The first issue of the newspaper of the Diocese of Peoria was published 75 years ago.

It was April 1, 1934 — Easter Sunday that year. Twenty-two thousand copies of a new weekly publication called The Peoria Register were delivered in bulk to every parish in the diocese for distribution after Masses. (The newspaper soon went to in-home delivery and the name was changed to The Catholic Post in 1969.)

Writing in the debut issue, Bishop Joseph H. Schlarman consecrated the newspaper to “the apostolate of truth, of virtue, morality and social justice for the good of souls, for the glory of God and His Church, and for the welfare of our beloved country.”

That historic first front page, as well as other notable clippings and mementos from this newspaper’s rich history, are on display in one of the first exhibits at the newly opened Peoria Diocese and Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Museum at the Spalding Pastoral Center in Peoria.

“This newspaper has been a unifying force for Catholics of central Illinois for three generations,” said Thomas J. Dermody, who is just the fifth editor in the publication’s 75-year history.

“Our staff today stands on the shoulders of some Catholic press giants whose skills and faith established our credibility and the reputation for journalistic excellence we strive to continue,” added Dermody. “In celebrating our anniversary, we give thanks first to God, but also fondly remember our predecessors as well as our bishop-publishers, the advertisers without whom we could not print, the many pastors who have supported us, and especially the readers whom we are privileged to serve.”

Topping the list of Catholic press “giants,” he said, is the late Msgr. Robert G. Peters, who guided the newspaper from 1947 to 1994 as editor and later publisher.

The display in the Sheen Museum includes a statuette of St. Francis de Sales — the patron of Catholic journalists — awarded to Msgr. Peters in 1970 by the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada. It is the association’s highest honor.

Msgr. Peter’s successor as editor, Albina Aspell, would receive the same national honor in 1992. In 1987, she had represented all Catholic journalists in addressing Pope John Paul II and the world’s bishops at a Vatican synod on the laity.

In addition to the museum display, The Catholic Post will also mark its 75th birthday by sponsoring an anniversary cruise on the Holland America Line on Jan. 9-16, 2010. The cruise will feature a special focus on the diocese’s most famous media pioneer, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. More information on the cruise is found in an ad on page 8 of this issue.

“We will also be bringing back our popular ‘Looking Back’ column, reviewing the top stories from 10, 25, 50, and 75 years ago,” said Dermody.