St. Paul Catholic Church sits at 1411 Main Street in Highland, Illinois, where the Catholic community has gathered for Mass since 1844. From a frame church that once served a village of 60 families, the parish has grown to more than 4,500 members spread across 1,800 households and now anchors a full campus within the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. The current brick church, dedicated on October 12, 1952, seats 800 and shares its grounds with St. Paul Catholic School, St. Paul Parish Hall, and a 35-year sister parish relationship with St. Charles Borromeo in Gonaives, Haiti.
A Parish Older Than Most of Highland
In December 1843, the Catholics in and around Highland decided to build a frame church. A cornerstone was laid on May 1, 1844, and the first structure was ready for occupancy in 1846. A second brick church followed in 1854, with its first services on Easter Sunday, 1856. To meet the needs of a growing congregation, the second church was razed in 1951 and the present 800-seat church was dedicated on October 12, 1952, an early milestone of post-war parish life.
St. Paul School added Catholic education to the parish in 1956, with a major renovation in 1993, and today serves students from preschool through eighth grade. The former St. Paul High School building was renovated in 1995 and renamed St. Paul Hall, a parish center that now houses the religious education program, parish gatherings, a gymnasium, and a cafeteria.
The parish mission statement reads: "The love of Christ impels us to be a family of faith to serve our God." That calling has been carried forward through sixteen pastors, beginning in 1851 with Fr. Paul Limacher. The current pastor, Fr. Pat G. Jakel, is the sixteenth in the lineage and has served St. Paul since July 1, 2015. Raised six miles north of Highland in rural Pocahontas and one of ten children, Fr. Pat has said that growing up in a large family shaped the way he understands parish as family.
Mass Times and Confessions Through the Week
Weekend Mass is offered Saturday evening at 4:00 PM and Sunday morning at 7:00, 8:30, and 10:30 AM. The 10:30 Sunday Mass is also livestreamed on Facebook for those who cannot be present. Weekday Mass is celebrated Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 7:00 AM in the parish church, Wednesday at 7:00 AM in the chapel at HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital in Highland, and Friday at 8:20 AM.
Reconciliation is offered every Saturday from 3:00 to 3:45 PM, and the parish office can arrange a confession with a priest outside of those hours when needed. During Advent and Lent, communal Reconciliation Services are scheduled and added to the parish calendar.
Visitors asking how to dress are welcome to come as they are. The parish notes that the Catholic Church has no formal dress code but asks for attire that shows "Respect, Honor, and Reverence for the Real Presence of Our Lord." Many parishioners put on their Sunday best; everyone, the parish emphasizes, should feel comfortable and focused on the liturgy rather than on clothing.
Parking is available around the perimeter of the church, with accessible spaces closest to the entrances reserved for those who need them. Visitors are not expected to put money in the offering; envelopes are passed but no gift is required of a guest. Regular parishioners can support the parish's work through online giving, by mail, or by dropping a check or cash into the regular collection.
Seven Sacraments for the Whole Life
St. Paul Parish prepares Catholics for the seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Baptism of infants is normally celebrated during Mass on the first full weekend of the month, Saturday at 4:00 PM or Sunday at 8:30 or 10:30 AM, after parents complete a Pre Jordan class taught in the Parish Life Center.
First Reconciliation is prepared by second graders at St. Paul School or the Parish School of Religion. First Eucharist is the climax of the third-grade year; Confirmation is also celebrated in third grade, prior to First Communion, and both sacraments are received together at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception as part of the Restored Order of the Sacraments of Initiation. Children in St. Paul School or PSR who have made their first sacraments are encouraged to celebrate Reconciliation again during Lent and with their families during Advent.
Engaged couples preparing for marriage complete an online intake form for Witness to Love, the parish's marriage preparation program. Adult Catholics or other Christians interested in joining the Catholic Church enter through the Order of Christian Initiation (OCIA), a process of inquiry, prayer, and formation that culminates at the Easter Vigil. Those discerning a vocation to priesthood, diaconate, or consecrated life can call a parish priest or deacon at the parish office or reach the Diocese of Springfield's Office for Vocations directly.
