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Galesburg, Champaign, Bloomington are stops Sept. 16-19 on tour of Fatima statue

Patrick Sabat, the principal custodian of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima, has been traveling with the statue since 2003.

The International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima, on a two-year “Centennial U.S. Tour for Peace” to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Mary in the Portugal village, will be hosted in Galesburg, Champaign and Bloomington from Sept. 16-19. The statue was sculpted in 1947 by Jose Thedim on instructions from Sister Lucia, who […]

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Shoe drives seek donations at OSF Bloomington sites, Peoria-area parishes

Catholic parishes and institutions are drop-off sites in major drives for new or gently used shoes now taking place in the Bloomington and Peoria regions. Here are the details. SEEK 30,000 PAIRS OF SHOES IN AUGUST; 10 PEORIA-AREA PARISHES AMONG DROP-OFF SITES MORTON — Are there 30,000 pairs of shoes in closets around central Illinois […]

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Bloomington’s Tina Sipula provides testimony for Dorothy Day’s cause

In this provided photo from 1978, Tina Sipula sits with Catholic Worker founder Dorothy Day, who urged her to keep the "house of hospitality" she was planning in Bloomington small and personable, and to see the face of Christ in every person.

  By the time Tina Sipula met Dorothy Day in New York, the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement was 80 and had largely withdrawn from public life. The older woman seemed to recognize a kindred spirit in her young visitor from Bloomington, however, and their week of encounters changed Sipula’s life forever. On June […]

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Loving farewell as Franciscan Friars end 135-year presence at St. Mary, Bloomington

The friars join the parish choirs and all present in singing "You Shall Not Tire" at the close of the Franciscan Farewell celebration at St. Mary Parish in Bloomington. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)

BLOOMINGTON — Tears, laughter, and professions of love and gratitude filled St. Mary Church here May 29 as parishioners and friends from around the diocese bid farewell to the Franciscan Friars. As with any good celebration there was also music and even some dancing in the aisle as Father Neri Greskoviak, OFM, prompted by the […]

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‘Pint size heroes’ make St. Mary School blood drive the tops in McLean County

As Kelly Gentsch, a fifth grade teacher at St. Mary School in Bloomington, prepares to give blood during a drive the school hosted on April 29, she answers questions from her children Maddie and Cole. The technician is Rayscha Hardwick. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)

BLOOMINGTON — In just eight years, a blood drive hosted by St. Mary School has become the largest annual one-day donation event in McLean County. “I can’t believe what it’s become,” said Susan Bassi, a physical education and health teacher, as she stood in the school gym where the American Red Cross had set up […]

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Father Ric says love fuels the ‘action on Jackson’ at St. Mary, Bloomington

Father Ric Schneider, OFM, speaks with Rosalie Phalen after the 9 a.m. Mass on Jan. 24. "We hate to see them go," she said of the Franciscan friars, who have staffed the parish for 135 years. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)

BLOOMINGTON — Soon it will be priests of the Diocese of Peoria who will be responsible for the “action on Jackson,” which is how members refer to St. Mary Parish, based at 527 W. Jackson St. That action — from the bustle of the school, to the spirited Hispanic presence, to the outreach to the […]

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‘Painful decision’: Franciscans will leave St. Mary, Bloomington after 135 years

Father Ric Schneider, OFM, who has served as pastor of St. Mary Parish in Bloomington for 23 years, receives a hug from a parishioner following the 9 a.m. Mass on Jan. 24. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)

BLOOMINGTON — After 135 years of pastoral leadership at St. Mary Parish in Bloomington, the Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province will return care of the faith community to the Diocese of Peoria in June. The announcement was made “with a very heavy heart” at all parish Masses the weekend of Jan. 23-24 […]

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