In 1856 the first frame building church was built on land still owned by the parish. From these beginnings, we have seen this parish grow from a struggling Mission Church to the large parish it is today. From that frame church there came a beautiful church, a large school, a convent, a rectory/parish office and a parish center, but even more important than the buildings, from that mere handful of dedicated Catholics, the parish has grown to become one of the outstanding parishes in the Springfield Diocese. Our parish continues to grow spiritually and physically.

In the early years of the 1850’s, the Catholics who settled in Collinsville were few in numbers, but they were strong in the practice of their faith.

They resolved to build a church, even though they knew they could not have a resident priest. Mass for a time was said by a visiting priest in the home of Octavius Lumaghi, one of the first families to settle in Collinsville. In 1856 the frame church was built, and priests came weekly from East St Louis to care for the spiritual needs of the people.  In November of 1857, Bishop Henry D. Juncher, the first Bishop of Alton, sent Father W. Repis to Collinsville to be the first resident pastor. In 1862 Father J.N. Pettitt, was appointed pastor. Father F.J. Fisher, during whose administration the first two bells were blessed and installed in the church, succeeded him. In 1863, Father Rustige bought the first ground for the cemetery.

In 1867 lots adjoining the church were purchased from D. D. Collins, one of the founders of Collinsville, for about $3,600.00.   In August of 1879 the bishop appointed Father Henry B. Degenhardt, a newly ordained priest, pastor. He spent the next thirty-one years here in that capacity. Father Degenhardt’s mission was to build a new and larger church, as well as a new school. The school was started in his first year here.  From 1879 to 1884 secular teachers were employed. In 1884 the Ursuline Sisters from Alton arrived to take charge of the school.

From that day to the mid 1990’s the Ursulines continued to bring the finest in education to the children. The new church was partially built in 1880. For ten years there remained only the sanctuary and the transept. In 1890 the nave and the steeple were added. In 1894 it became evident that a larger school was needed and in the spring of 1895 the school was completed. On Easter Monday of that year the Most Rev. James Ryan, the third and last Bishop of Alton, dedicated it. Some years later three large classrooms and an auditorium were added. In 1920 Father Degenhardt was replaced by Father Francis Marke.

In July of 1933 Father B.N. Manning began his apostolic work by bringing back many people to the “Faith of our Fathers”. Father Manning’s accomplishments were paying off the parish debt, repairs of the rectory, church and the buying of ground for the parish center, and the buying of a home for the sisters. In 1937 Father Manning began a Convert Class in Maryville and adopted both of these communities as Mission Parishes. On April 17, 1938 the first Mass in Maryville was said in a converted movie theatre on Easter Sunday.

In June of 1950 Maryville became a parish with State Park as its Mission. In 1950 Monsignor Manning recognized the need for a Parish Center.  In May 1953, His Excellency, the Most Reverend William A. O’Connor D.D., the Bishop of Springfield, dedicated the Parish Center.  In 1956 it was determined that a new school was needed to meet the needs of the parishioners.

On October 14, 1956, the church looked back upon One Hundred Years of Catholic life and Parish activity in the City of Collinsville.  On November 25, 1957 Monsignor Manning died.  He was buried from the parish church on November 29.  During the same year ground was broken for a new school.

On January 14, 1958 Monsignor Eagear was appointed pastor of SS. Peter and Paul.  The new school was opened on September 2, 1958.  Bishop William A. O’Connor D.D. formally dedicated it on November 2, 1958.

In August of 1964, Bishop O’Connor approved plans for a new Parish Church.  On June 6, 1965, ground was broken and construction began on June 13, 1965.  The building was occupied in August 7, 1966 and was dedicated by Bishop O’Connor in November of 1966.

In the spring of 1976, Bishop Joseph McNicholas appointed Father Robert Morris as the pastor of SS. Peter and Paul.  Father Morris served our parish family from 1976 to 1999.  He spearheaded the development of St. John Neumann School.  Father Morris saw the need to have an additional facility to handle the overflow from the SS. Peter and Paul School.  St. John Neumann would go on to serve three parishes.  There was a need for a school library and computer lab, along with a gathering area for other parish meetings and activities.  A campaign was launched to fund the building of what would be called Manning Hall on the corner of Morrison and Johnson Streets.  The goal was exceeded and the new facility opened in August of 1996.

In May of 1999, we gathered in grateful thanksgiving to the providence and generosity of God for the celebration of Father Morris’ 50 years of service to the Church of Springfield and the people of God.  It was also during this time that Father Morris was relieved of his duties at SS. Peter and Paul and entered a new life of retirement. In June of 1999, Bishop Daniel Ryan appointed Father John Beveridge as the pastor of SS. Peter and Paul with Fr Larry Brunette as Parochial Vicar.   Father Beveridge led our parish family into the new millennium 2000.

In 2000, the rectory was converted into the Parish Offices, with the directive of the Bishop.  A home was purchased to serve as the residence of the priests serving SS. Peter and Paul.

In the spring of 2001, land was purchased just south of the existing parking lot.  This space was made into additional parking space for our church.  In 2001 the Diocese geared up for the 150^th anniversary celebration of the beginning of the Diocese in Springfield.

In 2002, the parish acquired Johnson St. which runs from Vandalia to Morrison St.  We received a large pipe organ from SS Peter & Paul in Springfield.  The new organ was dedicated November 2003.  In June 2002 Fr. Larry Brunette received his new assignment as Pastor of Holy Family in Granite City and Fr. Christopher Comerford was assigned to our church as Parochial Vicar.

2003 began with the renovation of the former convent building. It was completed and a re-dedication ceremony held, naming it The Morris Hall Hospitality and Youth Center.  All Masses in the Diocese were cancelled June 28, 2003 and everyone gathered at the State Fair Grounds in Springfield for the closing ceremonies of the Springfield Diocese Jubilee year. In the same year Fr. Christopher Comerford was assigned as Pastor in Nokomis, IL and Fr. Christopher House came as his replacement.  The first Parish Mission held in many years was presented by Vincentian Priest, Fr. Bob Gielow, November 2003.

A new Mass schedule was adopted in January 2004 due to the Priest shortage.  January 18, 2004 Sr. Mary Magdalen Fearon, our last Ursuline nun, celebrated her 60^th Anniversary of Religious Life.  January 25, 2004 was the kickoff of our school’s 135 year celebration.

