Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey announce plans for a new Community in Diocese of  Springfield in Illinois 

NEWS: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

3/1/2022 

Contact: Andrew Hansen (ahansen@dio.org) 

Springfield, IL – The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois and the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s  Abbey in Orange County, Calif., have reached an agreement to establish a new Norbertine  

community in Springfield with the necessary preliminary steps being taken this summer. 

In conjunction with this announcement, the diocese also announced plans to establish “The  

Evermode Institute,” a new center for Catholic spiritual and intellectual formation, which will  

be the Norbertine Fathers’ primary apostolate in Springfield.  

The new Norbertine community and The Evermode Institute will be located on the grounds of  the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis’ in Springfield.  

These announcements follow news last year that the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois and the  

Hospital Sisters had reached an agreement for the diocese to establish a trust that has now  

assumed ownership of the sisters’ buildings and grounds effective Jan. 1, 2022. The Hospital  

Sisters will continue to live in the convent indefinitely as part of that agreement.  

“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 Norbertines 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.”  

The Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey recently completed construction of a new abbey  in Orange County, Calif., and the monastery is already at full capacity, with nearly 50 priests and 

40 seminarians. The exact number of priests that will come to Springfield has not been  determined yet. 

“In light of the growth in our community, we had already been discerning the possibility of  establishing a new community when Bishop Paprocki approached us,” said Abbot Eugene  Hayes, O. Praem. “After prayerful discernment as a community, we have joyfully accepted  Bishop Paprocki’s invitation, and we are grateful for the opportunity to establish a presence in  the Springfield diocese.”  

The Evermode Institute is being established under the patronage of St. Evermode, a Norbertine  prelate who was a close collaborator of St. Norbert and is credited with great and effective  works of evangelization and formation in the Catholic faith. The Institute will focus on  formation for lay and ordained teachers of the Catholic faith. Future announcements will  provide additional details about programming and plans for the Institute. 

About the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey 

Immersed in the 900-year tradition of our order, the Norbertine Fathers live a common life of  liturgical prayer and care for souls. Their life at St. Michael’s Abbey is organized according to  prayer of the Church: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. “Seven times  a day I praise You,” says the Psalmist, and by chanting together the prayers of the Divine Office,  Norbertine canons “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God.” For more than 60 years,  the Norbertine Fathers have served the Christian faithful in Southern California “lifting high the  Holy Eucharist over the miseries and errors of this world” (St. Pope John Paul II). The  community’s apostolic ministries are many and various, but they all find their source in a  common life of prayer and fraternal charity. To learn more, visit www.stmichaelsabbey.com 

About the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois 

Under the leadership of Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, the mission of the Roman Catholic  Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is to build a fervent community of intentional and dedicated  missionary disciples of the Risen Lord and steadfast stewards of God’s creation who seek to  become saints. Accordingly, the community of Catholic faithful in this diocese is committed to  the discipleship and stewardship way of life as commanded by Christ Our Savior and as revealed  by Sacred Scripture and Tradition. The diocese is comprised of 124,000 Catholics in 129 parishes  and 43 Catholic schools across 28 counties. To learn more, visit www.dio.org