Local Catholic churches begin the mourning of Pope Francis' death
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The Catholic Diocese of Peoria, along with Catholics the world over, began a nine-day period of mourning following Pope Francis's death.
A Mass was held at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Downtown Peoria to honor Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday. He was 88
It was a somber feeling throughout the church as a prayer was read in honor of the former pontiff, who headed the Church for 12 years.
In announcing his death, the Holy See said Francis taught the world about to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love.
Locally, Bishop Louis Tylka said Francis was a moral compass for everyone in the Catholic community.
'His call for all of us to open our minds, our hearts to everyone. Allow us to be able to connect, to care for God's creation, to see human dignity, to work for peace in our world. He was just a moral voice, a leader for the world. And I think the whole world mourns his loss today,' he said.
Francis' death came less than 24 hours after he appeared in Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City on Easter Sunday.
The pontiff had ties to Central Illinois in that he approved a miracle that was to lead to the beatification of Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen. That would been the second step in the process to declare Sheehan a Saint.
The approval came in 2019 and the beatification was to be later that year but was postponed by the Vatican. It was not immediately clear when it might happen.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Beth Crider retires, leaving a 30-year legacy in Peoria education
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — She's off to retirement after giving a 30+ year career to education in Peoria County. Beth Crider began her teaching journey at Valeska Hinton Early Childhood Center and grew over 17 years there. She moved into leadership roles and then into administration. 'Peoria County is really like a microcosm of the state of Illinois,' said Former Regional Superintendent Beth Crider. 'You have your large city centered district. Peoria Public Schools with all of the challenges that they face. Then you have a more suburban district with Dunlap, who's only grown in size since I took over in this office. And then you have smaller districts, lots of districts and rural areas, and they have different needs. So you're trying to serve all of that with limited time, talent and treasure. You do the best you can.' Crider landed her role as the regional superintendent in 2014. She's been leading the way forward since then through technology changes, safety, and teacher retention shortages. 'When I started, email wasn't a thing,' said Crider. 'So, the transition of technology over the course of my career, I just don't think there's been any time in the history of this country that it has been so dramatic and so quick. But school safety, I would argue that Sandy Hook has been the defining moment of my entire regional superintendency, because at that moment, being a kindergarten first grade teacher myself, it hit me in a way that I just have never recovered from. And I have spent every moment trying to make sure our students are safe and to get across that finish line May 30th without a significant event will mean a lot to me. Our office is focused on that.' Upon her retirement, Crider said one thing always remained a constant priority. 'It's celebrating our students through the arts, celebrating our students academic accomplishments, celebrating them seeing out in the wild,' said Crider. 'So, I'll go to a restaurant and they'll say, Mrs. Crider, and it's so great to see them being successful and the jobs that they have. I have former students that are engineers, fellow teachers, you name it, they're out there and they're taking the world by storm. It's so exciting to see.' Dr. George McKenna is taking over for Crider after being her assistant for a decade. She said he's fit for the job and he'll stay on the right path forward for the county. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Long and difficult process,' Pastor speaks on restoration efforts after fire at Catholic church
Restoration efforts are underway after a historic Catholic church caught fire last month. >>PHOTOS: Smoke, flames pour from large fire at local Catholic church As News Center 7 previously reported, a fire broke out at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Maria Stein on May 29. Father Ken Schnipke addressed the future of the church in his homily to parishioners. TRENDING STORIES: 'One more is too many;' Family remembers woman killed in motorcycle crash Local high school secures 1st state softball title, finishes with perfect record Man dead after shooting at billiards hall in Ohio 'While the damage is severe, the restoration specialists were also hopeful that more could be salvaged than what appears,' Schnipke said. 'They are also hopeful that, with the way the church roof collapsed inside and the spire tilted south, the integrity of the walls may not have been compromised.' [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Schnipke added it will be a 'long and difficult process.' While the church is being restored, Schnipke said masses will likely be held at Precious Blood. He voiced his appreciation for those around the country who have supported the church. 'In a way, we are reaching out to the ends of the earth as the ends of the earth reach out to help us. And as Archbishop Casey said, that makes us church,' he said. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Reader wonders where Rochester's traditional baccalaureate went
Jun. 9—Dear Answer Man. Do the Rochesters schools still do baccalaureate? If not, when did the practice end and why? Growing up in Rochester, it was a tradition back in my day. The religious service was paired with graduation — I'm a 1977 Mayo High School grad — that took place mid-week prior to graduation ceremonies. The baccalaureate program back then was held at Mayo Civic Auditorium and all three high schools attended (Mayo, John Marshall and Lourdes — this was pre-Century, I think) took part. The students wore their graduation caps and gowns and even the high school bands played for the ceremony. — We All Need Prayer. Dear Prayer, First, the big joint baccalaureate service is a thing of the past. Not that no one does it. I reached out to both Rochester Public School and Rochester Catholic Schools on this one. Let's start with Lourdes High School Principal Mary Spring. Spring said, yes, Lourdes still holds a baccalaureate service each year, COVID notwithstanding. The Catholic high school makes a point to send its graduates away with a little help from the Lord. As for when Lourdes stopped pairing its service with the public high schools, Spring did not know for certain. However, Rochester School Board Vice Chair Julie Workman previously worked in the district as a teacher when these services were still offered. Here's what Workman recalls: * The baccalaureate included students from Lourdes, JM, Mayo and — once it was built — Century high schools, and was held in late May each year. Since Workman started teaching at JM in 1982, the joint — or all-city — ceremonies extended into the 1980s. * For JM and Mayo choirs and orchestras, the performance and attendance were part of their final grade. The musicians and singers rehearsed on the day of the baccalaureate, which meant those students missed a half day of school. * Rochester's faith community determined who the adult religious speaker would be for the service. Though, in the 1970s and early 1980s, it was strictly a Christian church service and the hymns and message reflected that. As Rochester became more diverse religiously — or just less religious in general — changes started to come. But other roadblocks popped up as well. For example, as the baccalaureate grew each year, there wasn't enough room for the 200-plus orchestra students. Rehearsals for students from different schools were hard since they all had to learn to perform together in one afternoon. All this happened at the end of May, a hectic time for students and staff. Later, a survey of music students showed many were either indifferent or opposed to participation. Some objected for religious reasons, though if they did, they were excused with a note from a parent, Workman said. Then, there was the fact public school funds were being used to support a religious service — bus transportation, purchase of music books. Though teachers were not compensated for the extra duty assignment. Workman said, as a teacher she stopped participating in 2002, and she believes the whole thing ended after 2004. The district finally agreed that music students couldn't be coerced into attending, with many only doing so because it was part of their grade. Workman said after the district bowed out, SEMYO and the Honors Choir (not district-affiliated) provided the music for a year or two, and the Area Council of Churches organized it. However, it was still difficult to get enough students from SEMYO and the Honors Choir to participate since a large number of them were RPS students. Eventually, Workman said, the people who tried to run it gave up, and it just faded away as part of RPS's graduation festivities, though, as noted above, RCS still holds a baccalaureate each year. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to play some Beetles songs to get "Pomp and Circumstance" to stop playing in my head. Send questions to Answer Man at answerman@ .
