URBANA — Catholics of East Central Illinois are being invited to “come celebrate being Catholic!” with Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, next month at a multi-parish gathering on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Organized by a team of representatives from all 19 parishes in the Champaign vicariate, “Catholic Connected: Beyond the Pew” is planned for Wednesday, June 3, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

“It’s very appropriate for Catholics to get together not only in their home parishes, but also on a larger scale,” said Father Joseph Hogan, pastor of St. Patrick’s Parish, Urbana.

Planners are billing the evening as one of the largest gatherings of Catholics in the region’s history.

Admission is free, but those who want to attend need to notify their parish offices by Friday, May 22. Personalized “nametag tickets” are being made to help those who attend get to know one another.

The event features an all-area choir concert and sing-along followed by a reception in the Krannert lobby. Bishop Jenky will deliver a talk on the theme of prayer and spirituality in the life of the lay Catholic.

A Knights of Columbus color guard will participate and other Knights of Columbus will serve as ushers. In addition, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students is sponsoring a Mass at St. John’s Newman Center in conjunction with Catholic Connected.

The celebration isn’t just for Catholics, however. Catholics are encouraged to invite their non-Catholic friends, because Catholic Connected is meant to “witness to everyone in the area,” said Mary Long, a pastoral associate at St. Patrick’s Parish, Urbana, who serves on the Catholic Connected planning team.

Every parish in the vicariate is creating a banner to be displayed over the stage in the Krannert auditorium. The liturgical arts team from St. Patrick’s in Urbana ordered all the fabric and prepared the banners for distribution to each parish so they could decorate them as desired.

Members from all Champaign vicariate parish choirs are invited to sing in the all-area choir, which is being organized by Laura Theby, music director of St. Patrick’s Parish, and Heath Morber, music director at the Newman Center.