About St. Agnes · Hillsboro, Illinois
St. Agnes Catholic Church is a Roman-Latin rite parish in Hillsboro, Illinois, a small city in Montgomery County. The parish is part of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois and counts roughly 1,005 parishioners across 382 families. Its current pastor is Rev. Daniel L. Willenborg, with Rev. James L. Neuman, V.F. serving as Pastor Emeritus and Deacon Leland B. Johns assisting. The parish is guided by the mission: 'St. Agnes is a Roman Catholic community called to be disciples of Jesus and to celebrate our faith in work and sacrament. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to share the love of God by serving others and proclaiming the Gospel with our lives.' The parish's first church was built in 1869, and a parish cemetery is associated with the property.
- Established
- 1869
- Patron
- St. Agnes of Rome
- Rector
- Rev. Daniel L. Willenborg
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
Why belong here
St. Agnes offers a tight-knit, family-sized Catholic community in rural south-central Illinois where every member can be known by name. The parish provides the full sacramental life — daily and Sunday Mass, confession, adoration, baptism, marriage, anointing of the sick, and homebound communion — alongside a full religious-education program for children and youth, RCIA for adults, Bible study, and a youth ministry. With about 1,000 parishioners, the parish is large enough to sustain ministries and small enough that the priests, deacon, and lay staff (pastoral associate, youth minister, music coordinator, CREs) can walk with each family personally.
Mass times at St. Agnes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 2:00–2:30 PM (also listed as 2:00–3:00 PM on some sources)
- By appointment (call 217-532-5288)
Adoration times
- Tuesday 4:00–6:00 PM
About St. Agnes Parish
St. Agnes Catholic Church is a Roman-Latin rite parish in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, serving the Hillsboro area and surrounding Montgomery County. The parish is home to about 1,005 parishioners in 382 families and gathers for Mass on Saturday evening, Sunday morning, and Friday morning, with weekday and Holy Day liturgies as announced. The parish's stated mission is: 'St. Agnes is a Roman Catholic community called to be disciples of Jesus and to celebrate our faith in work and sacrament. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to share the love of God by serving others and proclaiming the Gospel with our lives.'
- Diocese: Springfield in Illinois
- Rite: Roman-Latin
- Approximate membership: 1,005 parishioners / 382 families
- First church built 1869; parish cemetery on site
Parish History
St. Agnes has been a fixture of Catholic life in Hillsboro since the late 1860s. The first church was built in 1869 and a parish cemetery was established with it. Within a few years the parish was already large enough to be the mother church of new congregations: in 1871, Catholic farmers from the area around Morrisonville separated to form their own parish under Father F. Lohmann, then resident pastor of St. Agnes, who served the parish until 1877. He was succeeded at St. Agnes by Father P. J. Virnisch. The parish has continued to serve Hillsboro ever since, and today remains an active community of about a thousand parishioners.
- 1869: First St. Agnes Catholic Church built in Hillsboro
- Parish cemetery established alongside the early church
- 1871: Father F. Lohmann serves as pastor and leads Morrisonville faithful toward forming their own parish
- 1877: Father P. J. Virnisch succeeds Father Lohmann as pastor of St. Agnes
Clergy and Parish Staff
St. Agnes is led by Pastor Rev. Daniel L. Willenborg, with Rev. James L. Neuman, V.F., serving as Pastor Emeritus. Deacon Leland B. Johns assists with ministry. A team of lay staff and coordinators supports the sacramental, educational, and liturgical life of the parish. The parish office is run by Angie (Angela) Mizera, who also helps coordinate religious education. Charlene Modla serves as Pastoral Associate, working out of the Parsonage Hall.
- Pastor — Rev. Daniel L. Willenborg
- Pastor Emeritus — Rev. James L. Neuman, V.F.
- Deacon — Leland B. Johns
- Administrative Assistant / Parish Secretary & Religious Education Coordinator — Angie (Angela) Mizera
- Pastoral Associate — Charlene Modla
- RCIA — Carol Eickhoff
- Youth Minister — Megan Beeler
- Liturgical Music Coordinator — Michelle Sweet
- Children's Religious Education (CRE) — Allison Maass and Renee Laughlin
Devotions and Ongoing Prayer
Beyond Mass and confession, St. Agnes sustains several regular devotions for parishioners. Weekly Eucharistic Adoration is offered on Tuesday afternoons, and a parish Bible Study meets on Wednesday mornings. The parish maintains a long tradition of praying and serving together as part of its sacramental and devotional life.
