The news that Father Donald Henderson has been granted senior status will make Catholics in at least 20 parishes around the Diocese of Peoria fondly recall his time with them. “I’ve had many, many parish assignments,” acknowledged Father Henderson, 72, who also served on the faculties of Catholic high schools in Peoria and Danville during […]
Continue readingROANOKE — As a young boy growing up in Lacon, Msgr. Charles Beebe felt a calling to the priesthood. His father, Joseph, thought that would be a difficult path and suggested he consider becoming a dentist like his uncle on the East Coast. Though for a few years, when asked what he wanted to be, […]
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Msgr. Charles Beebe, Father Donald Henderson, and Msgr. James Swaner have been granted senior status by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, effective June 8. (Catholic Post photos by Tom Dermody)
The granting of senior status to Msgr. Charles Beebe, Father Donald Henderson, and Msgr. James Swaner highlight appointments affecting 33 priests announced this month by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC. New pastors have been assigned to 11 parishes, while temporary administrators were named to four additional faith communities. Chaplain transitions have been announced for Central […]
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Deacon Michael Pica accepts a stack of hand-made cards from Bria Hartke, a first-grader at Holy Cross School in Champaign, at the close of an all-school Mass on May 13. Holy Cross is Deacon Pica's home parish. He will be ordained to the priesthood at St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria on Saturday, May 28. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
Deacon Michael Pica never thought he would be called to the priesthood. “It’s the other guys in the chapel, they’re called,” the transitional deacon remembers thinking in the fall of 2008 when — as a sophomore at Bradley University in Peoria studying health science — Msgr. Brian Brownsey asked him if he had ever considered […]
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Msgr. Mark Merdian, pastor of St. Pius X Parish in Rock Island, sprinkles holy water throughout the new church addition after the blessing by Bishop Jenky on May 7. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
ROCK ISLAND — Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, blessed and dedicated the new McCarthy Hall for St. Pius X Parish here during brief ceremonies following the 11 a.m. confirmation Mass at the church on Saturday, May 7. In the blessing, which was attended by a crowd including clergy from throughout the region who concelebrated the […]
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A child places a crown of flowers on a statue of Mary during a May Crowning ceremony. The month of May is devoted to Mary and is traditionally celebrated with a crowning and praying of the rosary. (File photo/CNS)
In this month of May, on this page devoted to the advice of mothers, we would do well to recall the advice of our Blessed Mother, Mary. We can’t go wrong if we follow Mother Mary’s advice to the servants at the Cana wedding feast: “Do whatever (Jesus) tells you.” What is Jesus asking of […]
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Graduates of Bloomington Central Catholic celebrate after Mass at Epiphany Church in Normal in this 2015 file photo. (Provided photo/Jim Reckard)
Graduation ceremonies are scheduled this month at the seven Catholic high schools and academies in the Diocese of Peoria. A total of 612 seniors are expected to receive diplomas. Two schools have planned ceremonies for next weekend, May 14-15. They include: St. Bede Academy in Peru, which will host a baccalaureate Mass at 7 p.m. […]
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As Kelly Gentsch, a fifth grade teacher at St. Mary School in Bloomington, prepares to give blood during a drive the school hosted on April 29, she answers questions from her children Maddie and Cole. The technician is Rayscha Hardwick. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
BLOOMINGTON — In just eight years, a blood drive hosted by St. Mary School has become the largest annual one-day donation event in McLean County. “I can’t believe what it’s become,” said Susan Bassi, a physical education and health teacher, as she stood in the school gym where the American Red Cross had set up […]
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Students from the St. John Paul II Catholic Newman Center at Illinois State University in Normal carry a statue of Jesus near the front of the 2018 men's march through downtown Peoria. (The Catholic Post file/Tom Dermody)
Catholic men must call on their God-given masculine attributes to be merciful and loving witnesses of Jesus in today’s culture. That was a message repeated throughout the morning April 23 when nearly 500 men from across the Diocese of Peoria took part in the 13th annual “A Call to Catholic Men of Faith.” “So […]
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LJ Higgs drops a banana peel into the compost bin after lunch hour at St. Jude Catholic School in Peoria. The bin is part of the "Kids Can Create Compost" project that repurposes more than 100 pounds of food scraps a month. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
While they are very good with robot design, members of the First Lego League team from St. Jude Catholic School in Peoria – known as the Firecrackers – are also making noise for their skills in cooperating with God’s design for the planet. A composting project the eight-member team organized at their school helped the […]
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