Archives
By: Tom Dermody - November 8, 2019 -
Editorial
Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks Oct. 26 at the Second Step Presidential Justice Forum at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C. Biden attended morning Mass Oct. 27 at St. Anthony Church in Florence and was refused Communion by the pastor, Father Robert E. Morey, over Biden's support for legal abortion. CNS /Sam Wolfe, Reuters
A month before former Vice President Joe Biden presented himself to receive the Eucharist at a Mass in South Carolina — and was refused by the pastor — the Democratic presidential candidate was the subject of an open letter penned by Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life. “As the Presidential race for […]
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By: Tom Dermody - August 14, 2019 -
Editorial
As schools reopen and parishes gear up for religious education and RCIA classes, a new survey shockingly shows that many Catholics need to return to second grade, the year most of us received our first Holy Communion. Before that most special day, we were taught repeatedly that we were about to receive not bread and […]
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By: Tom Dermody - August 1, 2019 -
Editorial
The prevalence of security cameras is sparking a debate in society about when they might infringe on privacy. Followers of Jesus would do well do regularly clean and fine tune the lenses of their conscience, and examine its footage at the end of each day.
I enjoy tennis. In my boyhood long ago, I would practice for hours by hitting a ball against the sturdy outside walls of one of two buildings — the local high school gym or a furniture store just a block from our house. No one inside ever told me to stop, and so in my […]
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By: Tom Dermody - July 18, 2019 -
Editorial
A sign with a Scripture verse has been hung on a vandalized statue of Jesus in Serenity Park on Peoria's south side. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
During World War II, a French village lost a beloved statue of Christ in a bombing raid. The villagers managed to rebuild the statue, except for its hands. Those pieces were never found in the rubble. Finally, the villagers placed a plaque on the statue with the inscription, “I have no hands but yours.” The […]
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By: Tom Dermody - July 5, 2019 -
Editorial
The bodies of Salvadoran migrant Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez and his 23-month-old daughter, Valeria, are seen June 24 after they drowned in the Rio Grande in Matamoro, Mexico, while trying to reach the United States. (CNS/Reuters)
Nine days before the United States celebrated Independence Day, a photo from our southern border stirred emotions and debate about the kind of nation we are 243 years after our founding. “This image cries to heaven for justice,” wrote two leaders of the Catholic bishops in the U.S. after the above photo appeared on news […]
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By: Tom Dermody - June 20, 2019 -
Editorial
As we cross into summer and prepare for Independence Day, Catholics are being asked this week to remember one of the fundamental rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution: religious freedom. The U.S. Catholic bishops have declared the period from Saturday, June 22, to Friday, June 28, as Religious Freedom Week. Each day is set […]
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By: Tom Dermody - June 6, 2019 -
Editorial
“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Luke 1:41-42 “A fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights under the […]
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By: Tom Dermody - May 9, 2019 -
Editorial
Submerged cars are seen in downtown Davenport, Iowa, after a levee failure on April 30. (Provided photo/Christopher Mandle)
There are more than 700 references to water in the Bible. Pope Francis, in his 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si” (“On Care for Our Common Home”), cites it 47 times. Water is the element used in the sacrament of baptism to symbolize the grace of God which cleanses us and gives us life. For so many […]
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By: Tom Dermody - April 16, 2019 -
Editorial
When a majestic, 850-year-old cathedral in the heart of Paris burned on April 15, the people of France and around the globe rightfully reacted with shock, sadness, prayer and resolve. Notre Dame Cathedral is a world historic and spiritual treasure. Across social media, those blessed to have experienced its splendor are posting images and sharing […]
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By: Tom Dermody - April 10, 2019 -
Editorial
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. This year's "A Call to Catholic Men of Faith" is April 27. (The Catholic Post file/Tom Dermody)
This one is just for the guys. Pick a reason for joining Bishop Jenky and hundreds of Catholic men from parishes around the Diocese of Peoria for the annual Men’s March and Mass on Saturday morning, April 27: You want to show your support for the Catholic Church and especially its priests after a particularly […]
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