Catholic Charities Marks 100th Anniversary

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is celebrating 100 years of providing services to people of all faiths throughout the 28-county Springfield Diocese in Central Illinois.

On March 1,1925, Bishop James A. Griffin hired a social worker, Miss Elizabeth Kuhlman, as the first and only Catholic Charities employee. Miss Kuhlman was charged with bringing help and relief to the suffering in the Springfield community. In addition, Ms. Kuhlman was elected president of another new organization started by Bishop Griffin, the Society of Ladies of Charity.

The sole mission of the Ladies of Charity was to provide material support to the new Catholic Charities office. The Ladies of Charity provided blankets and clothing to be given to the needy and paid monthly dues of ten cents to provide financial aid to the poor served by Catholic Charities.

It was Bishop Griffin’s desire to establish Catholic Charities in the City of Springfield and then expand its presence throughout the diocese. Regional offices were established in Alton, Quincy, Decatur and Granite City during the 1940’s under the leadership of Monsignor William Cassin who served 32 years as the Director of Catholic Charities.

During the second half of the 20th century, Catholic Charities opened three more offices in the communities of Effingham, Carlinville and Mattoon. Programs were established to help the poor, abused children, senior citizens, veterans, refugees, disaster victims, broken families, the sick and the forgotten.

Decade after decade, Catholic Charities has enlisted the assistance of thousands of volunteers, board members and benefactors to bring material, spiritual and emotional support to bear in abundance. Staying true to the original vision of Bishop Griffin, Catholic Charities today has offices and facilities in nine communities with outreach programs serving thousands of individuals living in rural towns and villages. Catholic Charities also manages three facilities: The Catholic Children’s Home, the St. Anne Residence and the St. John’s Breadline.

On Saturday, March 1, 2025, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki celebrated Mass at The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception recognizing Catholic Charities for its century of compassion serving all of God’s children in need. Bishop Paprocki also presided over a Centennial Celebration banquet held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. During this event, he expressed his gratitude to all of those whose dedicated efforts have sustained the Catholic Charities mission of mercy for 100 years.

“Catholic Charites does not do these things because it is a ‘nice thing to do’ but because we are commanded by our Savior to love one another. As Catholics, we are taught that charitable works are so integral to our faith that without them, our faith is dead,” stated Paprocki.

During the Centennial Celebration, individuals, businesses and organizations from across the diocese were presented with the Magnificat Award, recognizing their important contributions over the years to the success of Catholic Charities. The Magnificat Award is given for “Outstanding Service to God and Neighbor.”

Joe's Pizza and Pasta was awarded the "Magnificat Award" for their contributions to Catholic Charities and the Effingham community. Manny Trupiano accepted the award on behalf of Joe's.

(JOE'S PIZZA AND PASTA WAS AWARDED THE "MAGNIFICAT AWARD." PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT: BISHOP THOMAS PAPROCKI, MANNY TRUPIANO AND CATHOLIC CHARITIES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STEVE ROACH)

Steven Roach, Executive Director of Catholic Charities, stated “We are so grateful to our staff, volunteers, board members and donors of all faiths who have joined us in our sacred calling to show Christ’s love and mercy to the world.”

Catholic Charities also announced that it will soon launch a centennial fundraising campaign “to ensure that future generations will be able to access the services of Catholic Charities if needed’” said Roach. The St. Michael the Archangel Endowment and the Elizabeth Kuhlman Giving Society will be established to fund crisis assistance services. “The most disheartening situation we encounter is when people in desperate situations reach out to us for help and we can’t help them because of a lack of resources. This happens on a daily basis and we must work to do something about it," stated Roach.

For more information about Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, please visit cc.dio.org or connect with them on social media at https://www.facebook.com/cathcharspfld.