The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois ( la, Diœcesis Campifontis in Illinois) is a

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ecclesiastical territory or

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

of the

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in the south central

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

region of the

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. The

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is a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

serving as

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of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is a suffragan diocese in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...

of the metropolitan

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. The

metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the ...

of Springfield in Illinois is the Archbishop of Chicago. On 20 April 2010, Pope Benedict named Thomas J. Paprocki as the ninth Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, replacing Archbishop Lucas. Bishop Paprocki had previously been an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago under Cardinal George since 2003. The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois comprises the

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of Adams,

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, Calhoun,

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, Christian, Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette,

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, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Menard, Moultrie, Montgomery, Morgan, Pike, Sangamon, Scott, and Shelby. The counties are organized into five

deaneries A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

: Alton, Jerseyville, Mattoon, Quincy and Springfield.

History

The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois was established on July 29, 1853 as the Diocese of Quincy. Its name was changed to the Diocese of Alton on January 9, 1857, and its current name came into being on October 26, 1923.

Statistics

': * 142,847 Catholics * 130

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

es * 106 Diocesan Priests (active and retired) * 49 Religious Priests * 27 Religious Brothers * 667 Women Religious * 37 Permanent Deacons * 2,344 Baptisms * 1,980 First Communions * 2,041 Confirmations * 667 Weddings * 1,610 Funerals * 294 Scheduled Weekend Masses ':The Official Catholic Directory 2007 (published in

New Providence, New Jersey New Providence is a borough on the northwestern edge of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located on the Passaic River, which forms the county boundary with Morris County bordering Chatham Township. As of the 2020 United S ...

: P. J. Kennedy and Sons, 2007) * 151,601 Catholics * 132

es * 87 active

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

s; 62 religious institute priests * 122 diocesan priests (including retired and serving outside the diocese) * 6 Catholic hospitals

Bishops

Bishop Elect of Quincy

* Joseph Melcher (Appointed 1853; did not take effect); appointed Bishop of Green Bay

Bishops of Alton

# Henry Damian Juncker (1857-1868) # Peter Joseph Baltes (1870-1886) # James Ryan (1888-1923)

Bishops of Springfield in Illinois

# James Aloysius Griffin (1924-1948) # William Aloysius O'Connor (1949-1975) #

Joseph Alphonse McNicholas Joseph Alphonse McNicholas (January 13, 1923 – April 17, 1983) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois from 1975 to until his death in 1983. He previously se ...

(1975-1983) # Daniel L. Ryan (1984-1999) # George J. Lucas (1999-2009), appointed Archbishop of Omaha # Thomas J. Paprocki (2010–present)

Other priests of the diocese who became bishops

* John Janssen, appointed Bishop of Belleville in 1888 *

John Baptist Franz John Baptist Franz (October 29, 1896 – July 3, 1992) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Dodge City in Kansas (1951–1959) and bishop of the Diocese of Peoria in Illinois (1959–1971) ...

, appointed Bishop of Dodge City in 1951 and later Bishop of Peoria in 1959 * Victor Hermann Balke, appointed Bishop of Crookston in 1976 * Kevin Vann, appointed Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Fort Worth in 2005 and later Bishop of Orange in 2012 * Carl A. Kemme, appointed Bishop of Wichita in 2014

Parishes

There are currently 128 parishes in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. The Diocese also operates campus ministry centers at 6 colleges and universities within its boundaries. Notable parishes: *

St. Paul Catholic Church (Highland, Illinois) St. Paul Church is a Roman Catholic parish with an elementary school in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois located in Highland, Illinois Highland is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,991 at the 2020 cens ...

Campus ministry

In addition to these parishes, the Diocese operates campus ministry centers at the following institutions: * Blackburn College * Eastern Illinois University *

Illinois College Illinois College is a private liberal arts college in Jacksonville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA). It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree ( ...

Millikin University Millikin University is a private university in Decatur, Illinois. It was founded in 1901 by prominent Decatur businessman James Millikin and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Media Decaturian The ''Decaturian'', also known as ...

* Southern Illinois University Edwardsville *

University of Illinois Springfield The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a public university in Springfield, Illinois. The university was established in 1969 as Sangamon State University by the Illinois General Assembly and became a part of the University of Illinois ...

Catholic schools

High schools

There are seven high schools in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. * Marquette Catholic High School, Alton, Illinois * St. Teresa High School, Decatur, Illinois * St. Anthony High School, Effingham, Illinois * Routt Catholic High School, Jacksonville, Illinois * Father McGivney Catholic High School, Glen Carbon, Illinois * Quincy Notre Dame High School, Quincy, Illinois *

Sacred Heart-Griffin High School Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, often abbreviated SHG, is a Catholic high school located in Springfield, Illinois, United States. It is the city's largest private school and is located in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. The school ope ...

, Springfield, Illinois This does not count Ursuline Academy, closed in 2007.

Universities

There is one Catholic university in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. * Quincy University

Religious houses

The Diocese is home to 14 religious houses.

Arms

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois Official Site
{{authority control Springfield in Illinois Springfield, Illinois Springfield in Illinois Springfield in Illinois 1853 establishments in Illinois