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By: The Catholic Post - June 8, 2018 -
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The New York court has granted Joan Sheen Cunningham the right to remove the remains of her uncle, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (pictured), from St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City for transfer to St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria.
The Diocese of Peoria has reacted with “great joy” to a decision by a New York court in favor of Joan Sheen Cunningham’s petition to move the remains of her uncle, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, from New York City to Peoria. “It is the hope that this process will begin immediately,” said a diocesan press […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - May 29, 2018 -
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GALESBURG — Born in Bukoba, Tanzania, in East Africa, Father Deus-Dedit B. Byabato was accepted into the minor seminary in 1979. He said 200 had applied, but only 50 were selected, and of those 50, he was one of five seminarians who went on to ordination. He was drawn to the priesthood by the happiness […]
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By: The Catholic Post - May 29, 2018 -
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Born in Racine, Wisconsin, Father Jeffery Small attended St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee from 1986 to 1989. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy with a minor in theology from Marquette University in 1989, and completed studies for the priesthood at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Father Small has served as parochial vicar […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - May 29, 2018 -
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HOOPESTON — After attending vows ceremonies and ordinations for three older brothers, Father Thomas Gibson had no intention of becoming a priest. That changed “Suddenly” as he was preparing for his senior year at the University of Notre Dame. “I worked as a stockbroker during the summers. The summer before senior year I actually landed […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - May 29, 2018 -
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PENFIELD — While he admired faithful priests and prayed the rosary daily, Father Michael Menner didn’t plan to be a priest. “I tell people that I always wanted to marry a good girl and did not think much beyond that path of adventure,” he said. “I was in the business world for seven years and […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - May 29, 2018 -
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ROCK ISLAND — Msgr. Mark Merdian said it was “an interior call whereby I heard God calling me to explore service to Him as a priest” that brought him to priestly ministry. “When I was younger, I had dreams of being a priest,” he told The Catholic Post. “I had a quiet love for the […]
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By: Jennifer Willems - May 29, 2018 -
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WASHINGTON — When Father Stephen Willard was a second-grader at St. Thomas the Apostle School in Peoria Heights, Sister Mary Elizabeth O’Hara told him that one day he would be a priest. His response was succinct: “No way!” “As the years progressed, Sister would talk to me about the priesthood and remind me of my […]
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By: The Catholic Post - May 23, 2018 -
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Following is the official list of clergy appointments announced in May 2018 by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, Bishop of Peoria. TO SENIOR STATUS Father Carl LoPresti, from pastor, St. Joseph Parish, Chenoa; St. Joseph Parish, Colfax; and St. Mary Parish, Lexington, to senior status Msgr. Ernest E. Pizzamiglio, from pastor, Immaculate Heart of Mary […]
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By: Tom Dermody - May 10, 2018 -
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SPRING VALLEY — Father Robert D. Spilman, 71, who has served in Spring Valley since 2004 and who guided the local Catholic community through the creation of a new parish dedicated to the Nativity of Our Lord five years ago, will transition to senior status on June 13. Father Spilman, whose 22 years of priestly […]
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By: Tom Dermody - May 10, 2018 -
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Galesburg, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Msgr. Ernest Pizzamiglio, senior status
GALESBURG — As Msgr. Ernie Pizzamiglio prepares to move to senior status at age 84 and after 52 years of priestly service, he repeatedly sums up his feelings with one word: Gratitude. That’s not surprising for someone who begins each day with the prayer: “Thank you, God, for this new day. May I glorify you […]
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