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By: Tom Dermody - August 11, 2021 -
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A water bottle bearing the Emmaus Days prayer is in the foreground during an outdoor discussion at one of two sessions earlier this summer at St. John's Catholic Newman Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign. Two other sessions were held in July at Peoria Notre Dame High School. (Provided photo)
“Everyone is given a seed of a vocation in their life by God,” said Coadjutor Bishop Louis Tylka, and during four Emmaus Days retreats this summer more than 100 boys and young men took time away to consider what might be planted in their own hearts. “That vocation may be to the priesthood for some […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - August 11, 2021 -
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Anthony Corapi, Barbara Rew, Jack Schlindwein, Jennifer Kamradt, Kathryn Frakes, Katie Coulter, Kelly McLaughlin, Lauren Booth, Michael Struna, Sandy Davis
New administrators who will be greeting students as they return to class in the days to come around the diocese include: (from left) Michael Struna, Sandy Davis, Lauren Booth, Kathryn Frakes, Kelly McLaughlin, Jennifer Kamradt, Katie Coulter, Barbara Rew, and Anthony Corapi. Brief profiles can be found on this page and in the next issue of The Catholic Post. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
Students in seven Catholic schools around the Diocese of Peoria will find new faces in the principal’s office when they return to class this week. Assistant principals have been welcomed at two schools and a new model of collaborative leadership is bringing a chief operating officer to one diocesan high school. The new principals are […]
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By: The Catholic Post - August 11, 2021 -
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The three Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George are pictured in the inset of this photo of their accident-crushed van. Recovering in their community's Motherhouse in Alton are, from left, Sr. M. Clementia, author of this reflection, Sister M. Magdalene, and Sister M. Michael. (Provided photos)
EDITOR’S NOTE: On June 9, three Rock Island-based members of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George were seriously injured in a multi-vehicle accident near Springfield. Following is a reflection on the crash and the ensuing weeks of recovery by Sister M. Clementia, a member of St. Pius X Parish in Rock […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - August 4, 2021 -
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The 42 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Peoria will follow Gov. JB Pritzker's mandate for universal masking in all schools in Illinois, from pre-kindergarten through high school, according to a statement released Aug. 4 by Dr. Sharon Weiss, superintendent. (Catholic Post file photo/Jennifer Willems)
Citing the high transmission rates of the Delta variant of COVID-19 and the fact that vaccines have not yet been approved for children younger than 12, Gov. JB Pritzker on Aug. 4 announced a universal mask mandate for all schools and day cares. It is effective immediately and applies to everyone regardless of vaccination status. […]
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By: Tom Dermody - August 3, 2021 -
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"It is our absolute honor to present to you the keys to the Chapel of the Sacred Heart," said Leanne Skuse, president of River City Construction in East Peoria, builders of the Sacré-Coeur Retreat Center, as she gave the keys to Coadjutor Bishop Louis Tylka in a ritual "handing over of the building" prior to the procession into the chapel for the Mass of Dedication on Aug. 2. Among those looking on are Msgr. Stanley Deptula and Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
MAGNOLIA – The cornerstone of the Diocese of Peoria’s new Sacré-Coeur Retreat Center bears the names of both Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, and Coadjutor Bishop Louis Tylka, so it was fitting they shared roles as its Chapel of the Sacred Heart was dedicated on Monday, Aug. 2. Bishop Tylka was principal celebrant and presided […]
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By: Tom Dermody - August 2, 2021 -
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Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, and Coadjutor Bishop Louis Tylka cut a ceremonial ribbon officially opening the Diocese of Peoria’s new Sacré-Coeur Retreat Center during Sunday's open house in Magnolia. Looking on at right is Deacon Terry Stalsberg, executive director of the retreat center. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
MAGNOLIA – The reviews started coming in shortly after the doors opened on Aug. 1 at the Diocese of Peoria’s new Sacré-Coeur Retreat Center. And they are glowing. “I was just blown away,” said Chuck Loebach, a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Granville who attended Sunday’s open house with his wife, Nancy. “I figured […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - July 28, 2021 -
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Instructed to scream if anyone tried to take the bucket of “water” Rose Kirchgessner put down on the gym floor at Blessed Sacrament in Morton, Totus Tuus participants sound the alarm as costumed Zach Williams reaches for it. As it turns out, the bucket contained the day’s blue “covenant strings” for their wrists. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
MORTON — Vacation Bible School took a vacation at Blessed Sacrament Church this summer so young parishioners could try a new way of engaging their Catholic faith, and Totus Tuus proved to be just what they needed, said Msgr. Jerry Ward, pastor. “I think coming out of the pandemic — or, hopefully, getting close to […]
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By: Tom Dermody - July 28, 2021 -
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Workers from Daprato Rigali Studios in Chicago place stained glass windows Sunday in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, the largest of two chapels at the Diocese of Peoria’s new Sacré-Coeur Retreat Center in Magnolia. The nine windows from Germany formerly adorned Sacred Heart Church in Rutland, which was closed in 2013. Final preparations were being made this week for an open house at the retreat center scheduled from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 1. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
Stained glass windows. Statues. Sculptures. Scripture verses on guest room walls. Icons. Crucifixes. Inside. Outside. Almost anywhere one goes in the new Sacré-Coeur Retreat Center, there is sacred art. “It’s an amazing facility,” said Msgr. Stanley Deptula of the new three-building complex. “But it is the sacred images that make it go from being a […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - July 28, 2021 -
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Clare Eckard waves as Biking for Babies missionaries ride through Peoria County on their way to St. Mark Church in Peoria for Mass and a potluck. "There's a lot of people who are sore, but that's part of it. It's a joy," she said of the 600-mile ride. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
Hannah Cottingham of Dunlap cries when she thinks of the lives lost because women are told they can’t achieve their dreams and be mothers at the same time. “I’m living it. I’m a teacher, which is my dream, and I’m a mother,” she said, wiping away tears. “I’m doing Biking for Babies for the moms […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - July 22, 2021 -
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A bulletin board message is seen at Immaculate Conception School in Monmouth in this Catholic Post file photo. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
With a school system that covers 17,000 square miles across 26 counties, a one-size-fits-all approach for returning to school won’t work this year, according to Dr. Sharon Weiss, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Peoria. Rather, diocesan schools will employ a “layered prevention strategy” with local control and an emphasis on decision making […]
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