In 2005 Fr. Christopher House was appointed as pastor in Wood River and Fr. Aloysius Ndeanaefo came as his replacement.  In November 2005 IDOT began collecting data and holding community wide meetings concerning the Highway 159 Expansion project through Collinsville signaling potential major changes for our Parish.  December 31, 2005 the 150th Parish Sesquicentennial Celebration began and in 2006 we celebrated the beginning of our parish.  Our parish enjoyed a year of commemorative events.

Spring 2006 the Parish began our Annual Spring Stewardship Drive called “Spring Drive to Revive” in order to help make us aware of our need for increase weekly giving.  After many, many years of dedicated service to our Parish Family Sister Mary Magdalen Fearon moved to the Ursuline Convent in Alton July 2006.  We celebrated the 40^th anniversary of the new church on November 18, 2006.  January 14, 2007 we concluded our year long Sesquicentennial Celebration with a special Jubilee 10:30 Mass.  Bishop George Lucas graciously joined our Parish Family for this memorable event which ended with a wonderful dinner at the KC Hall, lots of shared memories and a DVD presentation of our Parish.

January 2007 also kicked off our 1^st Annual Big Bucks Raffle, yet another endeavor to raise funds for our parish and school and also combine our proceeds with our annual Homecoming.  March 25, 2007 the Parish celebrated the GRACE Program – an ongoing spiritual event to bring unity to our Parish family.  June 19, 2007 the State of Illinois held the first of many open informational meetings on the 159 Highway Project.  2007 exploded with activities involving the formation of the Stewardship Committee and the Master Planning Committee.  IDOT and the IL 159 Expansion Project will dramatically impact our parish in the future and we must be prepared for inevitable changes.  These Committees are on target in assisting our Parish Family to prayerfully and spiritually be ready to go forward and tackle the challenges that lie ahead of all of us.   From the committee preparing prospective parents for the baptism of their expected child, to those who maintain the cemetery, SS. Peter & Paul Parish is definitely “A Spiritual Home for Everyone”!  It was a busy year!  September began the picture taking phase of the new parish directory.  On October 7, 2007 parishioners participated in the annual National Pro Life Chain.  The stewardship committee presented the results of the Gallup survey on November 2 and the plan for engagement by parishioners.  The first Parish Town Hall meeting was held on November 8,2007 to inform people of the upcoming disruption due to the widening of Illinois Route 159 and the changes we will be required to accept. In preparation for Christmas, the Glory Choir presented their annual Advent program – “Lessons and Carols.” Members of the parish youth group traveled to Washington, D.C. in January for the annual Right to Life March.  This was their fourth year to participate.  In April, when Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States, one member was in the group from the Springfield Diocese who participated in the Youth Day which the Holy Father attended in New York City.

The second Town Hall meeting was scheduled for January 31, 2008, but weather interfered.  It was rescheduled for March 4, with the same result.  It finally took place on April 10, 2008 with a large crowd in attendance.  Catholic Schools Week “Catholic Schools Light the Way” was January 28 – February 1, 2008.  Scout Sunday on February 3 honored the 67 young men from the parish sponsored troop who have attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the last 50 years.  Spring is always busy.  Bishop George Lucas confirmed a class of 36 on April 23.  On May 4, a total of 37 students received their first holy communion.  The 8^th grade graduating class of 32 students received diplomas on May 20.  The annual homecoming was held May 30 – June 1, 2008.  Again the weather was a small problem.  June 22 was a special celebration of couples married over 25 years.  Twenty-four couples accounted for 1,297 years of marriage.  Seven couples were over 60 years and one couple reached 70.  July was the annual Vacation Bible School.  This was the third year for the G.R.A.C.E. program.  A parish mission “More Than Silver or Gold” was conducted by Fr. Daniel Mahan January 27-29.  On June 12, David Heimann, a son of the parish, presented a special program, “Catholocism Across the World” as seen in his journey to nearly 40 countries.  Two novenas were held.  A novena for peace was November 29 thru December 8, 2007 culminating on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  The novena to SS. Peter & Paul was held June 21 thru June 29 in preparation for the celebration of the feast day of the parish patron saints.  Celebrating vocational anniversaries was the highlight of the year.  On January 20, we celebrated the 50^th anniversary of Sister Julia, O.S.U. (Marie Genetti) a daughter of the parish.  She resides at the convent in Alton and serves in the music ministry in the area.  Her sister, Ruth Lohmann, is an active member of the parish.  In May, we honored Fr. Donald Meehling, a former assistant, on this 50^th anniversary.  Fr. George Radosevich, a son of SS. Peter & Paul, was honored on the 40^th anniversary of his ordination.  He is currently pastor of St. Michael’s in Staunton.  His brother, Steve, is active in this parish.  It was a year of many blessings!

2008-2009 Summary:  This year was full of old, traditional experiences and new events.  Reception of the sacraments was #1!  Eight weddings were celebrated 55 baptisms (some infants, some adults) welcomed new souls.  Thirty-nine funerals were held as Christians left our world to be with their Lord and Saviour. Bishop Lucas confirmed a class of 35 on April 22.  First communion was on May 3.  The Wednesday Warriors assumed responsibility for many everyday jobs which keep the parish operational.  The Red Bag collection, aka Angel Fund, Tuitions Assistance helps many children in our parish receive a Catholic education.  Regular Sunday evening meetings of the youth group helped our teenagers grow in their faith and aid the community while enjoying the social side of life.  Among their activities was a trip to the Holocaust Museum in St. Louis and they also participated in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. from January 20-24.  The Sunday bulletin lists the names of 25 men and women serving in the armed forces, protecting us and needing our prayers for their safe return.  We also include a prayer list to pray for our friends and family who have health problems.  Meals on Wheels celebrated 30 years in Collinsville.  October 4 a Re-marriage workshop, the first in the diocese, was held.  Six couples participated.  Why Catholic?  A new program to learn more about our Catholic faith began October 5.  Perfect weather encouraged 350 people to participate in the annual Pro Life weekend which included The Life Chain.  Parish deer hunters donated 450 lbs. of meat to the CMA food pantry.  The Glory Choir presented their annual Advent concert “Lessons and Carols”.  Catholic Schools week January 26-30 was cut short by weather, but the “Catholic Schools Celebrate Service” theme prevailed the whole year.

