We add our voices to the many in this special edition of The Catholic Post welcoming Coadjutor Bishop-elect Louis Tylka — “Bishop Lou” for short or “BLT” as his father has taken to calling him. By any name, this 50-year-old “gentle shepherd” from the Archdiocese of Chicago is a gift from Pope Francis to our […]
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Schlarman Academy’s Capria Brown is cheered by teammates and fans after a steal early in the Hilltoppers’ state championship win in 2019. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
The Catholic Post received four awards for journalistic excellence in judging of 2019 content announced July 2 by the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada. Editor Tom Dermody received first place for Best Sports Photo (above) and third place for Best Editorial on a National/International Issue for “Like Paris firefighters, she preserved […]
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Shawn Reeves
By Shawn Reeves 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time/July 19 Wisdom 12:13,16-19; Psalm 86:5-6,9-10,15-16; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43 My children span the ages of 19 to newborn. I’ve had a lot of time to think about what it means to be a good father. Lenience toward your children’s mistakes is certainly key, a feature I have not […]
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Tom Hanks stars in a scene from the movie "Greyhound." The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. (CNS/Sony Pictures)
By Catholic News Service Taut World War II drama follows the captain of a U.S. destroyer (Tom Hanks, who also wrote the screenplay) as, over a period of five days, the convoy of troop transports and supply ships his vessel is helping to protect passes across the area of the North Atlantic beyond the reach […]
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This is a scene from the movie "The Outpost." The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. (CNS/Screen Media Films)
By Catholic News Service A commendable sensitivity to both the inanities and the unrelenting raw horror of combat as well as careful attention to the emotional lives and steadfast valor of soldiers make this drama a contender for the status of a classic war film. Working from a screenplay adapted by Paul Tamasy and Eric […]
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Father Thomas Kelly is pictured at Independence Village in Peoria in 2016 prior to observing the 60th anniversary of his priestly ordination. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
A private funeral Mass was planned at St. Anthony Church in Bartonville for Father Thomas F. Kelly, a senior priest of the Diocese of Peoria and a former pastor of St. Anthony Parish as well as St. Columba Parish in Ottawa. Father Kelly, who also served for 14 years in campus ministry at the University […]
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The handwriting of U.S. Army chaplain Father Herman G. Felhoelter, OFM, is seen in an excerpt from a letter to the Biggs family, members of St. Boniface Parish in Peoria. The letter, dated Feb. 25, 1945, was penned in France and tells of his ministry to soldiers during World War II. Father Herman would be killed five years later while tending to wounded soldiers on a battlefield in Korea.
By Alexis Lavin EDITOR’S NOTE: The author is an adjunct professor of history at Illinois Central College and a volunteer at the Archives of the Diocese of Peoria. When I tell my students that history is fascinating, I am usually confronted by distinct expressions of disbelief. The majority of them think that history is boring, […]
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Father Robert Lampitt, head chaplain at St. John’s Catholic Newman Center in Champaign, baptizes graduate student Yoo Kyung Go as sponsor Ellie Porath assists during a special Mass on June 27. Two more were baptized, confirmed and received Eucharist for the first time that morning, while arrangements were made to receive another 13 students later that day and over the summer. The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems
It was a long time coming, but the 285 women, men and children chosen by God as his own are now being welcomed into the Catholic Church through the Easter sacraments at parishes around the Diocese of Peoria. Following guidelines regarding safety and social distancing, pastors are baptizing, confirming and giving Communion to people who […]
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The three priests granted senior status early this summer by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, have offered diverse service to the Diocese of Peoria — and beyond — during their combined 134 years of active priesthood. The Catholic Post interviewed Msgr. Steven P. Rohlfs, P.A., Father David Heinz, and Father Michael Pakula for profiles of […]
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Father Michael Pakula poses near a statue of St. Malachy, the patron of the parish in Geneseo where he has served as pastor for 25 years. His 47 years of priestly service also included a long stint on the Diocesan Tribunal and seven years as a part-time hospital chaplain. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
GENESEO — When Father Michael Pakula moves to senior status on July 8 after nearly 47 years of priestly service, including the last 25 years as pastor of St. Malachy Parish here, he could write a book looking back on what he calls his “checkered life.” “But I’m not going to,” claims Father Pakula, 76. […]
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