Following is the message for Christmas 2023 from Bishop Louis Tylka, Bishop of Peoria. Each year during the holiday season, we hear many wonderful hymns and songs filled with faith, joy, and cheer. Some of the classics invite us to recall the central truth of Christmas: the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Indeed, many […]
Continue reading
Jessica Anderson of LaSalle receives Christmas presents from Bishop Tylka for her two girls, ages 9 and 10, during a distribution from the Catholic Charities St. Nicholas Van outside St. Patrick Church in LaSalle on Dec. 12. Assisting is Chris McAtee, director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Peoria. (The Catholic Post/Paul Thomas Moore)
By Paul Thomas Moore LASALLE — The Catholic Charities St. Nicholas van rolled into the parking lot of St. Patrick Church here on Dec. 12, and soon the gift-giving commenced. Distributing the Christmas gifts — donated by Catholics throughout the diocese and given through Catholic Charites to more than 2,300 people — on this day […]
Continue reading
The 8th grade girls basketball team from St. Patrick School in Washington is shown Dec. 14 with the IESA 8-1A state championship trophy. This team won the state 7th grade title a year ago and has a two-season record of 54 wins and no losses. (Provided photo)
WASHINGTON — This year’s girls basketball season at St. Patrick School in Washington will long be remembered by the school community. On Dec. 14, the 8th grade Irish earned the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) Class 8-1A girls state championship by defeating previously undefeated Sigel St. Michael 38-30 to complete a perfect 26-0 season. That […]
Continue reading
Darlene Klein at the organ at St. Mary Church in Metamora. (Provided photo)
METAMORA — Her musical numbers are noteworthy: Darlene F. Klein has played organ for more than 650 weddings, nearly 800 funerals, and in more than 80 churches — six of which were in Europe and the Holy Land while on a pilgrimage in 2000. But there is no count of the number of Masses that […]
Continue readingCause of Our Joy / Katie Faley St. Stephen has always fascinated me. The image that immediately comes to mind when I think of St. Stephen is a man tied to a tree, bloodied from the rocks being hurled at him. I don’t even think I’ve ever really seen a picture of St. Stephen. It’s […]
Continue reading
Women from throughout the Diocese of Peoria are invited to begin 2024 by taking part in a one-day retreat on Saturday, Jan. 13, at the Spalding Pastoral Center in Peoria. “Magnify: Growing in Holiness” is the theme of the retreat, sponsored by the Peoria Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (PDCCW) and Women Connect. Doors open […]
Continue reading
Deacon Greg Kandra
Living the Word / Deacon Greg Kandra Fourth Sunday of Advent, Dec. 24 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Psalms 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38 Do you hear it? If there is one message the world needs right now, in a moment of high anxiety and seemingly unending wars, you can find it […]
Continue reading
Deacon John Mock
KEWANEE — A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 15, at Saint John Paul II Parish here for Deacon John T. Mock, a permanent deacon who formerly served Kewanee parishes. Deacon Mock died on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, at Kewanee Care Home. He was 99. Father Chris Haake […]
Continue reading
Deacon James Gore
NORMAL — A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at Epiphany Church here for Deacon James J. Gore, a permanent deacon who formerly served Holy Trinity Parish in Bloomington until being granted senior status in 2013. Deacon Gore died on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, in Bloomington. He was 87. […]
Continue reading
Praying over Mark Buettner at the July 22 Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference in Peoria were Deacon Kevin Zeeb of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Morton as well as Laura Rebenzer and Miriam Johll of Shadow on the Water. Mark died Nov. 20 after a long, faith-filled fight with cancer. (The Catholic Post/Paul Thomas Moore)
In My Father’s House / Paul Thomas Moore I am reminded of Mark Buettner with every move I make. Mark was a physical therapist at OSF HealthCare on North Glen Park Place in Peoria and a member with his wife Pamela and five children of St. Mark Parish in Peoria. He died on Nov. 20, […]
Continue reading
