Archives

May 8 is the 125th anniversary of the birth of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. The stained glass image of Mary is from near his tomb at St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria, while the photo of Archbishop Sheen is courtesy of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith / Missio.org.

People hold out their cellphone flashlights during a prayer service for Alleman High School seniors Roberto Torres and Alicia Casas the evening of May 2 in the Rock Island school’s parking lot. Torres and Casas were injured in a car crash the previous day in Moline. More than 150 cars reportedly were present for the service. (Photo © Meg Mclaughlin/Dispatch Argus via ZUMA Wire)

Ben Carroll of Kickapoo received a surprise visit from Sister Lucia Sol, SCTJM, and Sister Sara Kowal, SCTJM, principal at Peoria Notre Dame High School, on May 2. They dropped off a yard sign, letter and "air hugs" for him and his parents, Joan and Tom Carroll. Ben was one of 200 seniors honored this way by faculty and staff who were eager to make the visits, Sister Sara said. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)

A rainbow arches over St. Patrick Church of Merna in Bloomington in this photo taken April 23 by Father Dustin Schultz, pastor. The photo has been widely shared on social media with the rainbow being viewed as a symbol of hope by Catholics longing to return to their churches for Mass and all praying for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Provided photo/Father Dustin Schultz)

Msgr. Thomas Mack, pastor, and Father Daniel McShane, parochial vicar, wave as more than 100 cars filled with parishioners pass by the rectory at Immaculate Conception in Monmouth on April 18. Similar vehicle parades elsewhere in the Diocese of Peoria have been one way that parishioners are expressing love and gratitude for the priests during this historic time of separation because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Provided photo)

Josie Carmien, a senior at The High School of Saint Thomas More in Champaign, picked up her cap and gown by driving through the back parking lot at the school on April 20, but doesn't know if or when she'll get to wear it for a graduation walk. She and her classmates will have "a very unique story to tell for the rest of our lives," Josie told The Catholic Post. (Provided photo)

Flowers surround the altar as Father Bowan Schmitt, pastor of St. Paul Parish in Danville, celebrates a recently livestreamed Mass.

Pope Francis walks near an image of Jesus of Divine Mercy after celebrating a Mass marking the feast of Divine Mercy in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 8, 2018. Masses for Divine Mercy Sunday, celebrated on the Sunday after Easter, are expected to be livestreamed in Catholic churches throughout the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic. CNS photo/Paul Haring

Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, blesses the Diocese of Peoria from aboard an OSF Life Flight helicopter on Good Friday, April 10. As the coronavirus pandemic continues, the bishop offered prayers in the air for its victims, their loved ones, and all those providing care. From above downtown Peoria, he offered a blessing in all four directions. (Photo by Msgr. Philip Halfacre)