In 2009 the Sixth grade stewardship program collected over 200 winter coats and 1,161 food items for the CAMA food pantry.  During the year, students brought home prizes in art, music and math competitions.  Graduation of 28 students was held on May 19.  Vacation Bible School for children K-4 was held July 6-10.   The annual homecoming, with the usual interruption due to weather, was a great success June 5, 6, 7.  A celebration of the 150^th anniversary of the Ursuline nuns in the Alton area was on March 22.  They were honored for their service in our parish on June 28.  A daughter of Ss. Peter & Paul, Sister Julia Genetti, was present.  On August 9, 34 couples, married over 25 years each, celebrated a total of 1,596 years at a special Mass followed by a brunch.  On August 30 the Mass was dedicated to prayer for the election of a new bishop.  Two major undertakings were initiated.  The K of C hall was the scene of a family festival.

April 26 to kick off the campaign for the new Fr. McGivney Catholic High School.  Bishop Lucas was in attendance along with former Cardinal pitcher, Jason Isringhausen, a Brighton native, who is honorary chairman of the fund raising group.  The goal is for the school to open in 2011 on an 80 acre campus in Glen Carbon.  It will be the only Catholic High School in this corner of Madison County and will serve many parishes, not just one.  The major project for the parish is

“We Must! We Can! We Will!”  Although it covers many needed improvements on our campus, the catalyst was the decision by IDOT to widen Illinois Route 159 (Vandalia Street) at our front door.  On September 28, Cargill and Associates along with a committee of parishioners presented a Master Plan to cover these projects.  Commitment Weekend, May 2 and 3 offered parishioners their first opportunity to make a monetary pledge towards the completion of the plan.

In 2010 we added Mr. Ron Knapp as our new Director of Family and Childhood Faith Formation and Ms Shannon Gittemeier joined as our new Youth Minister.   Ron and Shannon along with Jenifer Lohmann our Director of Adult Faith Formation formed our new Faith Formation team.  All work together to provide faith formation and direction to people from birth to adult.    Ms. Teri Lesicko also joined us as the new Director of Finance and Development.   Because our roof began to leak we held our “Raise the Roof” campaign. The campaign was successful and we raised the additional support needed to replace our Church roof.  We also re-started our Annual Fund newsletter to the parish.  Our Capital Campaign “We Must! We Can! We Will!”  moved into its second year. We began to earnestly plan for the HVAC renovation of our school and church so that we can complete it by August 2011.   We held our first Quartermania to help raise funds for the roof campaign.

In 2011 we embarked on several major changes, upgrades and repairs to our facilities. In May of 2011 we contracted to have a new HVAC system installed in both the church and school.  When our students returned in August 2011 our “School was Cool” for the very first time. We held a ribbon cutting ceremony on August 28, 2011 to allow our parishioners who so generously supported the project to see the changes to the school building. .  We also installed a new boiler system and balanced the airflow in the church. This makes our church more comfortable throughout the seasons.  In addition, we installed two new heating units and replaced all the lighting fixtures in the gymnasium.  Because of the success of the roof campaign we were able to completely replace our Church roof with a new more efficient roofing system. This system will reduce our energy bills for years to come.  We also hired a new Pastoral Director, Ms. Ariel Martin, to complete our faith formation team.  She is responsible for aging adults and health programs at our church,. We held our very first health fair in October 2011.  We also began monthly blood pressure screening for our parishioners.   Our Capital Campaign “We Must! We Can! We Will!”  moved into its third and final year. We began planning for a follow-on campaign called “Future Generations Now” that will kick-off in 2012.

In 2011 we embarked on several major changes, upgrades and repairs to our facilities. In May of 2011 we contracted to have a new HVAC system installed in both the church and school.  When our students returned in August 2011 our “School was Cool” for the very first time. We held a ribbon cutting ceremony on August 28, 2011 to allow our parishioners who so generously supported the project to see the changes to the school building. .  We also installed a new boiler system and balanced the airflow in the church. This makes our church more comfortable throughout the seasons.  In addition, we installed two new heating units and replaced all the lighting fixtures in the gymnasium.  Because of the success of the roof campaign we were able to completely replace our Church roof with a new more efficient roofing system. This system will reduce our energy bills for years to come.  We also hired a new Pastoral Director, Ms. Ariel Martin, to complete our faith formation team.  She is responsible for aging adults and health programs at our church. We held our very first health fair in October 2011.  We also began monthly blood pressure screening for our parishioners.   Our Capital Campaign “We Must! We Can! We Will!”  moved into its third and final year. We began planning for a follow-on campaign called “Future Generations Now” that will kick-off in 2012.

2012 was a busy year at SS. Peter and Paul.   .  We baptized 31 infants and 3 adults this year.  In March 2012 we confirmed 13 adults and 26 children and 35 children received First Communion in May.  On April 28 we had several of our glass stained windows damaged during a severe hail storm.  We were able to have the damage repaired by Emil Frey and Associates, the makers of the original windows, and the windows look wonderful.  Additionally we replaced the roofs on Manning Hall, the white rental house and the garage due to the hail storm damage.

In May 2012 we began our second Capital Campaign, Future Generations Now.  This campaign is to raise funds to build a new gathering space.   and re-orient the main church entrance.  The expansion of Rt. 159 created a safety issue with our front entrance and we will re-orient the main church entrance to face south.  This campaign will also be used to improve the liturgical fitments in the church, such as installing a permanent baptismal font, an ambo and presider’s chair.  We also need to replace both our electrical and sound systems in the church.

Also in May the Parish celebrated the 40^th anniversary of our Pastor Fr. John Beveridge’s ordination. The parish held a party and all parishioners were invited.  The parish gifted Fr. John with a new car for his true spiritual leadership and wonderful pastoral care for the past 13 years

SS Peter and Paul also was part of the group of local churches that began a community Soup Kitchen in conjunction with our local food pantry organization.  Every third Thursday of each month volunteers from our Parish prepare and serve food to people in need of assistance.

In June, we were blessed to have Deacon Jim Hill permanently assigned to our Parish.  Deacon Jim has been a member of our parish for a number of years and the parish welcomed him with an open house.

In August our school added 16 new students this year. It is the first time in many years where we added students in several grades.  We also completed the development of our grass playground area located behind Manning Hall on Center Street. We graded, seeded and fenced the property so our school children have a safe and fun green space for recess.  We also replaced the air conditioning unit in the cafeteria to ensure all of the buildings remain climate controlled.  The new unit is designed to save our Parish utility costs.  Our school hallways and office spaces were painted this year.  The new colors are vibrant and improve the appearance of our school.  We also tiled and replaced the drinking fountains in the school.  Our school began the planning phase to improve the physical security of our buildings and ensure the safety of all of our students. We closed out the year with a wonderful Advent and Christmas season.