Pastoral care for the sick is available through the parish office, particularly for parishioners at HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital in Highland. Anointing of the Sick can be celebrated before surgery, in serious illness, or in the final stages of life, with the option of repetition if the same illness worsens.
Forming Young Catholics from Toddlers to Teens
Sunday School welcomes children ages 3 through kindergarten during the 8:30 AM Sunday Mass. On the first Sunday of each month, the children attend Mass with their families and do not have class; on every other Sunday, they are dismissed before the first reading, gather with catechists in Trinity Hall, and head to classrooms on the second floor of the Parish Life Center.
The Parish School of Religion (PSR) walks first through fifth graders through a year-by-year curriculum of faith and sacrament preparation. Classes meet Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:15 PM. Second graders learn the story of salvation in Scripture and prepare to receive First Reconciliation; third graders turn to the Holy Spirit and the Eucharist; fourth graders unpack the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds; and fifth graders study the Church's liturgical life.
Middle schoolers in grades six through eight are invited to Edge, a Wednesday-night program built on the four pillars of the Catechism: the Creed, the Sacraments, Morality, and Christian Prayer. Edge is structured around games, social nights, retreats, community service, and time shared with their families in the parish.
High school students gather for SPYO (St. Paul Youth Organization) on Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. The ministry's stated mission is "to be disciples showing each other, our parish, and our community the love of Christ through prayer, service, and sacraments." Activities include small group retreats, summer conferences, sacramental preparation, and outreach. Periodic New Year's overnight retreats, parish-wide Vacation Bible School, and summer "Faith and Fellowship" offerings round out the youth calendar. Families whose schedules cannot accommodate a Wednesday evening program are encouraged to reach out to the youth faith formation office.
St. Paul Catholic School
St. Paul Catholic School has served area children since 1956 and now educates students from preschool through eighth grade. The current grade school building was renovated in 1993 to add the classrooms and gathering spaces in use today. Its office, at 1416 Main Street next door to the church, is staffed by Stephanie Kuhn (principal), Kim Venarsky (school secretary), and Katie Rehkemper (development director) and is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM.
The school works in close coordination with PSR, Sunday School, and the sacramental preparation years, with second grade focused on First Reconciliation and third grade on Confirmation and First Eucharist. Children, parents, and teachers participate in parish life through monthly liturgies, sacramental celebrations, and the annual parish calendar that surrounds them. A current parish and school Ministry Guide is available for download, and families interested in admission can call (618) 654-7525.
Adult Faith Formation and Lay Movements
Adult Faith Formation at St. Paul runs through the office of Deanna Harlan and includes Pre Jordan preparation for parents of infants to be baptized, OCIA for those seeking full reception into the Catholic Church, Witness to Love marriage preparation for engaged couples, parish-wide faith studies and missions, discipleship and stewardship formation, social justice and outreach formation, and a Vocations Ministry. A parish library, hospitality and liturgical ministries development, and Living Your Strengths cohorts round out the offerings.
Many adult parishioners deepen their faith through the Cursillo Renewal Movement, a three-day short course first developed in Spanish-speaking ministry and now offered through the Quincy Cursillo. Other adults make annual retreats at the King's House Retreat Center at Our Lady of the Snows National Shrine, and the parish calendar lists regular King's House, diocesan, and parish-wide retreat dates throughout the year.
Eucharistic Adoration Across Two Locations
Perpetual-style Eucharistic Adoration is a hallmark of the parish's spiritual life. Adoration is offered Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM in the chapel at HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital in Highland, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 to 8:00 PM in St. Paul Church. The parish invites parishioners to commit to a weekly hour before the Most Blessed Sacrament, drawn from Jesus' question to the apostles in Gethsemane: "Can you not watch one hour with me?"
