Steadfast Love at Easter: A Message from Sister Rebecca Ann Gemma, OP
Dear Friends, The Hebrew word “hesed,” translated as “steadfast love,” is a very important term in Hebrew Scripture. It attempts to speak of the faithful, merciful, and consistent love that God offers to all creation. This covenantal love is inexhaustible! In the midst of unspeakable tragedy, heartache, and loss experienced in the world today, may we find consolation in a passage from the Book of Lamentations: The steadfast love of God never ceasesGod’s mercies never come to an […]
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Sister Mary Noel Plummer, OP
Sister Mary Noel’s Services Visitors are welcome; masks and social distancing required. Visitation: 4:00-5:00 p.m., Monday, April 18, Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, 1237 W. Monroe St., Springfield, IL 62704. Visitation begins with a prayer service. Funeral Mass: 6:30 p.m., Monday, Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, Dominican Father Michael DeTemple, celebrant. Burial: 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 19, Calvary Cemetery, Springfield, Ill. Livestream Links Wake Service Funeral Mass […]
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A Springfield Tradition Returns: Churches Reconvene for Good Friday Way of the Cross
Springfield, Ill.-For the first time since Good Friday 2019, an ecumenical group of Springfield faith communities will gather in front of the State Supreme Court Building on Good Friday, April 15, to begin the Good Friday Way of the Cross, an annual event in Springfield for more than 30 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The two-hour prayerful walk remembers Jesus’ passion and its connection with the sufferings of injustice experienced in God’s people in our world today […]
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Sixth Week of Lent: Palm Sunday 2022
“The centurion… said, ‘This man was innocent beyond doubt.’” – Luke 23: 47 In the Gospel for Palm Sunday, we hear the story of Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, trial and death on the Cross. In the liturgy, as members of the community read various parts in the Passion narrative, we are reminded that Jesus’ Passion is ongoing today in the suffering of people around the world. Through our sins, we all contribute to this suffering — we can identify […]
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What is Integral Ecology?
We offer you two videos for this month’s reflection. Essential to understanding the premise behind the global initiative of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform is the concept of Integral Ecology. It is not a new concept, but it is a new term for many. The first link is to a 5-minute video that shows clearly the meaning of Integral Ecology. I think you will find it very helpful. The second video emphasizes what the Laudato Si’ Action Platform […]
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Fifth Week of Lent 2022
“Then Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.’”– John 8: 11 In this Sunday’s Gospel, the Scribes bring before Jesus a woman caught in adultery. When they ask Jesus to condemn her, he says, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” After they all depart, Jesus tells the woman he does not condemn her and invites her […]
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A House with a Past:
The Story of Cor Unum House
Cor Unum House has its own story. An American Foursquare, it was saved from the wrecking ball through the vision and commitment of the Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association and the generosity of philanthropist Fletcher Farrar, Jr., who with his spouse Mary Jessup are friends of the Dominican Sisters and catalysts for their presence in Enos Park. The home was built in 1905 by Henry Thoma, a Springfield retailer of German Catholic extraction. He and his wife, Annie […]
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Fourth Week of Lent 2022
“[The father] said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always. Everything I have is yours.” – Luke 15: 31 For the fourth Sunday of Lent, we hear the powerful parable of the Prodigal Son. In this parable, the younger of two sons takes and squanders his inheritance. On returning home, he expects to be scorned by his father for his behavior, but his father welcomes him with open arms. In response to the jealous, well-behaved […]
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