In 2013, SS Peter and Paul continued our commitment to enhancing our Parish.  Our stewardship committee established a year long program that focused on our Parish commitment to Praying, Serving and Giving.  Throughout the year the Stewardship committee gave talks at Masses and prepared various letters, newsletters, and information about how we as individuals can enhance our faith by committing to Praying, Serving and Giving.

In March, we were excited to welcome our new Pope.  Pope Francis has been a light to all of us.  In May we hired an RCIA Director, Jeannie Korte.  While Jeannie was only able to be with us a short time she had an impact on our RCIA program and we were very blessed to have her on our staff.   With the addition of Jeannie, we re-aligned the roles in our Ministry Staff, Jenifer Lohman became our Director of Child Faith Formation and Shannon Gittemeier took on the role of PSR Director.  In addition Diane Wepking became our first PSR principal. Diane provides the educational expertise to our PSR to ensure each student receives religious education and our Catechists have the opportunity to learn how to teach our faith to each student in the best manner.

Our school was assessed by the State of Illinois and the Diocese in March as part of the 5-year accreditation requirements.  Our school achieved a high score on all the areas and received our accreditation.  Special thank you to our Principal, Mr. Mike Palmer, faculty and staff who worked very diligently to ensure the accreditation process was smooth and the assessment team received all the information.  We also continued to improve our school infrastructure.  We completely remodeled the bathrooms, upgraded the electrical panels in the gym and upgraded our internet services.  We bought two new smart boards for the classrooms and now have smart boards in all of our education classrooms.  Our school auction was a great success and raised money to provide our students with IPads for the next school year.  We installed safety locks on all the classroom doors as part of our security system upgrade.  The new locks provide our students and teachers with the ability to lock out any potential security risk by simply closing the door.

Our Master Plan committee worked during year to finalize the plans to build our new gathering space and office. We hired an architect to develop conceptual drawings. After we receive the drawings in 2014 we will have a series of parish meetings to review the drawings and seek comments. We also began the process of obtaining bids to replace our Church sound system.  The new sound system will be in place by Easter 2014.  The electrical panels and system was upgraded.  The electrical system panels and switches were original to the building and needed to be upgraded to eliminate the chance of fire.

We closed the year by passing out books to all the Parishioners at the Christmas Masses. The books provide an in-depth look at our faith and help each us on our own faith journeys.

 2014 was a year of blessings at SS Peter and Paul.  We began the year with the installation of our new sound system in church which was completed by Easter Sunday.  It was wonderful to have a system that uses the latest technology so that all can hear the Word of the Lord.    Our Master Plan committee continued to work on the conceptual plan for the new Gathering space and office.   The committee presented the initial plans to the Parish in late 2014 for comments and suggestions.  We purchased property at 217 N Morrison directly across from our school from a former parishioner. This purchase ensures we have an additional parking area as we continue to grow.   We repaired the roof on Morris Hall to stop the leaking on the second floor of the building.

A blessing to all was the appointment of Father Steven Arisman to be our Parochial Vicar in July. Fr. Arisman was an inspiration to our youth and a joy to everyone he met. Fr. Arisman worked with both the junior and senior high groups to instill a love of the Lord in their daily activities.

Our school was blessed with the addition of new technology for the entire school.  The annual school auction raised money to purchase Chrome books for the school.   With the safety of our students as a paramount concern we continued installing new security measures in the school. We replaced the old video surveillance system with a latest in technology that has visibility to all areas of the school.  We also installed new glass on the school doors to make them resistant to various forces.

Ms Kimberly Zagorski joined our office staff as the Coordinator of Faith Formation after Ms. Jenifer Lohmann took another position. Ms. Lohmann was with the Parish for over nine years and we were truly blessed to have her as part of our Parish staff. Ms Zagorski has the responsibility of coordinating the faith formation for our school children and leading the Children’s RCIA program.

Another blessing is the addition of Mrs. Maggie Brennan as our Pastoral Care Director.  She replaced Ms. Ariel Martin who chose to retire.  Ms. Martin founded this ministry and we were blessed in so many ways by her dedication to our Parish and this ministry. Ms. Martin remains as our annulment advocate.   Mrs. Brennan is active in many ministries throughout the parish and her unique talents and gifts are especially suited to her work as our Pastoral Care Director.  She assists with the hospital and home bound visits.  She also coordinates the monthly blood pressure screenings.

We closed the year with a joyful Christmas celebration and renewed hope for 2015.

 2015 was a year of change, blessings and planning for our Parish.  In March, Fr. Arisman was res-assigned to the parishes in Charleston and we had to say goodbye after his short time with us.

We launched a totally re-designed Parish website that gave our parishioner an easy way to access information about parish events.  The website is maintained by a dedicated team of volunteers.

Our Capital Campaign to raise money for the New Gathering Space/Office ended in May.  We were still short of our goal at this time.  The Blessings of Jesus Christ was given to us in the form of a $1,000,000 bequest.  This bequest allowed us to move forward with the planning for the New Gathering Space/Office and add a Fellowship Hall.    The addition of the Fellowship Hall will provide our Parish with the space needed for Parish activities without having to go outside and provides us with the needed space for future growth.

The planning for the new construction began in earnest and by the end of the year we had detailed architectural plans.   Our Master Plan Committees was finally ready to present our plans to the Bishop and the Diocesan Building Commission in early 2016.

We renovated Manning Hall to accommodate the temporary offices while the new building was being constructed and the last months of the year saw significant activity. Ms. Lynn Muniz and Ms Leslie Duff were the leaders in helping the office staff take on the challenging task of moving many years accumulation of documents, furniture and other essential items used in the day to day operation of our Parish.  The move date was set for early 2016.

We also purchased a new voice-over-internet–protocol (VOIP) phone system for the entire Parish complex. This new system will provide a more efficient way to handle both incoming and outgoing calls for all the staff and faculty.

For our Cemetery we were able to add four columbaria on a newly constructed foundation. This new area can now be used for services in the cemetery without going to the gravesite.  This was a major improvement to our cemetery and will benefit all for many years.

Our Stewardship Committee continued with our four stewardship phases, Prayer, Giving, Serving and Sharing.  They also launched a census program called Gather Your People to visit each parishioner throughout the year.  This program has provided many benefits to our Parish as they gather information from each parishioner to make sure we are meeting their Spiritual needs.  The Stewardship Committee is also the leader for all of our activities during the Year of Mercy.

The year closed with a sense of excitement and expectation for the new building and a renewed strength in God’s Grace and Mercy for our Parish.

