Photo Caption: Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, visits the exhibit about his life and ministry during an opening reception at the Diocesan Historical Museum at the Spalding Pastoral Center, Peoria.

Over the course of this year, Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, will celebrate three personal milestones that are connected to his life and ministry in central Illinois and people around the diocese are invited to share in the festivities.

Bishop Jenky will turn 65 on March 3, observe the 10th anniversary of his installation as the spiritual leader and chief catechist of the Diocese of Peoria on April 2, and mark the 15th anniversary of ordination as a bishop on Dec. 16. A new exhibit at the Diocesan History Museum and Fulton J. Sheen Museum, which will run through mid-summer, features significant moments from his past in “A Father for Our Family: A Snapshot of Bishop Jenky’s Life and Ministry.”

The panels in the middle of the exhibit focus on his ministry as “Chief Shepherd: Renewing All Things in Christ,” “Evangelization: Proclaiming the Good News to All the World” and “Catholic Education: Forming New Generations of Believers.”

Surrounding the panels are articles and mementos that “enflesh his life,” said Msgr. Stanley Deptula, director of the diocesan Office of Divine Worship and executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation. Among them are the bishop’s first shoes, which were provided by his sister, Pat Fontana, and artifacts from his days at Notre Dame.

As they prepared for the exhibit, Msgr. Deptula said that he and Sister Lea Stefancova and Sister Ann Gill, diocesan archivists and members of the Franciscan Sisters of John the Baptist, brainstormed and prayed about the best way to provide a portrait of Bishop Jenky. They determined that a common thread was the bishop’s work to hand on the faith.

“We hope the museum provides a snapshot of his life and ministry,” Msgr. Deptula said. “In no way does the exhibit try to be an overall, comprehensive study of his biography or his ministry.”

The Diocesan Historical Museum and Fulton J. Sheen Museum is located in the Spalding Pastoral Center, 419 N.E. Monroe St., in Peoria. It is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information or to schedule a tour, call (309) 671-1550.

TWO MORE OPPORTUNITIES
People will be able to congratulate Bishop Jenky personally at two events this year.

The first is the Bishop’s Anniversary Gala, which is planned for Friday, June 1, at the Spalding Pastoral Center in Peoria. Open to everyone, this is a fundraiser for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Peoria and all proceeds from the tickets, raffles and sponsorships will be used to help with the renewal of that agency.

The second is the Honors Mass, which is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 18, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria. Diocesan and papal awards will be given and a reception will follow, Msgr. Deptula said.

“As we celebrate Bishop Jenky, this is the way he celebrates us,” he told The Catholic Post. “It’s his act of gratitude to the different people of the diocese who have enabled him to be such an effective bishop for these 10
years.”

More details about both events will be provided as they become available.