By Catholic News Service An ordinary woman (Blake Lively) becomes an unlikely assassin to hunt down the killers of her family in this revenge thriller, directed by Reed Morano and based on the novel by Mark Burnell. When a journalist (Raza Jaffrey) reveals that the airplane disaster which killed her parents and siblings was not […]
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Alice Krige and Sophia Lillis star in a scene from the movie "Gretel & Hansel." The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. (CNS/Orion Pictures)
By Catholic News Service Child abandonment and hunger are the backbone of this horror-film framing of the Grimm Brothers fairy tale. Gretel (Sophia Lillis), who is 16 in this version, has to decide whether bounteous meals from a forest witch are worth the risk to her and her 8-year-old brother Hansel (Sammy Leakey). Holda the […]
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The center spread of the Feb. 2 issue of The Catholic Post included photos and brief comments from diocesan Catholic high school pilgrims to the Jan. 24 March for Life in Washington, D.C. Some of the young pro-life pilgrims share their experience in greater detail below.
By plane, metro trains, buses, and some very crowded automobiles, hundreds of pilgrims from the Diocese of Peoria traveled to Washington, D.C., to take part in the Jan. 24 March for Life and related events. Among them were contingents from five Catholic high schools in the diocese — Peoria Notre Dame, Central Catholic in Bloomington, […]
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Rebekah Hagan addresses the Sanctity of Human Life Rally on Jan. 21 in Peoria. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
Like a driver whose car begins to slide uncontrollably on a freeway that has turned foggy and icy, Rebekah Hagan — then a frightened, pregnant, single, teenaged mother of one — looked for and took the closest “exit ramp.” It led to an abortion clinic. “In a moment of panic and not thinking clearly, I […]
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Jim Taber, who has taught at Central Catholic High School in Bloomington for 36 years and chaired the science department there for 35 of them, can't help but teach, even in conversation. Everything becomes a lesson in science and faith for the Distinguished Teacher of the Year. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
BLOOMINGTON — Jim Taber can’t help himself. Conversation with him is filled with lessons in biology, chemistry, botany, math and physics and it’s done in such a joyful and spontaneous way that anyone listening will learn something and be happy to do it. That’s a good thing for his students at Central Catholic High School, […]
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During a classroom visit, St. Mark principal Noreen Dillon works on a word game with first-grader Tommy Tomlins. Helping people discover their strengths and use them is one of the reasons she went into teaching. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
Dr. Noreen Dillon accepts that she has been named the Distinguished Principal of the Year by the Office of Catholic Schools, but says, “It really had nothing to do with me.” “It had more to do with the really good team I’m working with and the families that we have here supporting the school, and […]
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St. Thomas principal Lisa Doughan thanks the many people who had a hand in the planning and construction of the new Trost Learning Center and Gymnasium, including the late Robert H. Trost, a major benefactor. Looking on is Father Keith Walder, pastor, and Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, who said he was proud of the work the parish had done to accomplish "the magnificent renewal of your school." The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
PHILO — After coming from the new Trost Learning Center and Gymnasium at St. Thomas School, Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, had just one word as he started Mass Jan. 25: “Wow.” “I’m so proud of what God has done through you with that magnificent addition to the school,” he said as he greeted the […]
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Msgr. Mark Merdian, pastor of St. Pius X in Rock Island, shows students from Jordan Catholic School what can be found in a sacristy. "As a priest, you're always teaching," said the Distinguished Pastor of the Year. (Provided photo)
ROCK ISLAND — Most Wednesday afternoons you can find Msgr. Mark Merdian at Jordan Catholic School, where he teaches religion. He had the seventh-graders before the Christmas break, and is working with the eighth-graders this semester. It’s not really an option for him. “Ever since I’ve become a pastor, I’ve made a commitment to teach […]
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Eighth-graders Bella Pinter and Kristina Penaverde of Peru Catholic School sing "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" as the Mass for the Unborn draws to a close Jan. 24. Joining them for the liturgy at St. Mary's Cathedral was their pastor, Msgr. Richard Soseman, who concelebrated. The Cathollic Post/Jennifer Willems
As students from Catholic high schools and Newman Centers around the Diocese of Peoria were preparing for the national March for Life in Washington, D.C., Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, and their classmates joined them in spirit and prayer during a Mass for the Unborn on Jan. 24. The annual liturgy took place at St. […]
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Reviewed by Matthew Vander Vennet In “I’m Catholic. Now What?,” author and convert Shaun McAfee provides a valuable resource for converts, reverts, and non-verts alike. In his characteristic fashion and manner, McAfee makes an easy to read volume that is both helpful and accessible. The work can be read from cover to cover or as […]
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