Pastor’s Letter: February 23, 2025

Pastor’s Letter: February 23, 2025

21 Feb 2025 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear St. Philomena Parish Family,

Blessings to you all—I hope that everyone is safe and healthy in the midst of another tough winter week. As I mentioned in last week’s column, I think sometimes those special celebrations during these winter months really do help carry us through. Our Diocese of Peoria had another one of those highlights this past week—the Opening Mass for our 150th Anniversary celebration.

Last Wednesday, Bishop Lou opened this historic celebration at a special Mass at the Cathedral. Of course, if you recall, Wednesday was one of the worst weather days we have had, with snow and ice over large portions of our Diocese. Although many were not able to join because of the weather, those of us who were there enjoyed a beautiful Mass and bountiful reception afterwards. Fr. Daniel and I were asked to help distribute Communion, so we were treated to a front row seat!

I thought I would share the summary that was included in the program for the Mass, which includes some interesting notes of our early history!

 “On February 12, 1875, Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Peoria. Carving out territory from the Diocese of Chicago, the new diocese was formed to meet the pastoral needs of the people living in north central Illinois. At the same time, the Holy Father appointed Father Michael J. Hurley as bishop of the new diocese. However, Father Hurley was not interested in serving as a bishop, so he attempted to return his letter of appointment to Rome. As circumstances would have it, the ship which carried the news of Father Hurley’s refusal sank and the Holy See was left in the dark. A new diocese with no bishop! By the following year, Rome became aware of the need for a bishop to lead the Diocese of Peoria, so Pope Pius IX appointed Fr. John Lancaster Spalding as bishop on November 11, 1876. Bishop Spalding arrived in Peoria in May 1877 and set to work on forming the beloved Diocese of which we are a part.

Now, 150 years later, we begin our celebrations of this Sesquicentennial Anniversary. For the next two years—marking the date of the founding of the diocese until the arrival of its first bishop—we invite everyone to honor our past, be renewed in the present, and dream of our future.

A variety of ways to mark this anniversary have already been planned and there are more to come. Please check out our website, www.cdop150.org, for a complete list of opportunities to participate in the 150th Anniversary.

The Catholic Church in the Diocese of Peoria is a vibrant community of faith committed to witnessing to the Gospel of Jesus. Meeting today’s challenges and being guided by the Holy Spirit, we seek out all opportunities to create a brighter future. May this time of the 150th Anniversary inspire us in the mission of the Church to ‘Proclaim Christ:  Yesterday, Today, Forever!’”

Also shared in the program was a special 150th Anniversary Prayer, which we all prayed together in the Mass:

 “Heavenly Father, we praise You for the gift of faith in Your Son, Jesus. We thank you for the gift of the Church in the Diocese of Peoria. As we celebrate 150 years as this local Church, we are grateful for all who have come before us laying the foundations and building up the community of faith. In this moment, we pray that the grace of the Holy Spirit renews our own witnessing to Jesus, so that in all our words and deeds we will move forward together on the way to God’s kingdom. May Mary, Mother of the Church, intercede for us. May St. Joseph, protector of the Church, watch over us. May Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, inspire us to proclaim Christ, yesterday, today, forever!”

In the midst of gathering/celebrating…the priests were all very interested in Father Hurley declining the appointment—we definitely didn’t know that was a possibility!  😀  I invite you all to pray the above prayer this week, asking God to continue to guide Bishop Lou and our Diocesan leaders. Next week, I’ll share a bit more about a special blessing available during this time of celebration. Know of my prayers for you all and that I send you my blessing this day!

In Christ,

Father Luke

Photo courtesy of Nellie Photography & Diocese of Peoria.