Photo Caption: Bishop Jenky and other dignitaries applaud as Father Gregory Ketcham cuts the ribbon outside the expanded St. John’s Catholic Newman Center at the University of Illinois on Sunday. By: By Tom Dermody CHAMPAIGN — Calling St. John’s Catholic Newman Center a “beacon of hope” on the University of Illinois campus, Bishop Daniel R. […]
Continue readingWOODHULL — Woven into the cotton threads of Jane Streeter’s 100-year-old baptismal gown is a story of five generations of faith and tradition. The story begins in late 1908, when Sarah Walsh Cole made a baptismal gown while she was expecting the birth of her son, Richard Cole, Streeter’s father. He wore that gown at […]
Continue readingHENRY — The phone rang in the office of Gail Kruse at King’s House, the Diocese of Peoria’s well-known retreat center. Well, maybe not known well by everyone. “Can I talk to Mr. King?” the caller asked. “You sure can,” answered Gail, not missing a beat and referring to Christ the King, for whom the […]
Continue readingBLOOMINGTON — The church’s moral teachings are not just to help Catholics decide for whom to vote, but should also inspire and guide Catholics in how they lead their lives between elections. That was the theme of a workshop presented by Robert Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois, at St. Mary’s Parish […]
Continue readingWelcoming students, teachers and administrators from Catholic schools around the diocese to St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria on Wednesday, Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, quipped that he was probably the last person to say, “Welcome back to school.” And yet every time they come to church for Mass, he said, they are entering “the school […]
Continue readingThe following guest commentary was written by Nancy Piccione, a member of St. Mary’s Parish in Metamora. An avid reader, she has a B.A. in English literature and an M.S. in journalism. She is married to Joseph Piccione and they have three children — none of whom, she reports, are teenagers. Yet. When Claire, the […]
Continue readingEver wonder why the hubs of Catholic campus ministry at colleges and universities are called “Newman” centers or “Newman” foundations?” In this diocese, widely recognized for its excellence in Newman ministry, we’re very familiar with the name. It not only graces the historic and beautifully expanded facility at the University of Illinois, but also Catholic […]
Continue readingBy: By Barbara Roedel Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Sept. 14 Numbers 21:4b-9; Psalm 78:1bc-2,34-35,36-37,38; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17 It’s painful to contemplate the cross. There is no denying the horrific suffering of the cross — the degradation, pain and humiliation are beyond imaging. It was a terrible way to die and […]
Continue readingWASHINGTON (CNS) — The National Catholic Partnership on Disability is calling on health care providers to continue life support as long as necessary for people who cannot determine for themselves that such support is needed, unless death is “inevitable and imminent.” In an Aug. 22 statement outlining its stance, the Washington-based partnership said life support […]
Continue readingMEXICO CITY (CNS) — The Catholic Church in Latin America is changing its approach to the continuing epidemic of HIV and AIDS, and many are welcoming the changes. “While moral double standards and stigma remain strong elements of the response to HIV and AIDS in many evangelical and Protestant churches, I’ve recently seen an enthusiastic […]
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