In addition to Distinguished Principal Maureen Bentley, two other “distinguished” members of Catholic school communities in central Illinois are being honored by the Diocese of Peoria’s Office of Catholic Schools this year. They are: Distinguished Pastor: Msgr. Thomas Mack of Immaculate Conception School, Monmouth. He has been pastor at the Monmouth parish, as well as […]
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Sharon Priester
By Sharon Priester First Sunday of Advent/Dec. 3 Isaiah 63:16b-17,19b; 64:2-7; Psalm 80:2-3,15-16,18-19; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37 During this Advent season, we are preparing for the celebration of the birth of Christ, renewing our desire for “His second coming.” Each of the readings this Sunday, and those for the next three weeks, helps us focus […]
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Amy Snell, a member of Immaculate Conception Parish in Monmouth, contemplates the relic of St. John Paul II as it rests in the St. Robert Bellarmine Chapel at the St. John Paul II Catholic Newman Center in Normal Aug. 18. The traveling relic has been entrusted to the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who minister at the Newman Center. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)
BLOOMINGTON — As he did in life, St. John Paul II continued to inspire people to pray and draw closer to Jesus when a first class relic, a vial of his blood encased in a Book of the Gospels, was brought to the Bloomington-Normal area on Aug. 18. At the Newman Center that bears his […]
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Karley Bates
Karley Bates, a native of Galesburg and now a member of St. Jude Parish in Peoria, has joined the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Faith Formation as programs coordinator. “We’re excited to have Karley on board,” said Shirley Plaag, director. “She’s extremely enthusiastic about working here.” Bates, a product of Costa Catholic Academy in Galesburg […]
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Cecilia Soñé
The answer to what St. John Paul II and others have called the “culture of death” can be found in the Diocese of Peoria, according to the new Director of Respect Life. “We have a response here and we have the providers — health care, psychological, and spiritual,” said Cecilia Soñé. “It’s just a matter […]
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Sister Isabel Romero, SCTJM
Asked what non-Spanish speaking Catholics of the Diocese of Peoria should know about the region’s growing Hispanic population, Sister Isabel Romero, SCJTM, had a ready reply: “We are more than what you think we are,” said the diocese’s new Director of Hispanic Ministry, pointing to a recent census that puts the figure at 50,000 — […]
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Shirley Plaag
In today’s fast-paced, changing culture, the best method of leading souls to heaven remains the one demonstrated by Jesus 2,000 years ago. “The beauty of it is we don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” said Shirley Plaag, the Diocese of Peoria’s new Director of Evangelization and Faith Formation. Jesus made disciples, said Plaag, by proclaiming […]
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Joey King and Mitchell Slaggert star in a scene from the movie "Wish Upon." The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. (CNS/Broad Green Pictures)
By Catholic News Service Low-budget Faustian fable has a teen girl (Joey King) coming into ownership of a Chinese “wish box” that can grant her seven wishes, enabling all her dreams of wealth and popularity to come true — but at the price of grisly deaths for all the friends and relatives she holds dear. […]
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(CNS file/Gregory A. Shemitz)
(John 10:16) I have other sheep that are not of this fold. These also I must lead. They will hear my voice. There will be. . . One Flock, One Shepherd. Leader: Let us pray for the return of friends, family, and others who have fallen away from our Catholic faith. Litany of the […]
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The Diocese of Peoria continues to gather feedback about a potential capital campaign, but those wishing to review the plans being considered and make their voices heard via an online survey are asked to do so by a deadline of Wednesday, July 19. “I think people will find this task a valuable use of their […]
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