About Sacred Heart · Lillyville, Illinois
Sacred Heart is a small rural Catholic parish in the unincorporated community of Lillyville, in Cumberland County, Illinois. It is one of three parishes in a four-parish family staffed by a single priest, including St. Michael the Archangel in Sigel and St. Mary of the Assumption in Neoga. The parish serves about 109 families (316 parishioners) of the surrounding farming country and gathers primarily for a Saturday evening Vigil Mass. It belongs to the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois and is listed among the churches in the path of totality for the 2017 eclipse.
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Hyland Smith
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
Why belong here
Sacred Heart offers a tight-knit rural Catholic community in the heart of Cumberland County, with the traditional Sacred Heart devotion at its core. As part of a multi-parish family, parishioners share a dedicated pastor and faith-formation staff with neighboring Sigel and Neoga, while gathering for a weekly Saturday Vigil Mass and Saturday confession. It is a quiet, family-size parish where 109 households worship together in the Illinois countryside.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 6:45 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
- By appointment
Parish Identity
Sacred Heart is a small Catholic parish serving the rural farming community of Lillyville in Cumberland County, Illinois. It is one of three parishes that share ministry as a tri-parish family with the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.
- Patron: Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Diocese: Springfield in Illinois
- Location: Lillyville, Cumberland County, IL
- Type: Parish (Roman-Latin Rite)
Staff & Pastoral Leadership
Sacred Heart is currently served by Rev. Hyland Smith, who also pastors the sister parishes of St. Michael the Archangel in Sigel and St. Mary of the Assumption in Neoga. He resides at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Sigel.
- Rev. Hyland Smith — Pastor (since 2023); residence: St. Michael the Archangel, Sigel
- Theresa Jansen — Secretary
- Eric Thompson — Director of Faith Formation / OCIA
- Julie Wente — Director of Music
- Ann Swingler, Dale Will, Christy McClellan — Youth Ministers
Faith Formation & Youth
Religious education and youth ministry at Sacred Heart are coordinated by a regional team that serves the tri-parish family of Sigel, Neoga, and Lillyville.
- Faith Formation for children and youth
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) coordinated by Eric Thompson
- Youth Ministry team: Ann Swingler, Dale Will, Christy McClellan
Music & Liturgy
Liturgical music at Sacred Heart is led by Julie Wente, Director of Music, who supports the parish's weekly Saturday Vigil liturgy in the rural Illinois setting.
- Julie Wente, Director of Music
Tri-Parish Family & Contact
Sacred Heart shares a pastor, staff, and sacramental schedule with St. Michael the Archangel (Sigel) and St. Mary of the Assumption (Neoga). Parish correspondence is routed through the Sigel mailing address.
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 68, Sigel, IL 62462
- Office phone: (217) 844-3371
- Rectory: (217) 895-2166
- Email: [email protected]
- Sister parishes: St. Michael the Archangel (Sigel), St. Mary of the Assumption (Neoga)
Sacred Heart Cemetery
The parish maintains a Catholic cemetery on its grounds, also known locally as the Lillyville Cemetery, with more than 365 memorials recorded in genealogical databases.
- Sacred Heart Catholic Church Cemetery, Lillyville
- Cemetery / parish ID: 2249713
- Approximately 365+ memorials (Find a Grave)
- Located in Cumberland County, Illinois
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Hyland Smith2023-present
Pastor of St. Michael the Archangel, Sigel; St. Mary of the Assumption, Neoga; and Sacred Heart, Lillyville, since 2023. Resides at St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Sigel. Born March 3, 1977; ordained May 25, 2013. Also serves on the College of Consultors (2025-present) and as Censor librorum (2020-present).