Bishop Thomas John Paprocki | Diocese of Springfield

This summer, the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is set to offer Totus Tuus, a summer program for children that focuses on faith and learning. The program will be held at various parishes throughout the diocese in June and July.

Totus Tuus is a Catholic youth program aiming to share the Gospel and support the Catholic faith through evangelization, catechesis, Christian witness, and eucharistic worship. The program seeks to instill in young participants a desire for holiness, a commitment to daily conversion, and an openness to discerning their vocation.

Teams of college-aged teachers will visit different parishes each week, facilitating the weeklong catechetical program for children in grades 1 through 12. The activities for the week include games, skits, prayer, sacraments, and Mass. This initiative aims to portray the college-age teachers as models of authentic Christian discipleship. The program attracts hundreds of participants each year within the diocese.

The schedule specifies that programs for grades 7-12 occur from Sunday to Thursday evenings, while those for grades 1-6 run from Monday to Friday, starting in the morning and ending in the afternoon.

The program dates and locations are as follows:

- June 8-13: Mother of Perpetual Help, Maryville; St. Katharine Drexel, Springfield; Sacred Heart, Effingham.

- June 15-20: St. Clare of Assisi, O’Fallon; St. Francis Solanus, Quincy; St. Boniface and St. Meinrad, St. Meinrad, Ind.

- June 22-27: St. Boniface, Edwardsville; Holy Family, Decatur; Forty Martyrs, Tuscola.

- July 6-11: St. Elizabeth, Granite City; St. Mary, Paris; St. Peter, Petersburg.

- July 13-18: St. Francis Xavier, Jerseyville; St. Isidore, Dieterich.

Costs for participating in the program differ by parish. For additional information and enrollment, parents are advised to contact the parish office hosting Totus Tuus in their area.