inspire others about the faith. The series includes:

- Hey, Father!

- Dive Deep podcast

- 73 Questions

- Beauty Series

- Behind the Scenes

- The 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit explained

- Answering your questions on death, funerals, cremation, and more

Rite of Election: The Rite of Election will be held at 2:30 p.m. on the First Sunday of Lent, February 18^th. Paperwork, which was sent to parish contacts and is available under the RCIA tab at dio.org/worship, is due by February 9th. Parishes are requested to send the names and contact information of their Catechumenate Directors to Chelli Branyan at cbranyan@dio.org.

Word of God Sunday: The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time has been designated the Sunday of the Word of God. The Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions has a compiled a useful resource available at https://fdlc.org/2024/01/sunday-of-the-word-of-god-2024-resources/.

Collection-Church in Latin America: Please inform parishioners about the upcoming collection for the Church in Latin America, the weekend of January 27-28, 2024.  The parish's generosity supports many pastoral projects that benefit the faithful in Latin American and the Caribbean, including disaster relief to rebuild hurricane-damaged chapels in Nicaragua, youth ministry in Haiti, diocesan missionary efforts in Cuba, and seminary studies in Paraguay.  Latin Americans need your help to ensure the success of the collection!  To download resources or to learn more about the special collection visit the USCCB website Parish Resources.   

Rice Bowl Collection: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Rice Bowl collection offers several resources to inform and enter into this sacrificial liturgical period.

• Lenten Resources for parishes with steps to follow and tools to use for a successful Lenten collection.
• Lenten Resources for teachers to use for the Rice Bowl campaign.  Resources include communication tools, lesson plans and activities for grades 1-8, and prayer resources.

A majority of the funds goes to fund CRS national projects, and 25% of funds collected goes directly to support local organizations without our diocese.  If you have questions about the collection, contact Donna Moore in the Office for the Missions, at 217-321-1161.

Onsite Parish Visits - Debie Benz, Director of Stewardship & Communications, is visiting parishes to meet with staff on anything regarding Parish Vitality & Mission Advancement and how the PVMA office can assist your parish. IE: Stewardship, digital communications, eucharistic revival, resources, etc. Please contact Debbie at dbenz@dio.org or 217-321-1114 to schedule a time for her to come to your parish. She is looking forward to seeing you!

Important Instructions for Gifts of Stock - Notify Katie Price if you know a donor plans to send a gift of stock to the Diocesan brokerage account. This is very important for identifying the donor and your parish/ministry as the beneficiary. If you need information on how donors can gift stock to you via the Diocesan brokerage account, visit www.freewill.com/stocks/dioceseofspringfield or contact Katie (kprice@dio.org, 217-321-1121)

ParishStaq/PushPay Implementation - If you missed the recent launch webinar, you can listen to the recording here: ParishStaq_PushPay Launch and Q & A Webinar-20231109_100146-Meeting Recording.mp4

Congrats to the churches who have launched their own branded giving page, including St. Ambrose, Godfrey!

If you have questions regarding implementing this new diocesan and parish software, please contact Katie Price at kprice@dio.org. To reach out to ParishStaq directly, please get in touch with John Antonio at john.antonio@pushpay.com

Centennial Campaign Update - Thank you to these parishes who have submitted their Parish Vitality Study:

• Quincy, St. Peter's
• Hillsboro, St. Agnes
• Pana, St. Pat's
• Edwardsville, St. Mary's
• Maryville, Mother of Perpetual Help
• Petersburg, St. Peter
• Springfield, Christ the King
• Decatur, Holy Family
• White Hall, All Saints
• Quincy, St. Francis Solanus
• Benld, St. Joseph
• Springfield, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
• Virden, Sacred Heart
• Greenville, St. Lawrence
• Gillespie, Ss. Simon and Jude
• Carlinville, Ss. Mary and Joseph
• Newton, St. Thomas the Apostle
• Effingham, St. Anthony of Padua
• St. Marie, St. Mary of the Assumption
• Troy, St. Jerome
• Sherman, St. John Vianney
• St. Joseph the Worker, Chatham
• St. Paul Parish, Highland

Please note, we will be following up with the parishes listed above soon and scheduling parish visits for further information or to schedule a time to present the Parish Vitality Report to your leaders.

If you have NOT completed your Parish Vitality Study, please go to: dio.org/parishvitalitystudy. The study takes 2-3 months to review and compile the report. Please be patient with our response, and we'd like to thank you in advance for your cooperation. Your parish should not begin to work on your Centennial Campaign Project until you have submitted a Parish Vitality Study.

Questions? Please contact Katie Price at kprice@dio.org

Invest In Kids/Empower Illinois Update - We have resources for schools who are concerned with the closing of the Invest In Kids Act through Empower Illinois scholarships. If you would like to see an example customizable flyer we can send to your school, click here: DRAFT Example IIK Scholarship Flyer

If you would like to discuss your situation with us, please reach out and we will see how we can support you through this transition. Contact Katie Price at kprice@dio.org or for flyers, graphics, or web/social media designs, please contact Debbie Benz at dbenz@dio.org

DCJH Grant Opportunity: Do you know an organization or ministry that is in need of funds?  The Diocesan Campaign for Justice and Hope (DCJH) is accepting applications for the 2024-2025 funding cycle.  Organizations and projects that focus on changing and improving the day-to-day living of low-income people within the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois are eligible to apply for a DCJH grant.  The deadline for submitting a grant application is January 31, 2024.  Details about the grant is located on the DCJH webpage.  Or interested applicants can call the Office for Pro-Life Activities and Special Ministries 217-321-1161.

Promote Totus Tuus is hiring missionaries - Every year, Totus Tuus, a popular program for Catholic students from 1-12 grade comes to parishes all around our Diocese. The Diocese of Springfield is now hiring Totus Tuus Missionaries for the summer of 2024! Please put this image in your bulletin/e-blasts and encourage faithful college-aged men and women to apply!

Parish Registration to host Totus Tuus - Totus Tuus returns to the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois in the Summer of 2024. Parish Registration is now open! Please use this link to register: https://form.jotform.com/232916484986069

Totus Tuus will run for 5 weeks at various parishes in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois throughout the summer. Totus Tuus runs during weeks between June 8th - July 26th, 2024. There will be a break week with no Totus Tuus during that time as well. Specific dates will be assigned after registration.

The mission of Totus Tuus is to instill in young people a true longing for holiness, a deep desire for daily conversion and an openness to their vocation. This is done by challenging the youth to give themselves entirely to Christ through Mary and continually strengthen their prayer lives in imitation of Her.

Please direct all questions to the Diocesan Director of Totus Tuus, Daniel Heffernan at dheffernan@dio.org.