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March for Life high school pilgrims from diocese tell of ‘life changing’ experience

By: Tom Dermody - January 30, 2020 - Featured Article Central Catholic, high school, March for Life, Marquette Academy, Peoria Notre Dame, Pro-life, Schlarman Academy, The High School of Saint Thomas More

The center spread of the Feb. 2 issue of The Catholic Post included photos and brief comments from diocesan Catholic high school pilgrims to the Jan. 24 March for Life in Washington, D.C. Some of the young pro-life pilgrims share their experience in greater detail below.

By plane, metro trains, buses, and some very crowded automobiles, hundreds of pilgrims from the Diocese of Peoria traveled to Washington, D.C., to take part in the Jan. 24 March for Life and related events. Among them were contingents from five Catholic high schools in the diocese — Peoria Notre Dame, Central Catholic in Bloomington, […]

Schools’ office names distinguished principal, pastor, and teacher of year

By: The Catholic Post - December 5, 2019 - Featured Article Bloomington, Central Catholic, Distinguished, James Taber, Msgr. Mark Merdian, Noreen Dillon, Pastor, Peoria d D, principal, Rock Island, St. Mark, St. Pius X, Teacher

Dr. Noreen Dillon is congratulated by students at St. Mark School in Peoria on Principal Appreciation Day after learning that she had been named Distinguished Principal of the Year by the diocesan Office of Catholic Schools. Also recognized were Msgr. Mark Merdian, pastor of St. Pius X School in Rock Island, as Distinguished Pastor of the Year, and James Taber, longtime science teacher at Central Catholic High School in Bloomington, as Distinguished Teacher of the Year.

In the season of thanksgiving, the Office of Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Peoria is recognizing three people who have given many years of service to Catholic schools. They are Msgr. Mark Merdian, pastor of St. Pius X School in Rock Island, Distinguished Pastor of the Year; Dr. Noreen Dillon of St. Mark School […]

Bloomington group home from Panama and sharing World Youth Day experience

By: Tom Dermody - January 31, 2019 - Featured Article Bloomington, Central Catholic, Lauren Booth, World Youth Day

World Youth Day pilgrims from the Bloomington group (in yellow shirts) are pictured Jan. 26 at the Saturday night vigil at St. John Paul II Field near Panama City, Panama. Pope Francis led adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the evening and, after hundreds of thousands camped overnight, returned to celebrate the gathering's closing Mass. (Provided photo)

BLOOMINGTON — Over the weekend they were praising Jesus with 700,000 new friends and Pope Francis on a sweltering field in Panama. On Tuesday the seven students and two teachers were back at Central Catholic High School here bracing for record cold, but warmed by the memories of their experiences at World Youth Day. And […]

Area students at national March for Life know they’re on ‘right part of history’

By: Tom Dermody - January 31, 2019 - Featured Article Central Catholic, D.C., March for Life, Marquette Academy, Peoria Notre Dame, Saint Thomas More, Schlarman Academy, Washington

The 46 students and chaperones from Central Catholic High School in Bloomington pose for a group photo outside the U.S. Capitol on the day they took part in the national March for Life in Washington, D.C. (Provided photo)

Whether it was their first time among the more than 100,000 at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., or their 16th, the immense annual peaceful demonstration against legal abortion left a lasting impression on the hundreds of high school participants and co-travelers from the Diocese of Peoria. “I really wanted to see the scale […]

Despite snow, diocese’s enthusiastic presence seen at March for Life Chicago

By: Jennifer Willems - January 18, 2019 - Featured Article Central Catholic, March for Life Chicago, Pro-life, St. Bede

Jacob Hopper, Kevin Ellis, Sam Menacher and Chase Stevens of the St. John Paul II Catholic Newman Center in Normal carry the banner for the Diocese of Peoria during March for Life Chicago on Jan. 13. It says, “Life Plays in Peoria.” (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)

CHICAGO — Respect life advocates of all ages proved that it takes more than a snow storm to keep them from standing up for the unborn when they gathered for March for Life Chicago last Sunday. The enthusiastic rally in Federal Plaza and walk through downtown Chicago proceeded, despite the storm on Jan. 12 that […]

Class of 2018 top high school graduates share their memories, plans, gratitude

By: The Catholic Post - June 6, 2018 - Featured Article Alleman, Central Catholic, Class of 2018, Marquette Academy, Peoria Notre Dame, Saint Thomas More, Salutatorian, Schlarman Academy, St. Bede Academy, Valedictorian

EDITOR’S NOTE: Following are photos and brief biographies of the valedictorians and salutatorians at the seven Catholic high schools and academies in the Diocese of Peoria. We congratulate them and all graduates. The top students were invited to answer two questions: 1) “How would you describe the advantages of attending a Catholic high school?” and […]

Nearly 250 high school students from diocese among March for Life throng

By: Tom Dermody - February 2, 2018 - Featured Article Central Catholic, March for Life, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pro-life, Schlarman, The High School of Saint Thomas More

The High School of Saint Thomas More in Champaign sent 28 students to Washington, D.C. Here they hold a Sabers for Life banner on the steps of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. (Provided photo)

Whether they got there by bus or by air, the nearly 250 high school students from the Diocese of Peoria were in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 19 to walk. And pray. “I wanted to go on the March for Life in order to stand up for the dignity of each and every human life, both […]

Joy in Bloomington as Central Catholic is named a National Blue Ribbon School

By: Jennifer Willems - September 28, 2017 - Featured Article Bloomington, Central Catholic, National Blue Ribbon, Sean Foster

Central Catholic High School in Bloomington is the fifth school in the Diocese of Peoria to be named a National Blue Ribbon School in the last seven years, and the only Catholic high school in the state to receive the distinction this year. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)

BLOOMINGTON — Central Catholic High School has been named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. The announcement was made on Sept. 28 by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. One of 50 private schools nominated for the distinction by the Council for American Private Education, Central Catholic was the only Catholic […]

Central Catholic’s Joey Malinowski honored for embodying ‘Spirit of Sport’

By: Tom Dermody - March 9, 2017 - Featured Article Central Catholic, childhood cancer, Joey Malinowski, Kick It, Spirit of Sport

Joey Malinowski, a junior at Central Catholic High School, accepts his nomination as the Illinois High School Association's National Spirit of Sport nominee from Craig Anderson, executive director, during a recognition ceremony at halftime of the Class 2A girls state basketball title game Feb. 25 at Redbird Arena in Normal. The arena crowd included a throng of Central Catholic fans cheering the Saints' girls basketball team -- including Joey's sister Maddie -- in the championship game. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)

BLOOMINGTON — Central Catholic High School’s Joey Malinowski makes a lot of tackles on the football field, but his biggest target knows no season. Joey is doing his part to bring down childhood cancer. For his creativity, drive, and compassion in becoming a leader in the “Kick-It” fundraising campaign for childhood cancer research, the Central […]