Around the Parish
This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, which is always celebrated on the Sunday following Pentecost. Traditionally, the following Thursday is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ—more often called by its Latin name, Corpus Christi. However, as we do with the Ascension, the US Dioceses almost all transfer the Thursday celebration to the following Sunday, making next Sunday (June 7) Corpus Christi.
As I’ve mentioned here before, this is a big day for us as a parish, because a little over 100 years ago, the Bishop, priests, and people of this parish decided to dedicate our parish and its church to the Blessed Sacrament. That makes Corpus Christi OUR parish’s patronal feast!
One of the ways we’ve traditionally celebrated this feast as a parish is through our Eucharistic procession. After the 10:30 am Mass, we take off through the streets of the neighborhood with monstrance in hand, publicly demonstrating to the world our faith in the Eucharist, which we as Catholics believe is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Please come out and celebrate with us!! If 10:30 am is not your Mass, feel free to come around 11:30 am and join us for just the procession. It’s a beautiful testament of our faith, and Lord knows we need these very public signs of witness and prayer in/for our world!
Our procession is not overly long—we go around the front of school, down Glenwood, across on Ash to Walnut, and then process north back up to the front of Church, basically tracing the city block. But what our route represents is much more...it’s a stand-in, if you will, for the whole of our parish boundaries, our city and state, our world—praying that the Lord would claim this area for His own and use it (and us!) for His purposes. At three places along the way, our neighbors prepare an altar on their lawn so that we can stop and do Benediction, a blessing with the Eucharist (which means JESUS is blessing us, not “just” the priest like at Mass). We conclude in the Church with a final benediction, and then we’re hoping (fingers crossed!) to get a soft-serve truck here to help us celebrate our patronal feast with a cool treat. It should be a great event—please feel free to join!
Also coming up later in June (23-24, to be exact) is our 98th Garden Party. I’ve never been here for the Garden Party, as my first year as pastor we had our centennial celebrations in its stead. But we’re hoping (like the Pastor’s Annual Party) to make it the biggest we’ve had in recent memory!
For those who don’t know, the Garden Party was always meant to provide a chance for our parish and community to come together for a bit of fun. Our amazing Men’s Club and various food trucks will provide food for us, various parish families and organizations staff game booths, and I’m pretty sure there’s even live music. This year, we also brought back the ever-popular rides for kids, something we haven’t done in many years! Truly, ALL ARE INVITED, so not only would I love to see you come, I expect you to invite your friends and family to join us as well. The more, the merrier!
I hope to see you at these two wonderful parish events. The Lord has blessed us very much through this beautiful parish of ours—I look forward to coming together to celebrate and to thank God for all He has done and is doing here at Blessed Sacrament!
Keep spreading joy!
Fr. Friedel
PLEASE NOTE: Beginning Monday, May 25 all Daily Masses—Monday through Saturday—will begin at 8am until school resumes in August.
LAST CALL for VBS!
Vacation Bible School returns to Blessed Sacrament this summer. Join us June 22—26, 2026 from 8:30 am to 11:30 am. All children entering Preschool through Fifth Grade are invited to join us for VBS.
All registration forms must be turned in by June 2.
Vacation Bible School returns to Blessed Sacrament this summer. Join us June 22—26, 2026 from 8:30 am to 11:30 am. All children entering Preschool through Fifth Grade are invited to join us for VBS.
All registration forms must be turned in by June 2.
Our parish Feast Day takes place on Sunday, June 7— the Feast of Corpus Christi. We will commemorate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ with a Eucharistic Procession through our neighborhood following the Sunday 10:30am Mass.
Can you help? We are in need of men, high school and older to be canopy-bearers at the procession on Sunday, June 7, after the 10:30am Mass. Our procession will end around noon. Please call the Parish Office at 217-528-7521 if you can help us or sign up on our website.
Can you help? We are in need of men, high school and older to be canopy-bearers at the procession on Sunday, June 7, after the 10:30am Mass. Our procession will end around noon. Please call the Parish Office at 217-528-7521 if you can help us or sign up on our website.
A message from our Children's Chorus
The Five Cities Baroque Festival Closing Concert will take place at Blessed Sacrament Church on Saturday, June 20.
There is no cost to attend and no need to RSVP.
There is no cost to attend and no need to RSVP.
98th Annual Garden Party
Tuesday, June 23rd - Preview Night 5 PM to 9 PM
Wednesday, June 24th - The Big Night!
