In a letter noting how Catholic schools in Illinois have been impacted after closing March 14 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the school superintendents of the six Catholic dioceses in the state have asked that Gov. JB Pritzker remember nonpublic schools when emergency funding is being distributed. Dated April 2 and sent electronically by […]
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The priests of the Diocese of Peoria renew the promises they made at ordination during the 2019 Chrism Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria. The diocese's priests are offering words of hope and encouragement to their flocks as we approach Easter. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
While it’s true that the Body of Christ will not be able to come together to celebrate Easter, the members of that body are still united. That’s a cause for joy, according to priests around the Diocese of Peoria, who encouraged people to have hope as they ride out the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’ve got to […]
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Ten priests of the Diocese of Peoria are among 40 priests and bishops as well as laypeople from several states taking part in a “Virtual 40 Hours” devotion being live streamed on Facebook to unite Catholics in prayer as the coronavirus pandemic spreads and Holy Week approaches. “In the middle of this pandemic, I think […]
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Deacon Charles L. "Charlie" Robbins
WASHINGTON — Deacon Charles L. Robbins, a permanent deacon who served St. Monica Parish in East Peoria since his ordination in 2002, died at home on Friday, March 27, 2020. He was 72. Services will be private, with burial at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Morton. A public memorial Mass will take place at a later […]
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With canceled Masses and limited offertories amid the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. church leaders are predicting an income squeeze that will affect parishes, dioceses and national collections. The Diocese of Peoria has established an online giving opportunity called "Support Your Parish" and postponed the launch of the Annual Diocesan Appeal. (CNS illustration/Emily Thompson)
One by-product of suspended Masses is no offertory collection. To assist parishes with needed income during this historic period, the Diocese of Peoria has established an online giving opportunity called “Support Your Parish.” Designed especially for parishes that do not currently offer online giving, the new effort enables donors to select their parish name from […]
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ROCK ISLAND — Alleman High School’s annual major fundraiser, the Father Mirabelli Heritage Ball, was supposed to be coming home to the school campus this Saturday, March 28. Instead, the celebration is going far beyond the school’s walls and into hundreds of homes as the first online-only “virtual Heritage Ball.” And everyone is invited. “Our […]
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Ryan Mann
OTTAWA — Ryan Mann pretty much had the rest of his junior year at Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona, Minnesota, planned. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic that sent him back to central Illinois. While it may have changed his location, it did not change what was important: his intention to continue praying and […]
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Seminarians of the Diocese of Peoria are pictured with Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C., Father Patrick Henehan, vocation director of formation, and Father Timothy Hepner, vocation director of recruitment, in this photo taken last August at St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria. (Provided photo/Nellie Gould)
When colleges and universities across the country suspended in-person classes for the rest of the semester to prevent transmission of COVID-19, the seminarians studying for the priesthood for the Diocese of Peoria were sent home, too. That doesn’t mean their discernment has been suspended, according to Father Patrick Henehan, diocesan vocation director of formation. In […]
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Msgr. John Prendergast is pictured in a 2015 file photo. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)
Msgr. John Prendergast, a senior priest of the Diocese of Peoria and a highly decorated former U.S. Army chaplain, died at Christian Buehler Home in Peoria on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. He was 74. Burial took place at St. Mary Cemetery in Msgr. Prendergast’s hometown of Streator — a community he served for nearly a […]
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Since the students at Peoria Notre Dame High School couldn't come into the school for confession, Father Corey Krengiel, chaplain, brought the sacrament to them on March 19, using the baseball dugout as his confessional. Here he offers absolution to a student behind a blanket screen who braved the rain to come. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems
For three hours on Thursday afternoon, the baseball dugout at Peoria Notre Dame High School became a confessional for students, parents and friends of the community who said the sacrament of reconciliation was a welcome relief during a very strange time. “For a lot of our students, the school is kind of their touchstone with […]
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