In 2016, SS Peter and Paul continued our path of growth and development.   In February 2016, we moved from the old rectory/offices into our temporary offices in Manning Hall. While this was a significant change, the entire staff embraced the temporary offices and made them into a workable office space.

We solicited construction bids for the new building in February and had a bid opening in March 2016.  We selected Plocher Construction from Highland IL to be the General Contractor.   We also solicited bids for the asbestos removal from the old rectory/offices and awarded the contract to Abatepro from Maryville IL.  We requested and received permission from Bishop Paprocki in early April and the contracts were issued.

The years of planning and meetings finally came to fruition in the April of 2016.  On April 24, 2016 Bishop Paprocki, Fr John Beveridge, Deacon Jim Hill and Deacon Jim Ghiglione and the members of the Master Plan Committee and parishioners attended the groundbreaking ceremony for our new Gathering Space/Offices and Fellowship Hall building. It was an exciting day.

At the Cemetery, the new columbaria plaza was dedicated during the annual Memorial Day mass. We also set up a memorial brick drive to honor all our deceased family members and friends.

The asbestos abatement was completed in May and the demolition of the old building was begun in June.  It was a bittersweet day to see the building come down.  After cleanup and removal of the debris, excavation begun for the lower level hall.  It was a site to see the massive hole in the ground that would become our Fellowship Hall.  The excavation continued for most of the summer and steel began to rise in late August.   The new building is on schedule to be completed in the Spring 2017.

In the fall of 2016, we began the repainting of the church. It had been over 35 years since the church was painted. The new color scheme has brightened and enlivened the church environment.

Because of the construction, our school had to changes it drop off/pickup to the Johnson Street doors.  This change improved traffic flow and enhanced the safety of our students.

We began our Growing, Living, Building Together Capital Campaign in July 2016 with a feasibility study. We selected Walsh and Associates from Michigan as our campaign consultants.  The generosity of our SS Peter and Paul parishioners is evident because the campaign exceeded the goal of $2,000,000.  Because God has blessed us with an abundance of prayerful giving we will be able to begin planning in 2017 for the renovation of our church bathrooms and meeting rooms, re-design of parking on Johnson Street and renovations to the gym.

The Stewardship Committee led our activities for the Year of Mercy. We held our first “Almost Free” yard sale.  Our parishioners responded with overwhelming generosity in donating new or slightly used clothing and personal items. The Collinsville community was invited to shop and everyone was very pleased with their items.

The committee also worked with a city organization to recognize our veterans with banners displayed on the main streets of Collinsville.  A ceremony was held on Johnson street to recognize the veterans and their families.

With God’s grace and blessings shining brightly during our Christmas season, SS Peter and Paul Parish looked forward to 2017.

2017 was a year to remember.  We began the year focusing on the final construction phases of our new Gathering Space, Offices and Fellowship hall.  There were so many decisions to be made to ensure the new building had the necessary functionality and features that will sustain us and allow us to grow as a faith community for the future.

We dedicated our new building the weekend of June 24-25.  On Saturday June 24, we had a Fun Day on our new parking lot with free food, games, prizes and music and lots of fun as we celebrated the completion of the new building. On Sunday June 25, Bishop Paprocki was the main concelebrant at our dedication Mass.  As he blessed the new building, our choir sang and all present rejoiced in what the Lord had guided us to achieve.    We created a Dedication book that was passed out to all and had a delicious lunch served by our Hospitality Committee.    In addition, we offered tours of the new space as well as our Church.   More than 500 people attend the dedication.

The new Gathering Space also brought many changes to how we interact with each other. We have a small hospitality reception after each Mass on the weekends, which encourages people to stay and visit with other parishioners.

The new offices provide an efficient yet hospitable environment to perform our tasks. Others that come to meetings comment on how the space, which is office appropriate, is also conducive to performing the Lord’s work.

The first big event in the new Fellowship hall was our Women’s Day retreat. The new Fellowship hall was overflowing with people from all around the area.

We also saw an increase in the number of people who attended our annual Chicken and Roast Pork Dinner in October.  The new facility allows for everyone to attend since we now have an elevator that accesses all floors of our Church and Hall.

We held the Second Annual Free Yard Sale and Breakfast in the Fellowship hall that was a resounding success. Many parishioners joined in working the event, and our Collinsville Community was very grateful.   Since we are committed to being a Stewardship Parish, all the leftover items were then sent to the donated to various local charities.  We also held a Veterans Day breakfast and our First Annual Breakfast with Santa in the new Hall. The hall provides Ss. Peter and Paul with the space to reach out to our community and offer events that help our neighbors.

In September we dedicated our new Baptismal Font. The first babies baptized were Zachary Quinlan, son of Angela and Edward Quinlan; Elliana Sebastian, daughter of Adrienne and Matthew Sebastian; and Elliot Robinson, son of Shawna and Brent Robinson.

This year also saw Ss. Peter and Paul participating in the Diocesan Synod. Our appointed representatives to the Diocesan team were Ms. Pat Ellis and Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione.  Our team traveled to Springfield several times for meetings and attended the listening sessions held at the Father McGivney High School.  The team assisted in developing and refining the 12 Diocesan Discipleship and Stewardship action items.   As we move into 2018, the Discipleship/Stewardship team at Ss. Peter and Paul will began to formulate the plans and develop the processes to implement the new Discipleship /Stewardship Action Items.

In 2017, SS Peter and Paul School kicked off our 150^th year celebration.  We held our first annual alumni golf tournament in recognition of this milestone.  In addition, we will host various other events throughout the year to celebrate the spiritual and educational services SS peter and Paul School has provided to our Parish and our Collinsville community.

Our school also saw a change in leadership this year. Mr. Michael Palmer left for other opportunities and we were able to hire Mrs. Peg Bodinet as the interim Principal.  Mrs. Bodinet’s skills and expertise allowed our school to transition smoothly to new administration.  She also updated the School Board to act as a School Council. The School Council has been charged with developing a Five Year Plan and Goals for the school. This transition will allow our school to focus on growth and the transition to the Diocesan Discipleship /Stewardship model.

In May, our technology teacher Ms. Janet Christian retired, and our first-grade teacher resigned to moved closer to family. We hired two new teachers in July, Ms. Amy Michiaels and Ms. Christina Reinhardt.

The school has also made use of the new Gathering Space by having the Student’s artwork displayed each month.