Adorers are encouraged to bring their own prayer books, read the Bible, pray the rosary, or sit quietly in the stillness of the chapel. The parish reminds new adorers that showing up is itself a prayer; concerns about praying well should not keep anyone away. The two locations, the hospital chapel during the work day and the parish church in the early evening, are intended to fit a wide range of schedules for working adults, retirees, and parents.
Lay Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion also bring the Eucharist to homebound parishioners throughout the week, and rotate Communion Services at Cedarhurst, Highland Home, and Highland Health Care Center. The parish welcomes new volunteers in both ministries and asks those interested to call the parish office.
Haiti, Outreach, and Respect Life
St. Paul has been paired with St. Charles Borromeo parish in Gonaives, Haiti, for thirty-five years. Monthly donations, collected through blue "Haiti" envelopes and online giving, support teacher salaries and meals at two schools within the Haitian cathedral parish. In addition to monthly giving, parishioners pray for one another, exchange messages, and occasionally travel between the two parishes. The parish has organized drives for school, hygiene, and medical supplies, and has packed thousands of rice meal servings in response to disasters affecting Haiti.
The St. Paul Outreach Ministry assists families and individuals in emergency situations, particularly those facing utility shut-offs or needing transportation to church from Highland Home. Twice-yearly collections and private donations fund the work; those in need can leave a message at the outreach line.
The Respect Life Ministry promotes an ethic that life begins at conception and ends at natural death. Activities include the diocesan 40 Days for Life campaign, the Life Chain, the March for Life, recognition of mothers and fathers on Mother's Day and Father's Day, Advent Giving for crisis pregnancy centers and homebound parishioners, and a monthly day of service at Hope Clinic for Women. The ministry operates under the parish pastor and the Office for Pro-Life Activities and Special Ministries of the Diocese of Springfield, in alignment with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities.
Funerals and St. Joseph Cemetery
When a loved one dies, St. Paul walks the family through the three rituals of the Order of Christian Funerals: the Vigil Prayer service, the Funeral Mass, and the Rite of Committal. Funeral directors coordinate the day's logistics with the parish priest, and parish bereavement volunteers help families choose liturgical ministers, music, and Scripture readings. Funeral luncheons are frequently held at the Knights of Columbus Hall.
St. Joseph Cemetery, the parish cemetery, accepts new grave plots through the St. Paul Parish Office. Rules and regulations, a current price list, an online burial search, and Find A Grave records are all available for planning. The parish has published a series of planning documents for funerals, including a Funeral Liturgy Planning form, lists of suggested hymns and Scriptures, an up-to-date eulogy policy, and Fr. Pat's pastoral letter about Catholic funerals and burial at St. Joseph's. Bereavement support is also offered to grieving parishioners.
The Pastoral Staff and Parish Leadership
Fr. Pat Jakel pastors the parish alongside Deacon Dave Bohnenstiehl, a permanent deacon. Three Pastoral Associates lead the parish's major ministry areas: Sharon Schmitz for Pastoral Care, including visitation of the sick and homebound Communion; Deanna Harlan for Adult Faith Formation, including Baptismal preparation, OCIA, marriage prep, parish-wide studies, vocations, and the parish library; and Carrie Albaugh for Youth Faith Formation, including Sunday School, PSR, Edge, SPYO, Vacation Bible School, and youth retreats.
The parish office is led by Dineen Czar, Executive Manager and Liturgical Music Coordinator, with Jennifer Hilling as Office Manager and Laurie Scott as Administrative Assistant. Laurie Wiedner assists the Faith Formation office, Dale Triplett oversees maintenance of the campus, and the parish publishes a current Ministry Guide each year that lists every lay volunteer role available to parishioners. The Pastoral Council, Finance Council, Campus Growth Committee, and St. Joseph Cemetery Board all advise the pastor on the parish's spiritual and material life. Staff members can be reached by email or by phone at (618) 654-2339.