Rides and Fair Food open at 3 PM
DJ starts at 4 PM
Games and Dunk Tank open from 5 PM to 8 PM
Get together as a group and run one of the games/booths at the Garden Party! We're bringing back old favorites like the dime toss, fishing pond, cake walk, basketball toss, ring toss, and, of course, the cane game! The Garden Party committee will provide the actual game and all of the prizes.
You can volunteer as a family (multiple generations are encouraged!) or with your neighbors, or with your graduating class! (B.S.S. Class of 1979 has already claimed a booth!)
Groups would be responsible for staffing their game/booth on Wednesday, June 24 from 5 PM to 8 PM.
Set up of the games will take place on Tuesday night, June 23. Adults can get their booth organized while the kids enjoy the games and Fair Food at Preview Night.
You can volunteer as a family (multiple generations are encouraged!) or with your neighbors, or with your graduating class! (B.S.S. Class of 1979 has already claimed a booth!)
Groups would be responsible for staffing their game/booth on Wednesday, June 24 from 5 PM to 8 PM.
Set up of the games will take place on Tuesday night, June 23. Adults can get their booth organized while the kids enjoy the games and Fair Food at Preview Night.
To find out what booths are still available, contact Suzy Ganey at sganey13@hotmail.com or Ashleigh Sommer at ashleighsommer74@gmail.com.
Our Baby Bottle campaign began on Mother's Day. If you picked up a baby bottle (or an envelope), please collect funds (loose change, currency, checks made out to First Step Pregnancy Center) and return them on or before Father's Day.
If you did NOT pick up an envelope, you may still donate to First Step by clicking on the button to the right.
The Baby Bottle campaign funds the life saving work that First Step Women’s Center offers to mothers making unplanned pregnancy decisions.
If you did NOT pick up an envelope, you may still donate to First Step by clicking on the button to the right.
The Baby Bottle campaign funds the life saving work that First Step Women’s Center offers to mothers making unplanned pregnancy decisions.
We are so exited to bring Summer Camp back to Blessed Sacrament School! Families can enroll for the whole summer (June 1 through July 31) or for individual weeks. This program is for students entering Preschool through students entering 5th grade in the 2026-2027 school year. Summer camp includes fun field trips, nutritional morning and afternoon snacks and theme weeks. Don’t forget! Vacation Bible School will take place June 22—26 and will be incorporated in to our Summer Camp curriculum. Camp hours are 7:45am to 5:00pm daily.
Would you prefer to read the actual bulletin online? Click on the button to the right for a virtual copy of this week's bulletin.
From other parishes...
Tribunal Training Day - Our parish is looking for help to guide people through the nullity process! If you are compassionate and confidential, enjoy helping people, are well-organized and possess good communication skills, and are a faithful Catholic in good standing with the Church, God might be calling you to help in this important ministry. Training will be held on Friday, June 12 at the Catholic Pastoral Center (1615 W Washington Street, Springfield, IL 62702). We will begin with Mass at 9 am (optionally), 9:30 check-in, and 10 am – 4 pm training (with an hour break and lunch provided). Training is free but Pre-Registration is necessary. Please contact the parish office to express interest and then register via this form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/WqyRB7YZhP.
There are many events coming up on the Springfield Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (SDCCW). Follow them on Facebook for more information.
Plan now for their fall meeting on September 3, 2026.
Plan now for their fall meeting on September 3, 2026.
Sign up for Called and Courageous Women’s Conference in Springfield
What is preventing you from trusting God more deeply?
Life is full of highs and lows, and it can be hard to see where God is in the middle of it all. At this year’s Catholic Women’s Conference, discover how to trust God in the messy, real moments of everyday life. Learn how your emotions influence your spiritual life and how to challenge the lies that lead to self-criticism, comparison, and discouragement. You’ll leave with practical tools to learn how to recognize God in your daily life, grow in prayer, and live with greater confidence in your identity as a beloved daughter of God. No matter what your season of life – single, married, divorced, widowed, young adult, or retired – you’ll find encouragement, community, and hope. When? Saturday, October 10. Christ the King parish Center, Springfield. Women ages 18+. Cost $30. Even if you are on the fence about God, remember: God is not on the fence about you. Questions? Contact Gracie Ortiz at gortiz@dio.org or 217-321-1124.
What is preventing you from trusting God more deeply?
