Msgr. William Watson
ODELL — A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Paul Church here at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 3, for Msgr. William Watson, a senior priest of the Diocese of Peoria who served as pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Peoria Heights for 34 years. Msgr. Watson died on Tuesday, April 27, […]
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Pope Francis signs a book with a message for Syriac Catholics at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance in Baghdad March 5. Also pictured, from left: Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan, Syriac Catholic Archbishop Ephrem Yousif Mansoor Abba of Baghdad and Chaldean Patriarch Louis Sako of Baghdad. (CNS/Vatican Media via Reuters)
BAGHDAD (CNS) — Visiting a Baghdad cathedral “hallowed by the blood of our brothers and sisters” murdered in a terrorist attack that shook the world, Pope Francis said their sacrifice must motivate faith and a commitment to working for the common good. The Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance, sometimes referred to as […]
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Women stand near a poster of Pope Francis in Baghdad on March 3. Pope Francis plans to visit Iraq March 5-8. (CNS photo/Khalid al-Mousily, Reuters)
By Cindy Wooden / Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — On the same day that 10 rockets hit an air base in Iraq, Pope Francis said he had to travel to the country because he could not disappoint them. “The Iraqi people are waiting for us; they awaited St. John Paul II, who was […]
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OTTAWA — Clara O’Neal never intended to write a book. But words came to her one day, so she wrote them down. “The words just came from my heart — they came from God ultimately,” said the Power Preschool teacher at Marquette Academy. “It was something he wanted me to do and I never set […]
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GERMANTOWN HILLS — Joyce Heiple knows well enough by now that if God wants something, she’ll get the message if she’s willing to listen. That’s what she hopes her new book, “Grace Through the Seasons,” will help others do, too. She’s so attentive to God’s grace because “it’s what’s made me who I am,” she […]
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A friend refers to Steve Mamanella as the “Catholic Forrest Gump” because of his involvement in several major church events, including the visits of two future saints — Mother Teresa to Peoria in 1995 and Pope John Paul II to St. Louis in 1999. But if life is like a box of chocolates, as Gump’s […]
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Father Johndamaseni Zilimu, pastor of Saint John Paul II Parish and Visitation Catholic School in Kewanee, stands by a depiction of Jesus outside a classroom at the school. He has been named Distinguished School Pastor of the Year for his work in bringing the children at Visitation closer to Jesus. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
KEWANEE — A longtime passion for mathematics has taught Father Johndamaseni Zilimu many things, including the winning equation for life. The only way things add up for him is to put his vocation to the priesthood and ministry to the people of God first and everything else second. He uses the same formula for guiding […]
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Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen is pictured in an undated file photo. (CNS)
A three-block section of N.E. Madison Avenue in Peoria from the Spalding Pastoral Center to St. Mary’s Cathedral will soon bear the honorary title of “Bishop Fulton Sheen Dr.” The public is invited to a brief ceremony in front of the cathedral, 607 N.E. Madison, at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 4, during which the […]
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During at-home learning, Kathy Mazander of St. Mary's School in Kickapoo found a way to keep her students excited by wearing different hats and accessories. (Provided photo)
KICKAPOO — Rolling with day-to-day change is something Kathy Mazander is used to. As the teacher of a combined first and second grade classroom at St. Mary School here, keeping lots of little minds engaged at different levels requires fast thinking and an element of fun. At-home learning over the last year has added a […]
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Taking temperatures and screening students for good health are now all in a day's work for Jane Barrett, principal of Seton Catholic School in Moline, as she greets the children each day. (Provided photo)
MOLINE — Jane Barrett always wanted to be a teacher. She remembers playing school with the neighborhood kids in the basement of her childhood home and even then her mother would say, “I swear you got that kid through first grade!” “I always loved kids,” she said. “It’s just something that I was very blessed […]
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