This Week's Headlines

catholic social services hosts breakfast in herrin, raises awareness about ministry

Focus on the children. Focus on those who are hurting or in need. That’s what Catholic Social Services of Southern Illinois (CSS) — an agency of the Diocese of Belleville — does.

With the theme “Helping Hands Helping Kids,” the regional office of Catholic Social Services set the tone for their fourth annual Charity Breakfast April 5 in Herrin.
Always beginning with prayer, Father Richard Mohr of St. Joseph Parish in Marion offered a blessing before breakfast began.

Later, Msgr. Ken Schaefer opened the program with prayer: “Surround the women who are with child, who can choose to give life to that child in an adoptive home.
“Surround the children who need temporary homes and the families that open their homes to them,” he said.

The program opened with testimonies from those who have opened their homes to adoption and foster care.
The McKinneys — John and Heather — adopted Malcom when they discovered they could not have children of their own.
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diocesan Associate director of religious education to leave post april 30

Sister Kathleen Koenen SSND, diocesan associate director of elementary education for the past nine years, will leave her position April 30 to take on a new challenge with 25 parishes and 15 elementary schools in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Sister Koenen said she was hired by the schools and parishes to facilitate collaborative efforts among the groups.

At the end of the ninth year here, “I felt I had shared my gifts and I had accomplished the goals I set,” she said.
Two of her most prominent accomplishments included the state’s approval April 14 of a technology plan for the elementary schools in the diocese.

“They need the approval to get technology grants from the federal government,” Sister Koenen said.

Diocesan director of education, Tom Posnanski, praised Sister Koenen’s work in the diocese, especially the technology plan.
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two students write letters to the holy father

(Editor’s note: Following are two letters that were selected from Catholic elementary students who wrote to Pope Benedict XVI to congratulate him on his birthday and his third anniversary as pope. These letters were forwarded to the pope in Rome. The first was written by sixth-grader, Thomas Lugge, a student at Cathedral Grade School in Belleville. The second was written by eighth-grader Shannon Dowling of St. Teresa School, also in Belleville.)

Dear Holy Father,
My name is Thomas Lugge and I am in the sixth grade at St. Peter’s Cathedral Grad e School in Belleville, Ill., U.S.A. I am writing to you to wish you a HAPPY 81st BIRTHDAY! CONGRATULATIONS ON THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF BEING ELECTED POPE AND WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!
In my lifetime the Catholic Church has been blessed with two great popes. My parents say I am lucky because I have gotten to see both Pope John Paul II and yourself in person. I saw Pope John Paul II when he came to visit St. Louis in 1999. We have lots of pictures of his motorcade. Although I was young, his visit influenced my family and me greatly. We have a great love for Pope John Paul II.
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Dancing for the lord and the love of it

And she danced. From the time she began lessons at 7, Toni Intravaia knew she wanted to dance. Now, at age 86, and close to five feet tall, after many performances, she continues to teach and to dance with her Motion Choir at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Carbondale.

Born Oct. 11, 1922 in Covington, Ky., Toni said the family moved many times.

Growing up during the Depression, the family experienced financial difficulties often. A 10-cent deposit on a milk bottle could be turned in at the store for a loaf of bread, she said, which was also 10 cents.

Her dancing lessons were carried on even though the family moved. “At a convent school, I learned my first dance — the minuet,” she said.

During the 1940s and the war, she worked in a law office and continued to dance with a group that toured the state of Kansas. Wanting to continue her education but unable to afford to go to a university, she took correspondence courses and eventually earned her bachelor’s degree in art from Witchita State University.

She continued to dance and study eventually earning a master’s degree in dance from the University of Wisconsin and a doctorate in music notation from New York University. With boundless energy, even now, Toni said she just wanted to learn and to teach.
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never too old to stir a pot or offer to help

Parishioners at St. Teresa’s in Marydale talked about social outreach with Carlyle Healthcare Center residents.

It would probably be Bingo with the residents, but another idea surfaced. The cluster parishes of St. Teresa’s, St. Mary’s in Carlyle, St. Boniface in Germantown, and St. Cecilia’s in Bartelso had begun making casseroles for Cosgrove’s Kitchen in East St. Louis.

Last year they made 100, and this year they would make 250. Why not, Pat Hempen, center activities’ director, said, invite residents to help make 25 of the 250 casseroles? April 10, 13 residents assembled in the center’s activities’ room to make the casseroles with volunteers from St. Teresa’s and St. Mary’s.
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diocese to host seminar on 'faithful citizenship'

Catholic Political Responsibility: Being Formed and Informed is the topic of a seminar sponsored by the diocese’s Respect Life Ministry and Education offices and the Diocesan Continuing Formation of Priests committee.

The seminar will be directed by Dr. Stephen Colecchi, director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of International Justice and Peace. It will be held 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. May 3 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Shiloh.

Dr. Colecchi’s presentations will focus on the key elements of the USCCB document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” in terms of the upcoming election.
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