Life is full of highs and lows, and it can be hard to see where God is in the middle of it all. At this year’s Catholic Women’s Conference, discover how to trust God in the messy, real moments of everyday life. Learn how your emotions influence your spiritual life and how to challenge the lies that lead to self-criticism, comparison, and discouragement. You’ll leave with practical tools to learn how to recognize God in your daily life, grow in prayer, and live with greater confidence in your identity as a beloved daughter of God. No matter what your season of life – single, married, divorced, widowed, young adult, or retired – you’ll find encouragement, community, and hope. When? Saturday, October 10. Christ the King parish Center, Springfield. Women ages 18+. Cost $30. Even if you are on the fence about God, remember: God is not on the fence about you. Questions? Contact Gracie Ortiz at gortiz@dio.org or 217-321-1124.
Protect Your Kids Online – Do you wish that someone had told you early on about the dangers of pornography? Do you ever wonder how to introduce the topic to your kids and when? The average age of first exposure to porn is 8 to 10 years old. When girls internalize the harmful images in porn, they are likely to have issues with self-esteem, body image, and relationships, and 58% of girls have seen porn by age 12. The resources at go.dio.org/2XY will help your children learn about healthy intimacy and understand healthy sexuality as well as protect them from the damage that pornography can do to their brain and to their relationships. Questions? Contact Gracie at 217-321-1124 or gortiz@dio.org.
Blessed Sacrament will be offering VBS for kids ages Preschool through 5th grade in June, 2026 - but what about OLDER kids?
Sign up your child for Totus Tuus, popular weeklong summer program and will be held at other parishes in Springfield. Totus Tuus is a weeklong Catholic youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic faith through evangelization, catechesis, Christian witness, praying the Rosary, attending Mass, and praying at eucharistic adoration. The program inspires in young people a true longing for holiness, a deep desire for daily conversion, and an openness to their vocation.
Teams of missionaries, comprised of college-aged students and several diocesan seminarians, will travel to a different parish each week, hosting the five-day catechetical program for grades 1-12. The week is filled with faith, fun, and friendship. There are messy games and crazy skits, in addition to daily prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, learning the Sacraments, and going to Mass. The missionaries also provide a witness to being an authentic disciple of Christ. The popular program sees hundreds of children participate every year in the diocese.
Note, grades 7-12 are from Sunday-Thursday each week and the program is in the evenings. For grades 1-6, the program is Monday-Friday each week and starts in the morning and finishes in the afternoon. Families will receive the specific start and end times later this spring through the parish communications.
June 14 – June 19
St. Katharine Drexel, Springfield
July 12 – July 17
Christ the King, Springfield
Sign up by going to dio.org/totus-tuus-camper-registration
Sign up your child for Totus Tuus, popular weeklong summer program and will be held at other parishes in Springfield. Totus Tuus is a weeklong Catholic youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic faith through evangelization, catechesis, Christian witness, praying the Rosary, attending Mass, and praying at eucharistic adoration. The program inspires in young people a true longing for holiness, a deep desire for daily conversion, and an openness to their vocation.
Teams of missionaries, comprised of college-aged students and several diocesan seminarians, will travel to a different parish each week, hosting the five-day catechetical program for grades 1-12. The week is filled with faith, fun, and friendship. There are messy games and crazy skits, in addition to daily prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, learning the Sacraments, and going to Mass. The missionaries also provide a witness to being an authentic disciple of Christ. The popular program sees hundreds of children participate every year in the diocese.
Note, grades 7-12 are from Sunday-Thursday each week and the program is in the evenings. For grades 1-6, the program is Monday-Friday each week and starts in the morning and finishes in the afternoon. Families will receive the specific start and end times later this spring through the parish communications.
June 14 – June 19
St. Katharine Drexel, Springfield
July 12 – July 17
Christ the King, Springfield
Sign up by going to dio.org/totus-tuus-camper-registration
How to Live in the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is the most mysterious of the persons of the Trinity, and His work in our lives is not always apparent - for example, can you answer the question, "How am I living out of the gifts given to me at the sacrament of Confirmation?" If you want to know and understand more of what God desires for our relationship with the Holy Spirit, join Fr. Daniel McGrath at 7:00 PM in the Cathedral Atrium after the feast of Pentecost, on June 8, 15, 22, and 29, as we dive into the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the effect of the Holy Spirit on our lives!