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Pastoral care teams stand on hospital ‘holy ground,’ offer light in dark times

Deacon Joe Knapp, pastoral care manager at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, blesses a new OSF facility in this Catholic Post file photo. While there are heartbreaking things within hospital walls -- especially in this time of pandemic -- "our fellow mission partners spread a lot of light because they live the mission,” says Deacon Knapp.

COVID-19 is a constant presence. Daily newscasts begin with reports of how many people have fallen ill or died since the last report and hospitals are limiting visits in an attempt to keep everyone as safe as possible. “It’s a very intense time,” acknowledges Deacon Joe Knapp, pastoral care manager at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis […]

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‘O Come, Divine Healer’ — Bishop Tylka’s Holy Hour reflection in pandemic time

Bishop Tylka lifts the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament during a Holy Hour of diocesan prayer in a time of pandemic last December at St. Mary's Cathedral. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)

EDITOR’S NOTE: Following is the full text of Coadjutor Bishop Louis Tylka’s reflection given during “O Come, Divine Healer,” a Holy Hour of Diocesan Prayer in this Pandemic Time at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria on Dec. 17.  The Holy Hour, which was attended by about 100 people at the cathedral — including Bishop Daniel […]

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Parishes across the diocese prepare to celebrate Christmas in pandemic year

Father Andru O’Brien, parochial vicar for St. Jude Parish in Peoria, celebrates an evening Mass in the church parking lot last month. St. Jude is among the parishes in the Diocese of Peoria planning parking lot Masses or Communion services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as one option to celebrate Jesus’ birth as a parish community while also keeping people safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy photo/Daryl Wilson)

Christmas has always been a time of joy and reverence as we welcome the Christ Child into our lives again. If parishes around the Diocese of Peoria have their way, that will continue to be the case — with more than a little creativity thrown in for good measure. “Even though there’s craziness going on […]

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Pledges to Annual Stewardship Appeal off to a good start in this challenging year

The theme of the 2020 Annual Diocesan Appeal is "Know, Love, Serve." It was conducted primarily through direct mail this year because of the pandemic.

In this most challenging year, Catholics of the Diocese of Peoria are responding generously to a modified Annual Diocesan Appeal that opened in September — six months later than usual and in the middle of a pandemic. With a goal set at $6 million, pledges have already crossed $5.2 million and more than $4.3 million […]

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Schlarman Academy video wins diocesan contest, then international recognition

Schlarman Academy Class of 2020 member Wade Huddleston tells how students at the Danville school give back to the community in this screen grab from a student-produced video that won a diocesan contest to promote “Stewardship in Action.” It was later part of a diocesan video that received first place honors from the International Catholic Stewardship Council.

DANVILLE — Video editing is a “fun hobby” for Jack Girouard. But the senior at Schlarman Academy now has an international award on his film resume. The success began when an entry that Girouard and a few Schlarman friends submitted last school year was named the winner in the Diocese of Peoria’s first video contest […]

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The value of intergenerational relationships in the life of the church

"Peggy taught me something so important about parish life and the Catholic Church as a whole," writes columnist Katie Faley, shown with her in the provided photo. "Where I always silently complained that there was never a strong enough young adult presence, I was failing to recognize how life-giving and valuable intergenerational relationships are."

“Cause of Our Joy” / Katie Faley It’s said that we don’t know what we’ve got until we’ve lost it. I think that has become acutely true amidst the year’s changes to our regular lives. I’ve come to reflect quite a bit on the importance of community in these last few months when community has […]

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Our Catholic churches — Christmas gifts far and near

The interior of St. Mary's Staghall Church, County Cavan, Ireland.

“In My Father’s House” / Paul Thomas Moore Several years ago, I was walking and talking with a good friend of mine as we passed by a church that was undergoing renovations. The good friend was also a good priest, a man with a highly developed social conscience and a heart for the poor. Although […]

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Christmas readings: Despite challenges, we can ‘return home’ to love of God

Bishop Louis Tylka

By Bishop Louis Tylka Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas) At the Vigil Mass: Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 89:4-5,16-17,27,29; Acts 13:16-17,22-25; Matthew 1:1-25 Mass During the Night: Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm 96:1-2,2-3,11-12,13; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14 Mass at Dawn: Isaiah 62:11-12; Psalm 97:1,6,11-12; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:15-20 Mass During the Day: Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98:1,2-3,3-4,5-6; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18 The various readings for the celebration of Christmas given to us […]

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The true meaning of Christmas is revealed when we embrace Jesus

By Tim Irwin Fourth Sunday of Advent/Dec. 20 2 Samuel 7:1-5,8b-12,14a,16; Psalm 89:2-3,4-5,27,29; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-28 Jesus poses two key questions to his followers. The first is:  “Who do you say I am?” The Church proclaims its answer in readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent. The first reading from the Second Book of Samuel […]

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‘Christmas in the Age of COVID’ is topic of Zoom webinar offered Saturday, Dec. 19

Michaela Ebert

The St. Thomas Aquinas Guild of the Quad Cities invites all interested persons to a Zoom presentation “Christmas in the Age of Covid” at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19. The featured speaker will be Michaela R. Ebert, an ethicist for Ascension, a Catholic health system headquartered in St. Louis. In a year marked by […]

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