Father Edward Harkrader
Father Edward O. Harkrader, 94, died April 1, 2024, at Accolade Healthcare in Peoria. Father Harkrader – Father Ed – was born in Peoria on Sept. 30, 1930, and attended Peoria public schools, graduating from Peoria High School in 1948. He then attended Bradley University, graduating with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in political science. […]
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To celebrate the 800th anniversary of the creation of the first Nativity scene by St. Francis of Assisi, The Catholic Post invited parishes of the Diocese of Peoria to send photos of their church Nativities. Fifty parishes responded, and a representative 20 of the photos were printed in the Dec. 24 Christmas edition of the […]
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The OSF HealthCare logo is seen at the ministry's new headquarters in downtown Peoria. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
After “great prayer and discernment,” The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis have aligned with the Diocese of Peoria in a new partnership to build on the religious community’s 147-year legacy in health care. The planned creation of a Diocesan Public Juridic Person was announced on Dec. 19 to “ensure OSF HealthCare continues […]
Continue readingGuest Column / Jack Desatnick Christmas season is the birth of Jesus Christ, the gathering of family and friends, the giving of gifts, and the prayer of thanks for what we have. When I was blessed to meet and marry my wife, Terri, we celebrated two Christmas dinners. On Christmas Eve we traveled to Whiting, […]
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Father Don Roszkowski, chaplain, checks on Buckeye the donkey as Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem is recreated on the motherhouse grounds of The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in East Peoria on Dec. 3. Helping to guide Buckeye are Sister Theresa Ann Brazeau, OSF, and “shepherd”-owner Renee Humphrey. Joseph and Mary are portrayed by Phillip Rupert and Faustina Hoerdeman. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
EAST PEORIA — The 150 voices sweetly singing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” as they recreated Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem were joined by a shrill shout as the procession neared a stable erected on the Franciscan motherhouse grounds. “Hee-haw, hee-haw,” chimed in Buckeye the donkey, making his voice heard for the first time […]
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The interior of the new St. Jude Church in Peoria is seen as the procession makes its way through the packed assembly at the close of the Dedication Mass on Nov. 29. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
With two three-word phrases, Bishop Louis Tylka summed up the thoughts of many who packed the new St. Jude Church in Peoria for its Dedication Mass on Wednesday evening, Nov. 29. “This is awesome,” said Bishop Tylka as he began his homily. Moments later, as the bishop thanked and congratulated Father Patrick Henehan, pastor, and […]
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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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