Cause of Our Joy / By Katie Faley I really enjoyed doing a mini-retreat through the month of October. So, if you’d like, follow along with me through December on another small daily spiritual journey. (Click here for a printable, one-page PDF of this calendar.) DEC 1: ST. EDMUND CAMPION He converted to Catholicism after […]
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Father Patrick Henehan, pastor, is pictured Nov. 16 as finishing touches are made on the new St. Jude Church in Peoria --- the first newly built parish church in the Diocese of Peoria since Immaculate Conception Church in Manito was dedicated in 2015. The $11.4 million edifice will be dedicated by Bishop Louis Tylka during a 6:30 p.m. Mass on Wednesday, Nov. 29. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
That this Wednesday evening’s Dedication Mass for the new St. Jude Church in Peoria falls between Thanksgiving and the first Sunday of Advent is wonderfully fitting, according to Father Patrick Henehan, pastor. “We’re extending Thanksgiving,” he told The Catholic Post last week as dozens of workers applied finishing touches inside and outside the spacious $11.4 […]
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Bishop Louis Tylka takes a turn in a dunk tank at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis last weekend. He promised those who knocked him off the perch that "they didn’t have to go to confession for dunking the bishop.” (Provided photo/ Carla Wizieck)
INDIANAPOLIS — Basketballs get dunked. So do cookies, doughnuts, and even chicken nuggets. But a bishop? Allow Bishop Louis Tylka to explain how he wound up in a dunk tank operated by the Salesian order at the National Catholic Youth Conference last weekend in Indianapolis. The tank was meant to draw the attention of the […]
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Fifty-six high school students from the Diocese of Peoria pose with Bishop Louis Tylka and chaplains from their schools at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis. The Nov. 16-18 gathering drew nearly 13,000 teens to Lucas Oil Stadium. Note the group’s identifying banner at right -- “BLT” with an image of a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. But “BLT” is also the abbreviation, and an occasional nickname, for Bishop Louis Tylka. (Provided photo/Carla Wizieck)
INDIANAPOLIS — The joy that young people bring to the church was on full display when nearly 13,000 high school students filled Lucas Oil Stadium here with it during the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC). “The joy we all felt after Mass and all throughout the conference is the same joy that we are called […]
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Chris McAtee, the new director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Peoria, is pictured at his desk in the Spalding Pastoral Center in Peoria. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
One adjective wasn’t enough for Chris McAtee to describe his enthusiasm at being named the new director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Peoria. “This is amazing, blessed, providential, great news for me and my family,” said McAtee, who comes to the diocese after two years with the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, where he […]
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The Thanksgiving Basket Ministry of St. Matthew Parish in Champaign on Nov. 18 delivered nearly 240 baskets brimming with Thanksgiving dinner fixings and more to families struggling with food insecurity in the Champaign-Urbana area. Here, baskets dropped off near the church await delivery. (Provided photo/Sarah Budden)
By Paul Thomas Moore CHAMPAIGN — There are Thanksgiving baskets, and then there are Thanksgiving baskets. Since 2021, the Thanksgiving Basket Ministry at St. Matthew Parish here has specialized in the latter variety. “Basket” is really the polite term for these 18-gallon bins, which include 27 items for creating a Thanksgiving meal, as well as […]
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Author Katie Bogner holds her just-released book, “All about Advent and Christmas.” (Provided photo)
Parents, catechists, and teachers have a new resource to help guide children through Advent and Christmas, thanks to a local author. “All about Advent and Christmas: Sharing the Seasons of Hope and Wonder with Children” is the title of a just-released book by Katherine (Katie) Bogner, junior high faith formation teacher at St. Philomena School […]
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Deacon Greg Kandra
Living the Word / By Deacon Greg Kandra Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Nov. 26 Ezekiel 43:11-12, 15-17; Psalms 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28; Matthew 25:31-46 Are we here already? Suddenly, we find ourselves at the end of the liturgical year, gazing down the road toward Advent and Christmas (!) […]
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Students, staff, and families from Central Catholic High School in Bloomington were among many who traveled to Springfield to urge the Illinois General Assembly to continue the Invest in Kids Act, providing donor-funded scholarships for families that otherwise might not be able to afford private school tuition. The Central Catholic contingent is pictured at the State Capitol on Nov. 7. (Photo from Central Catholic's Facebook page)
By Paul Thomas Moore Lawmakers failed to extend the Invest in Kids Act tax credit scholarship program during the recent fall veto sessions of the Illinois Legislature ending Nov. 9, but proponents say the fight is not over. More than 9,500 Illinois children of low-income families receive tuition support through the Invest in Kids program, […]
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Bishop Louis Tylka processes into a full St. Mary Church in Bloomington for a Mass celebrating the 150th anniversary of St. Mary School on Thursday, Nov. 9. (The Catholic Post/Paul Thomas Moore)
By Paul Thomas Moore BLOOMINGTON — Principal Jamie Hartrich was pleased but not surprised that a church full of St. Mary parishioners helped St. Mary School in Bloomington celebrate its 150th anniversary on Thursday, Nov. 9. The strong turnout for an 8 a.m. weekday Mass spoke to her of the close relationship between the parish […]
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