Photo Caption: From left are Father James Kruse, new deacons Daniel Gifford and Timothy Heppner, Bishop Jenky, new deacons Joel Phelps and Johnathan Steffen, and Msgr. Paul Showalter, PA. By: By Tom Dermody The joy experienced at a packed St. Mary’s Cathedral on Sunday will echo in the coming days at the home parishes for […]
Continue readingSALVADOR, Brazil (CNS) — Despite intermittent rain, 70,000 people gathered in a park for the the beatification of the nun sometimes called Brazil’s Mother Teresa. Born as Maria Rita de Souza Brito Lopes Pontes in 1914, she was known to Brazilian Catholics as simply Sister Dulce, the mother of the poor. Cardinal Geraldo Majella Agnelo […]
Continue readingBy: By David Gibson, Catholic News Service JOPLIN, Mo. (CNS) — A Catholic hospital in Joplin took a direct hit from a severe tornado that struck the city May 22. Within a day of the twister, 89 people were confirmed dead, with the number almost certain to rise as rescue teams searched amid the rubble […]
Continue readingNORMAL — First things first. “Votar” is Spanish for “Vote,” and to help a group of World Youth Day pilgrims-to-be from the Pope John Paul II Catholic Newman Center here win a global song contest, click “Votar” in the video link above. (The Spanish that comes up after voting invites you to rate the song […]
Continue readingROCK ISLAND — For today’s youth, World War II and the Nazi Holocaust may seem like “ancient history,” as far removed from modern day as the Civil War. The student body of Alleman High School here, however, came face-to-face with history May 2 when Holocaust survivor Walter Reed, now 87, captivated and challenged them during […]
Continue readingBy: By Tom Dermody “Every child is an artist.” That quote from Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso not only is written on the wall of the art room at St. Philomena’s School in Peoria, it is evidenced in nearly every hallway and classroom. And all this week, on walls where the works of master […]
Continue readingBy: By Tom Dermody The applause was from hundreds, not the million-plus who had gathered in Rome for his beatification the previous weekend, but the affection for Blessed Pope John Paul II was just as deep and sincere among those attending a diocese-wide Mass of Thanksgiving in Peoria last Saturday. “This is certainly a moment […]
Continue readingBy: By Tom Dermody PEKIN — Because he is blind and nearly completely deaf, Josh Wertz often depends on being led by others, including his guide dog of eight years, Ace. But when the Class of 2011 graduates from the Department of Human Development Counseling at the University of Illinois at Springfield process into commencement […]
Continue readingROCK ISLAND — With expressions of gratitude to God and to all who are supporting the project, Jordan Catholic School here broke ground last Friday for a $2.6 million school addition and renovation. “Today, we are opening a new chapter in the quality of education for the young people of this area,” said Mike Daly, […]
Continue readingThe seven Catholic high schools of the Diocese of Peoria have scheduled graduation ceremonies and Masses for their 706 seniors in the coming weeks. In Peru, a graduation Mass for the 61 seniors of St. Bede Academy will be celebrated at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, at St. Bede Abbey Church. A reception will […]
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