In December, the third through eighth grades performed “Journey to Bethlehem” for the community. The students acted in various roles as we took the path of Mary and Joseph that led to the birth of our Savior.   The event included two live Nativity Scenes–one student and one adult. To add to the overall environment, we had live animals present to fully represent the birthplace of Jesus.  Over 400 people attended the event.

Ss. Peter and Paul saw renewed focus on providing the necessary Before and After School Care that will provide our parents a safe and secure place for their children.  We saw an increase in enrollment in our Preschool with 21 children enrolled. The enrollment in grades Kindergarten through Eighth Grade was 165.   For a total school enrollment of 186. This is in line with our student enrollment in prior years.

In addition, we hired an Athletic Director to focus on growing our Athletic programs through the spiritual, educational and physical benefits of participating in team sports.

The year of 2018 started off with our Parish hosting the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace seminars. These seminars took place over 9 weeks and provided our parishioners with the knowledge to effectively manage their financial matters.  Ss. Peter and Paul renewed our “Formed” membership and several of our members use the resources to view videos and read stories pertaining to our faith.

We began a new ministry for our expectant parents. We set up a prayer list so our parish can pray for the new family as they prepare for the miracle of life. Our volunteers for the SOS soup kitchen held their first raffle. Our parish participated and raised several hundred dollars to help with the expenses of this important community service.

Our “Follow Me: Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John” prayer workshops were held in the spring.  These studies allow our parish members to grow closer to Christ.   We also held Christian Movie night in our new Fellowship hall in April.  The youth group held their first Easter Egg hunt after Mass on Easter Sunday for our parish families.  The youth had over 4,000 eggs for the children to find! It was such a fun event for the families.

In June we had our first Food Truck Frenzy. We invited several food trucks and along with the 5K Hornet Hustle and other games the families of friends had a wonderful day.

June also saw the start of improving the parking along Johnson Street. We reconfigured the area to provide more parking spaces and a wider area to allow for more vehicles. We also installed a table parking bump to differentiate the walking area so our students can cross the street in safety. We also tore down the yellow house on Morrison Street and used the space to provide parking for Morris Hall.  We improved the lighting and added street and walk way lights to add to the visibility and safety of the north parking lot.   The improved parking areas were completed in August for the start of school.

We continue to improve our facilities by adding WIFI access to the Church basement and upgraded the WIFI in the school.

Our Missionary Visit was with Rev. Peter Yuwino Hendro Prasetyo from the Missionaries of the Holy Family (MSF).  The MSF brings the Gospel and pastoral care to poor areas of the world.

In the summer we began a new Mending Ministry. This ministry provides sewing services to our parishioners each month.

In July Deacon Fernando Solomon joined us during his diaconate internship year.  We were blessed to have him become part of our Parish even if it is only for one year.  Deacon Fernando is a Brother with the Dominican Missionaries for the Apostolate of the Deaf and Disabled.

In July, our School was blessed to have Miss Patricia Kirk join us as our new principal. Miss Kirk was a former teacher and principal with over 40 years serving in Catholic school in Missouri.  She has a focus on nurturing the Catholic Faith in children and improving the academics for our students and faculty.

Totus Tuus was held in July with over 60 children participating. Totus Tuus is a week-long summer youth Catechetical program that is dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting Catholic faith through instruction and worship for grade school students and teens.

We held the third annual Free Yard sale and Breakfast in the new Fellowship Hall and Gathering Space.  The donations and the number of people that we serve continues to grow each year.    We also held the second annual Breakfast with Santa that provides hats and gloves to members of children of our community.

We ended the year with a Half Day Retreat that focused on what it means to be an Intentional Disciple of Christ.

With the new facilities and ministries, our Parish continues to grow in both physical and spiritual ways. We offer more services to our community, our students and our parishioners, and we are committed to continuing that focus on service in 2019.

2019 prompted our parish into making several major changes, upgrades and repairs to our facilities. Fundraising began to make necessary repairs and replacements to the church buildings and school. The HVAC System, which had the heating replaced in 2011, needed the air conditioning replaced with new cooling towers “chillers” and controls to provide sufficient cooling in our church, school, and gathering space building addition. Engineers and committee members met to go over bids and select the general contractor for the work. After 30 years of service, the flat roof over the priest & work sacristy was replaced. New piping was installed and the old was removed. The skylights & roof were damaged over the years by weather & sunlight. The marble wall on the St. Joseph’s side of church was taken down, tuck pointing was performed on the outside brick of the church, cracks behind were repaired where moisture had seeped in, and the marble slabs were mended and secured safely back to the wall. The estimated cost for all these projects was $557,184.  Thanks to an anonymous donor of $400,000, we only had to raise $157,184 to complete these projects.  We were able to meet our goal quickly.

Other updates included a new security system (which included cameras and electrical locks) for the church and the gathering space addition and an upgrade for the school security system. This resulted in changes to the way we enter into church and the gathering space keeping in mind that the safety of our children and the rest of us has become a primary concern. We also had to replace the high pressure fan for our church boilers unexpectedly. The old foyer, downstairs hallway and meeting rooms received upgrades and refreshment which included ceiling repairs, light fixture upgrades, new paint and some new flooring.  Lights in the school were also replaced with LED bulbs.

The Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which stood in a brick shrine in the garden between the old rectory, parish office and church for many years under went some refurbishment. Stains & damage to the finish of the marble were fixed as well as repair was made to the thumbs and fingers. It took several years to accomplish this, with the statue visiting neighboring cities and various companies trying to restore her ‘good looks’. A pedestal was built, and she was placed outside the church proper in the new addition with special lighting.

Other changes highlighted this year as well. We started out the year with a new 11-week program called “Alpha” using a “Food-Talk-Discussion” format exploring Christian faith directed at both Catholic and non-Catholics who are not sure where they stand with their beliefs. The talk series averaged about 80 people in attendance each week. Despite cold weather and icy precipitation, the series was able to endure the winter months. 2019 was the first time in 40 years, however, that we didn’t have mass one Sunday.  The ice was too treacherous for any one, as even Fr. John could not safely make it to church from his residence.

Church Holy Hours began for two hours each week to pray for our church, diocese & parish… especially for the clergy and victims of any type of abuse. Employment Assistance Seminars were hosted offering human resource and job experts who gave emotional, spiritual, and resume development support, as well as building confidence with each step of the job search process for the unemployed and people wanting to start, enhance their career, or make a career change.  Our Pastoral Care Ministry kicked off its new ‘Seasons of Hope’ Program consisting of four six-week scripture based/Christ-centered sessions designed to comfort the grieving including simple group exercises, faith sharing, catholic traditions, & participant journaling.

