New institute for Catholic formation and new Norbertine community coming to Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois announced plans to establish The Evermode Institute, a new center for Catholic spiritual and intellectual formation in Springfield.

The institute will include priests from the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey, who will establish a new community there.

It will be located at the site of the former Chiara Center on the grounds of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in Springfield.

The Evermode Institute will focus on formation for Catholics, offering programming for ordained and lay teachers of the faith such as catechists, Parish School of Religion teachers (PSR), Catholic school teachers, and other groups who teach the faith.

Several priests from the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey, based in Orange, Calif., will move to the property. S

A date for when The Evermode Institute will open has not been finalized.

“We have developed a strong relationship with the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey over the past several years, and we are thrilled to welcome them to our diocese,” said Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. “The Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey are a vibrant and growing community of holy men, and their presence and apostolic work will be a great blessing to the people of our diocese and to this region.”