At a Mass celebrated at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria on July 31, six men were accepted as seminarians for the Diocese of Peoria. Coadjutor Bishop Louis Tylka presided at the Rite of Reception, which came at the end of the annual St. Joseph Days retreat. The new seminarians pictured above and where they will […]

As the debate continues about the safety of in-person instruction during a pandemic, St. Jude School in Peoria has made available to families diocese-wide a video with the “clear, simple voices” of three physicians who provide details about the coronavirus, what it looks like in children, and why this is the time for them to […]

“Flexibility” remains the key word as Catholic schools around the Diocese of Peoria have started to reopen for the 2020-2021 academic year. Joining them are Catholic school students from around the state, with all six dioceses making in-class instruction, as well as remote learning, available. Coming in as a close second to “flexibility” is the […]

Blessing and dedication ceremonies took place Aug. 11 at the new OSF HealthCare Center for Health – Knoxville Ave. in Peoria, which is expected to welcome its first patients later this month. In late 2018, OSF HealthCare purchased the former Cub Foods building at 1800 N. Knoxville Ave., which had been vacant for nine years. […]

Coadjutor Bishop Louis Tylka started to get acquainted with his new diocese last weekend by celebrating Masses at St. Patrick Church of Merna in Bloomington on Aug. 1, and at St. Mary Church in Pontiac on Aug. 2. He drew a joyful response by calling them the first stops on his “Welcome Tour.” “I think […]

Reviewed by Matthew Vander Vennet When my Grandpa Vander Vennet uttered his final breath, it was the first time I had been present as a soul was leaving its body. It was the final note in the song of a life well lived. We had known the end was approaching and had made sure that […]

KEWANEE — As a young boy growing up in Tanzania, Father Johndamaseni Zilimu enjoyed going to church with his mother and 11 siblings. As he watched the priest celebrate Mass, he knew that’s what he wanted to do, too. Now the pastor of Saint John Paul II Parish and providing spiritual care at OSF Saint […]

By Tim Irwin 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Aug. 2 Isaiah 55:1-3; Psalm 145:8-9,15-16,17-18; Romans 8:35,37-39; Matthew 14:13-21 All creatures great and small eat in order to live. Long before we learn how to speak, read, write, or even use the porcelain facilities, we learn how to feed ourselves. No surprise, then, that dining serves as a […]

The Holy Spirit always finds a way. When COVID-19 restrictions made it impossible to hold the 34th annual Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference in person as scheduled July 25, organizers moved it online, with videos posted to YouTube. There viewers could find presentations by keynote speakers Caroline Gambale-Dirkes of 2TIM4 Ministries in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a three-part series on how the 42 schools of the Diocese of Peoria are planning to reopen for the new academic year. Noting that children learn best through face-to-face instruction, Dr. Sharon Weiss said Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, and Coadjutor Bishop Louis Tylka have given permission for […]