Our Strategic Pastoral Planning team, consisting of 25 members of the parish, each with their own gifts, expertise and talents to share, continued in 2019 to implement phase II of the 12 Declarations that were adopted as a result of the recent diocesan Synod “A Call to Discipleship—Come and See” for our parish. Our Vision statement has been defined as to be “A Parish of Intentional, Missionary Disciples” and our Mission is to “Be. Grow. Make Disciples.” As a result of Declaration #6, Ss. Peter & Paul began ‘restoring the order’ of the sacraments using a process that will result in all children receiving Confirmation and First Eucharist in the third grade only by 2024. This year we had 52 7th and 8th graders receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in a Mass presided by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki.

The weekly Generosity Report made its way into the bulletin and prompted some surprise help from an anonymous parishioner, who dropped off a donation to cover the shortage as listed in the bulletin, proving that our parishioners are generous and interested in being good stewards of God’s gifts bestowed upon them.

The year called for celebration as well!  The SSPP Class of 1979 celebrated their 40th reunion by attending Mass and having a dinner in the Fellowship Hall. We celebrated Fr. John Beveridge’s 20th year as being a pastor here as well as Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione’s 20th year being ordained as a deacon. Our parish hosted several events with attendees from around the diocese including our Women’s Day featuring guest speaker Patty Schneier and 2 half-day retreats focusing on “Holy Moments” and the “Power of Prayer.”

With the closing of the year and decade, we look forward to a renewal and strengthening of our parish and its leaders and an openness in the hearts of our parishioners to see all the gifts that we have been given and to consider how to give back to God what is His.

2020 was year of change and difficulty for our parish, but one of grace and blessings as well. The year began with the normal operations of the parish and school, the events of Catholic Schools Week in January, and the typical ministerial activities that we are used to. As planned, our celebration of the sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist was celebrated on February 23 with our 3^rd grade and 7^th grade students of both our school and PSR. We are grateful that our celebration was able to occur as planned with Bishop Paprocki as celebrant before the COVID-19 Pandemic forced the closure of our churches. Also, in February, the closure of the plans for the Divine Mercy Senior Living Center was announced. This saddened and disappointed many in the parish who supported the effort, but we came to understand the difficulty of the process and appreciate Bishop Paprocki’s decision.

As we entered March, we became more aware of the presence and effects of the novel coronavirus in our community and we began to encourage our parishioners to be cautious, particularly with the vulnerable. Catholics in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois were dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays in an abundance of caution. This dispensation would last through the end of the year and into 2021.

On March 13, our school, along with schools throughout the whole diocese, transitioned to remote learning and the school building was closed to the students for the remainder of the school year.

On March 18, Bishop Paprocki announced the suspension of the public celebration of the Mass and all in-person parish activities. For our parish, this meant closing our Parish Office, PSR, running study groups, activities with the Collinsville SOS Soup Kitchen, and all similar activities. Fr. John continued to celebrate Mass sine populo (without a congregation).

The prohibition of gathering obviously effected the whole parish. This situation had a devastating effect on our parish’s financial situation and so most of our staff had to be laid off until financial aid became available via the CARES Act, which provided relief to small business and severely stressed sectors of the U.S. economy, including churches. However, our staff and volunteers continued to find new ways to engage our parishioners as best we could, including individual phone calls to every household, sending digital copies of the parish bulletin to almost 800 email addresses, saying a parish Rosary everyday (more than 5,000 said by January) for those affected by the COVID-19 Virus and livestreaming our Masses on the parish Facebook page and YouTube channel.

On the weekend of May 16, we were able to begin distributing Holy Communion after live-streamed masses in a “drive through” sort of manner. Parishioners drove to the church, came to the doorway of the Church, and were able to receive the Eucharist and share a brief moment of prayer. Masses continued without a congregation with the exception of ministers to serve as musicians and lectors, with the total room capacity not exceeding ten people.

At the end of the school year, an outdoor graduation ceremony was held for our eighth-grade class. Students gathered in cap and gown in their families’ cars in our parking lot and Fr. John, Ms. Patricia Kirk – principal, and Mrs. Melissa Martin – eighth-grade teacher, led prayer and congratulatory messages over speakers. The students then came into the Gathering Space one-by-one, maintaining social distance, to receive their diploma and have their photo taken as “Pomp and Circumstance” played in the background.

The end of the school year also brought many changes to the parish and school faculty and staff. Retirements included Ms. Patricia Kirk – principal, Mrs. Barb Plocher – preschool, Mr. Mike Sladek – band, and Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione – Faith Formation Director. In addition to these retirements, three additional teachers resigned to pursue other things. This left many positions to fill.

Mrs. Julie Buehler, who had served as fifth-grade teacher since 2000 at Ss. Peter & Paul School, was hired as principal of our school. Mr. Mark Vojas was hired as Faith Formation Coordinator for the school and parish, and soon several new teachers were also hired to serve our school. Ms. Grace Shortall – 7^th grade, Mr. Joe Sotolar – 6^th grade, Mrs. Megan Sax – preschool, Mrs. Susannah Arana – band, and Mrs. Diane Britton – technology, and Mrs. Trina Rauk – ABC Club (before and after school care) were all welcome additions to our team. They all hit the ground running to prepare for a good and safe opening to the new school year.

The weekend of June 6/7, we were finally able to celebrate Mass with a congregation with many safety precautions in place. Reception of the Precious Blood was reserved for the celebrant, masks were required for entry, social distance of six-feet between family units had to be enforced, a physical sign of peace was not permitted outside of family units, the church could not exceed 25% of the room capacity (for us, around 180 people), and the whole church had to be sanitized after each Mass. Our Mass schedule shifted to 4:00 pm on Saturday and 10:30 am on Sunday, eliminating our 8:00 am Sunday Mass due to the smaller congregations that returned to Mass in-person and the many volunteers necessary to ensure the proper protocols. Our live-stream of Mass continued.

During the summer, the 25-year-old HVAC system in Manning Hall had to be replaced, the school was repainted and deeply sanitized, and the cafeteria was refreshed and rearranged to accommodate social distancing for the students.

In August, the school reopened for full in-person learning five days a week. The public schools transitioned between in-person, remote, and hybrid learning and so our PSR program reopened in September in a fully remote model. In October we launched a new model for our youth group with grades 7-12 gathering together monthly with a team of mentors to lead them in activities and small group conversations.

