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By: Jennifer Willems - May 23, 2022 -
News Article
Father Joseph Mary Brown, CSJ, celebrates Mass at Padre Pio's altar in San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy on Oct. 25, 2015. He said "the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, that is, Jesus Himself" is what drew him to the priesthood. (Provided photo)
Ten priests serving in the Diocese of Peoria are marking their 25th anniversary of ordination this year. The first is Father Joseph Mary Brown, who was ordained for the Congregation of St. John by Bishop John J. Myers on April 26, 1997, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria. The profiles for Father Chris Gerard Haake, […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - May 19, 2022 -
News Article
Matthew Vander Vennet, director of advancement and development at The High School of Saint Thomas More in Champaign, makes a point as the advancement committee for the Partners in Mission process at the school gets busy on April 29. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
CHAMPAIGN — The High School of Saint Thomas More became the fifth and final diocesan high school to put together a strategic plan this month, with the guidance of Partners in Mission, a Boston-based consulting firm engaged by the Office of Catholic Schools. With the approval of Bishop Louis Tylka, all the plans are due […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - May 5, 2022 -
Featured Article
Lisa Gray, principal of Sts. Peter and Paul School, Nauvoo, receives a retirement gift from Bishop Louis Tylka at the end-of-the-year celebration hosted by the Office of Catholic Schools on May 3. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
Meeting challenge after challenge presented by COVID-19 for the last two years has left many principals and pastors of Catholic schools tired. At a Mass marking the end of the school year, however, Bishop Louis Tylka let them know their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. “You are a gift to us, to our schools, to our […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - May 5, 2022 -
Featured Article
The women being honored for their service to the Diocese of Peoria gather around Bishop Louis Tylka for a photo after the Peoria Diocesan Council of Catholic Women's Volunteer Appreciation Mass on April 29 at St. Mary's Cathedral. They would be recognized individually at the luncheon that followed. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
As the Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of St. Catherine of Siena, a faithful woman who “raised her eyes” and saw the people in need around her, the Peoria Diocesan Council of Catholic Women honored 45 faith-filled women who looked at the need in their parishes and communities and also served the Lord and his […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - April 22, 2022 -
Featured Article
Bishop Louis Tylka is strapped in and ready to bless farm fields of the Diocese of Peoria from the air, thanks to the use of a helicopter provided by OSF Aviation on April 21. At right, the bishop looks out at the farm of Helen Gillen in rural Monmouth. He would stop to bless the fields and family there and then continue to fly in all directions to offer a blessing "that keeps going" for the rest of the diocese. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems and For The Catholic Post/ Phillip Lee)
MONMOUTH — Bishop Louis Tylka took to the air by helicopter April 21 to bless farm fields in the Diocese of Peoria as planting season was about to begin. His trip, made possible by OSF Aviation, included a stop at the farm of Helen Gillen and her son, Dave, longtime members of Immaculate Conception Parish […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - April 20, 2022 -
Featured Article
There are smiles all around as Gretchen Lansford is confirmed by Father Andru O'Brien at the Easter Vigil at St. Matthew Church in Champaign.Standing behind her is her son, David, who was her sponsor. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
CHAMPAIGN — Gretchen Lansford wanted to share the faith that had become foundational to her son, David, and his family, and at the Easter Vigil at St. Matthew Church here, her prayers were answered. She was one of six people baptized in other faith traditions who made a profession of faith and were received into […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - April 20, 2022 -
Featured Article
In addition to some serious talk about the transition from being a boy to becoming a man, participants at the first Spanish Father-Son Encounter took the opportunity to have have fun while being physically active on April 9. Here they are running a three-legged race. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
MAGNOLIA — Fathers and sons from Spanish-speaking communities around the Diocese of Peoria accepted the invitation to get away and spend the day together to talk about life and what it means to be a man, and to take time for prayer at the Sacré-Coeur Retreat Center here. A pilot program for boys ages 10 […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - April 13, 2022 -
Featured Article
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy in East Moline. (Photo from olgca.org)
EAST MOLINE — Parents, students and faculty at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy learned on April 12 that the school, which had been slated to close at the end of this academic year, would remain open. The good news came in a statement from Bishop Louis Tylka. “We have determined that our previous decision […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - April 12, 2022 -
Featured Article
Bishop Louis Tylka pours the balsam into the oil for the Sacred Chrism. He would stir it and breath over the mouth of the vessel, calling down the Holy Spirit in blessing. The Chrism Mass takes its name from the consecration of this oil. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
As he looked out over the people who filled St. Mary’s Cathedral for the Chrism Mass on April 12, Bishop Louis Tylka voiced what everyone was thinking: “What a blessing it is to see the church alive and gathered here today.” Traditionally celebrated during Holy Week, the Chrism Mass in 2020 was delayed six months […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - April 9, 2022 -
Featured Article
Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, greets supporters of HB 4126 from Chicago, Joliet and Peoria as he prepares to enter the Senate Executive Committee hearing to discuss the legislation at the State Capitol in Springfield. To his left is Robert Gilligan of the Catholic Conference of Illinois. The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems
SPRINGFIELD — Weeks of advocating for improvements to the Invest in Kids Act paid off for parents, school administrators and supporters when House Bill 4126 was passed unanimously by both houses of the Illinois General Assembly on April 7. Empower Illinois, the scholarship granting organization at the forefront of the advocacy effort, noted that the […]
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