- Eucharistic Adoration — Tuesday 4:00–6:00 PM
- Bible Study — Wednesday 9:00 AM
Sacraments
The parish celebrates all seven sacraments and provides clear, published guidelines for each. Baptism, marriage, and the homebound communion ministry all require advance preparation and active parish registration. Funeral arrangements are coordinated through the funeral home, and the parish has set a standard 10:00 AM time for funeral liturgies. The Anointing of the Sick is available by contacting the priest.
- Baptism — by appointment; parents must take required classes and have been registered, active members of St. Agnes for at least 3 months
- RCIA — adults seeking to become Catholic contact the Pastoral Associate Office at 217-532-2631
- Anointing of the Sick — contact the priest, 217-532-5288
- Communion for the Homebound — contact the Pastoral Associate Office, 217-532-2631
- Marriage — at least 6 months' advance notice, active membership, and a pre-cana conference required; no weddings after 2:00 PM on Saturday
- Funerals — arranged through the funeral home; funeral liturgies at 10:00 AM
- New Parishioner Registration — form available from the church office
Religious Education and Youth Ministry
Faith formation for the parish's children and youth is coordinated through the Children's Religious Education (CRE) program and the youth ministry, both of which feed into the reception of First Communion and Confirmation. Adult formation is provided through the RCIA process (led by Carol Eickhoff) and through the parish Bible Study that meets Wednesday mornings. The youth minister, Megan Beeler, works with parish teens, and a Liturgical Music Coordinator (Michelle Sweet) supports sung worship at Mass.
- Children's Religious Education (CRE) — Allison Maass and Renee Laughlin
- Youth Ministry — Megan Beeler
- RCIA — Carol Eickhoff
- Liturgical Music Coordinator — Michelle Sweet
- Adult Bible Study — Wednesday 9:00 AM
Liturgical Ministries and Music
Lay liturgical ministers at St. Agnes serve on a published rotation, with a monthly Ministry Schedule (including a downloadable spreadsheet) coordinated from the parish office. Michelle Sweet serves as Liturgical Music Coordinator, leading the parish's music ministry at weekend and Holy Day liturgies. Children's Liturgy of the Word resources are also made available for use during Mass.
- Monthly Ministry Schedule published on the parish website
- Liturgical Music Coordinator — Michelle Sweet
- Children's Liturgy of the Word resources provided
Contact, Location, and Facilities
St. Agnes's parish campus sits along East Tremont Street in the heart of Hillsboro and is actually three adjacent buildings: the church itself at 216 E. Tremont St., the parish office at 214 E. Tremont St. (mailing address: P.O. Box 98, Hillsboro, IL 62049-0098), and the Parsonage Hall at 212 E. Tremont St., which houses the Pastoral Associate's office and is used for parish meetings and events. The main office phone is (217) 532-5288; the parsonage/pastoral associate line is (217) 532-2631.
- Church — 216 E. Tremont St., Hillsboro, IL 62049
- Parish Office / Mailing Address — 214 E. Tremont St., P.O. Box 98, Hillsboro, IL 62049-0098
- Parsonage Hall (Pastoral Associate Office) — 212 E. Tremont St., Hillsboro, IL 62049
- Phone — (217) 532-5288 (church office) / (217) 532-2631 (parsonage)
- Diocesal email — [email protected]
- Website — http://www.stagneshillsboro.com/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father F. Lohmannat least 1871–1877
Resident pastor of St. Agnes in 1871; led the Morrisonville faithful until 1877; succeeded at St. Agnes by Father P. J. Virnisch.
- Father P. J. Virnischfrom 1877
Succeeded Father Lohmann as pastor of St. Agnes Hillsboro in 1877.
- Rev. James L. Neuman, V.F.
Former pastor; now Pastor Emeritus of St. Agnes Hillsboro.
- Rev. Daniel L. Willenborgcurrent
Current pastor of St. Agnes Hillsboro, appointed after Fr. Neuman's retirement.