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Students were welcomed back to in-person instruction at St. Mary School in Pontiac on Jan. 11. Each class was blessed by Father Adam Cesarek, pastor, and there were gifts and a complimentary lunch for the staff and an ice cream treat for the students. The Pontiac school was one of 11 Catholic elementary schools in the Diocese of Peoria to see an increase in enrollment in the last year. (Provided photo)

A statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, long a symbol of the pro-life movement, is carried into St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria in this photo from a previous Mass for the Legal Protection of the Unborn. This year's Mass and Holy Hour is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 22. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)

The Catholic Post will celebrate heroes in education in a section devoted to Catholic Schools Week. We invite readers to tell us about teachers, principals and staff members who have gone above and beyond during this challenging time of pandemic. CNS/Valaurian Waller)

"In this Year of Grace 2021 and for the rest of our lives, let us all in various and individual ways, try again to make room in our hearts for Jesus," writes Bishop Jenky in his 2021 Festival Letter. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)

These are among the parishes that Coadjutor Bishop Louis Tylka has pledged to pray for by name in January 2021. The full January list is found at the end of this story, and The Catholic Post will publish Bishop Tylka's specific parish and religious community prayer intentions and corresponding dates each month.

Catholic schools around the Diocese of Peoria used a variety of ways to keep students engaged after they returned to remote learning only on Nov. 18. At Visitation Catholic School in Kewanee, for example, principal Wayne Brau and the teachers took turns reading books to the students, with videos posted to the school's Facebook page. Here, Mr. Brau shares his favorite book, "The Story of Ferdinand." Teachers may be reading stories directly to the students again as permission has been given to start in-person instruction on Jan. 5.

As “elves” Philip Lee and Ben Wilson look on, Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, reads “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” which is better known as “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” by Clement Clarke Moore. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)

Nurse Savanah Crull receives the Pfizer COVID -19 vaccine from Clinical Practice Coordinator Hannah Harrison at OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington on Dec. 18. (OSF HealthCare photo)

Deacon Joe Knapp, pastoral care manager at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, blesses a new OSF facility in this Catholic Post file photo. While there are heartbreaking things within hospital walls -- especially in this time of pandemic -- "our fellow mission partners spread a lot of light because they live the mission,” says Deacon Knapp.