By late fall and winter, the COVID-19 Pandemic began to affect more and more people in our local community causing us to exercise additional caution in our school and church operations. For our Christmas Masses, we had to require RSVPs for the 4:00pm, 6:00pm, 9:00am and 10:30am masses for the first time to ensure that we did not exceed our church’s capacity limits.

At the end of the year, things began to look hopeful with talk of vaccines becoming available, however, the pandemic would surely continue into the new year. Despite these challenges, we praise God for his many blessings this year.

2022-At the beginning of the year 2022, COVID-19 made another resurgence in our community. After the Christmas holiday, many contracted COVID resulting in the need for extended time off for parish staff and in the school. We continued to be aware of this in our daily operations. Our School Auction that was scheduled for February was rescheduled until we could be more confident that it could be held safely.

Thanks to a large gift from an anonymous alum of Ss. Peter & Paul School, a committee was formed to discuss the conversion of Manning Hall into an early childhood center. At the time, the lower level of Manning Hall was used for a combined class of 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds, while the upper level was used for ABC Club – our after-school program. The committee discussed what would be needed to use the upper level as a second classroom to devote to separate classes of 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds. Improvements included cleaning, painting, purchasing new furniture, and zoning out the spaces for learning centers for different activities. These improvements happened during the summer. Also during the summer was the hiring of Kelley Gaither as the new teacher for 3-year-olds. Kelley continued as part-time Early Childhood Formation Coordinator for the parish and working in the preschool three days a week. Later in the year, she became a full-time teacher in the preschool and left the parish staff.

One significant change for the parish was moving the operations of the Knights of Columbus Council to the parish after the 2021 sale of the Knights of Columbus Hall at 1 Columbus Plaza. Due to difficulty sustaining the hall’s operations from lack of revenue and manpower, the knights sold their hall in November of 2021 and began meeting in Morris Hall and the parish fellowship hall. This was difficult but gave the knights a new sense of mission in supporting our parish and school. Many of the efforts that they began focusing on were focused on supporting the school, including hosting the revamped Back to School Barbecue. The council is continuing to grow, and the parish is benefiting from it.

On Sunday, June 12, the parish celebrated Deacon Jim Hill for the 10th anniversary of his ordination as a deacon. Deacon Jim was ordained on June 16, 2012, and has served our parish for his entire diaconate in a variety of ministries including the Pro-Life and Social Concerns Committee, weekly lessons in the school, RCIA, and more. We were glad to celebrate him and his wife, Diane, for their years of service to our parish.

The most significant part of the year was the preparation for and celebration of Fr. John Beveridge’s Golden Jubilee and retirement. Fr. John’s 50th anniversary of his ordination was on May 27; however, the parish celebrations were planned for the weekend of June 18-19, Father’s Day weekend. The theme for the celebration was “Celebrating Fr. John – Fifty Years of Faithful Fatherhood.” Months of planning went into the weekend celebrations including a special dinner on Saturday evening with Fr. John’s family, parish ministry leaders, and other special guests. All the weekend Masses were celebrated with special honors for Fr. John, but the 10:30 Mass was especially celebratory with special presentations. The school community presented him with a memory book; the Mayor of Collinsville, John Miller, presented him with a proclamation from the city; and those who were among Father’s “firsts” (first baptism as a priest, first baptism in our parish, first wedding in our parish, etc.) were recognized. Following the Mass, a picnic celebration took place in the Johnson Street parking lot with music from Tony and Rhonda Hausmann, more presentations of gifts from the Knights of Columbus and Ladies’ Auxiliary, and other activities and fun.

In addition to the weekend of celebrations, the parish also worked to create a new pictorial directory to commemorate Fr. John’s jubilee year. The last pictorial directory was created in 2007. Another way that we honored Fr. John was the creation of The Fr. John Beveridge Living the Scripture Award to be presented to one student from the graduating class of our school each year. The award would also come with a $1000 scholarship funded by the faculty and staff of the school and parish. The inaugural recipient of the award was Lucas Roedl of the Class of 2022. Finally, the parish fellowship hall in the lower level of the church was named the Fr. John Beveridge Fellowship Hall (Beveridge Hall) by the parish staff and Buildings and Grounds Committee. A plaque was presented at the Saturday evening jubilee dinner for Father and is now displayed in the hall.

Following the celebration of Fr. John’s jubilee, we shifted our focus to wishing him well in his upcoming retirement and preparing to welcome our new pastor, Fr. Michael B. Haag, who would begin on July 1. Fr. Mike was coming to Ss. Peter & Paul as the 20th pastor from the parishes in Gillespie, Carlinville, Benld, and Nokomis. He was installed as pastor on July 24 by Bishop Paprocki with Fr. John and Fr. Jeff Goeckner, dean of the Alton Deanery, concelebrating. Shortly after arriving at our parish, Fr. Mike injured his knee. The injury would need surgery, followed by a 6-week period of non-weight-bearing recovery. During his recovery, Fr. John helped to fill in. Parishioners and staff offered to bring meals and run errands as necessary during the recovery period too. Fr. Mike was able to return to parish ministry at the beginning of December.

Despite his injury, Fr. Mike still sought to complete some new parish initiatives including the Bring Your Loved Ones Home Campaign, in which families who had the cremated remains of their loved ones in their homes could have them buried in our parish cemetery free of charge. The Mass took place on November 5, followed by the burial in our cemetery, and a funeral luncheon. Four families participated with six sets of cremated remains being buried.

Another initiative was the relaunching of our school’s alumni newsletter. We worked to update our alumni database to send this newsletter to as many alumni as we could to keep them updated on what was happening in our school as well as give them the opportunity to stay in touch with us and offer support. The newsletter will now be a biannual publication going out in the fall and spring.

Other staff changes that occurred during the year included the hiring of Mr. Nick Pyles to fill the vacant position of Band Director in the school. Former Accounting Manager, Michelle Trimble, returned to the parish staff on a part-time basis to assist in the finance office until Caitlyn Pendall was hired as a part-time Accounting Specialist. Later in the year, Faith Formation Coordinator, Mark Vojas, was given the new job title of Pastoral Associate. Also, Administrative Assistant, Monica Saldana, resigned and Mary Unfried was hired for the position. During the summer, Issy Wendler was hired as a part-time assistant in faith formation and communications. In October, Teri Lesicko retired as Finance Director and Jeffrey Gurlen was hired in her place. Lynn Muniz also retired as Administrative Assistant for Faith Formation. Also in October, Fr. John began assisting at St. Elizabeth Parish in Marine, IL on a regular basis in addition to helping out here when he was able.