PEORIA HEIGHTS — “Poverty in Our Midst” is the theme for a three-part adult education series that will begin Tuesday, Sept. 24, at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 904 E. Lake Ave. All the sessions are at 7 p.m. and will be held in the lower level of the church.

In the first part, Sister Diane Vande Voorde, OSF, will look at who St. Francis was and why he chose to live a life of poverty. A member of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Immaculate Conception in West Peoria, Sister Diane is assistant director of the diocesan Office of the Permanent Diaconate.

On Tuesday, Oct. 1, the focus will be the difference between generational and situational poverty and the tools that can help individuals caught in poverty to move beyond it. Speaking about the many faces of poverty will be Melissa Willis, a clinical therapist for the Illinois Crisis Prevention Network.

Father Dick Bresnahan, a senior priest from Moline and longtime social justice advocate, will share his insights into “Spiritual Poverty and Hunger for Life in the Spirit” in the final session on Tuesday, Oct. 8. During the evening, participants will be invited to look at the circumstances in their lives that contribute to spiritual emptiness and complacency and offered tools to enrich their spiritual lives.

The series is sponsored by the social justice committee at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish. Organizers said it grows out of the need for a better understanding and awareness of the problems faced by so many people in central Illinois as a result of the downturn in the economy.

For more information, call the parish office at (309) 688-3446.