- Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria
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"Diocese of Peoria" redirects here. For the Anglican diocese based in Peoria, see Diocese of Quincy (Southern Cone). For the Episcopal diocese based in Peoria, see Episcopal Diocese of Quincy.
Diocese of Peoria
Dioecesis Peoriensis
Location Country United States Territory 26 counties across central Illinois Ecclesiastical province Province of Chicago Metropolitan Peoria, Illinois Population
- Catholics
195,553Information Denomination Roman Catholic Rite Latin Rite Established February 12, 1875 Cathedral St. Mary's Cathedral Patron saint Immaculate Conception Current leadership Pope Benedict XVI Bishop Daniel Robert Jenky, C.S.C.
Bishop of PeoriaMetropolitan Archbishop Francis Eugene George, OMI
Archbishop of ChicagoVicars General Paul Showalter, James E. Kruse Map 
The Diocese of Peoria (shown in pink) within the Ecclesiastical Province of ChicagoWebsite cdop.org 
Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the central Illinois region of the United States.
Contents
Territory
The Diocese of Peoria was canonically erected on February 12, 1875. Its territory was taken from the former Diocese of Chicago. The first bishop of the diocese was John Lancaster Spalding. Later bishops included William E. Cousins (bishop from 1952 to 1958), John Baptist Franz, Edward W. O'Rourke, and then O'Rourke's coadjutor bishop and later successor, John J. Myers (now Archbishop of Newark), who hosted Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta's December 1995 visit to the Peoria diocese.
The Diocese of Peoria comprises the Counties of Bureau, Champaign, DeWitt, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Knox, LaSalle, Livingston, Logan, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McLean, Mercer, Peoria, Piatt, Putnam, Rock Island, Schuyler, Stark, Tazewell, Vermilion, Warren and Woodford. Aside from Peoria, the Illinois portions of the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa are also part of the Peoria Diocese. The St. John's Catholic Newman Center on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the St. Francis of Assisi Newman Center on the campus of Western Illinois University, St. Robert Bellarmine Newman Center on the campus of Illinois State University as well as the St. Joseph Newman Center on the campus of Bradley University are part of the Peoria Diocese.
History
Catholicism in this region dates from the days of Jacques Marquette, who rested at the Native American village of Peoria on his voyage up the Illinois River in 1673. Opposite the present site of the episcopal city, Robert de La Salle and Henri de Tonti in 1680 built Fort Crèvecoeur, in which Mass was celebrated and the Gospel preached by the Recollect Fathers, Gabriel Ribourdi, Zenobius Membre, and Louis Hennepin. With some breaks in the succession, the line of missionaries extends to within a short period of the founding of modern Peoria. In 1839 Father Reho, an Italian, visited Peoria, remaining long enough to build the old stone church in Kickapoo, a small town twelve miles distant. St. Mary's, the first Catholic church in the city proper, was erected by Father John A. Drew in 1846. Among his successors was the poet, Rev. Abram J. Ryan.
Many of the early Irish immigrants came to work on the Illinois and Michigan Canal; owing to the failure of the contracting company, they received their pay in land scrip instead of cash, and were thus forced to settle upon hitherto untilled farm-land. These Irish farmers, with the Germans, were followed by Poles, Slovaks, Slovenians, Croats, Lithuanians, and Italians who came to work in the coal mines. They were first organized in parishes looked after by priests of their own nationality. The first appointee to the see, Michael Hurley, requested to be spared the responsibility of organizing and governing the new diocese, and died as vicar-general in 1898.
John Lancaster Spalding was consecrated first Bishop of Peoria, on 1 May 1877. He was stricken with paralysis on 6 January 1905, and resigned the see, 11 September 1908.[1]
Bishops
The prelate is a bishop serving as pastor of the mother church, the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception in the City of Peoria. The diocese is part of the Metropolitan Province of Chicago.
The current bishop of Peoria is Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C. Bishop Jenky was educated at the University of Notre Dame and was installed as bishop on April 10, 2002. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop to Bishop John Michael D'Arcy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and as titular bishop of Amantia. Prior to his service as auxiliary bishop he had been the superior of his religious community's unit at the University of Notre Dame.
Timeline of Bishops
- † John Lancaster Spalding (1876–1908, Resigned)
- † Edmund Michael Dunne (1909–1929, Died)
- † Joseph Henry Leo Schlarman (1930–1951, Died)
- † William Edward Cousins (1952–1958, Appointed, Archbishop of Milwaukee)
- † John Baptist Franz (1959–1971, Retired)
- † Edward William O'Rourke (1971–1990; appointed bishop on May 24, 1971; ordained a bishop on July 15, 1971; retired on January 22, 1990; died September 29, 1999)
- John Joseph Myers (1990–2001; appointed coadjutor bishop in 1987; ordained a bishop on September 3, 1987; became diocesan bishop by right of succession on January 22, 1990; appointed Archbishop of Newark on July 24, 2001)
- Daniel Robert Jenky, C.S.C. (2002–present)
† = deceased
Diocesan priests who became bishops
The following men began their service as priests in Peoria before being appointed bishops elsewhere:
- † Gerald Thomas Bergan - 1934, Bishop of Des Moines; 1948 Archbishop of Omaha
- † Fulton J. Sheen – appointed auxiliary bishop of New York in 1951; ordained a bishop on June 11, 1951; appointed bishop of Rochester in 1966; resigned in 1969; then elevated to titular archbishop; buried in crypt of St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York.
† = deceased
Elementary schools
- St. Jude Catholic School, Peoria - grades pre-K to 3; established in 2009.
High schools
- Alleman High School, Rock Island
- Central Catholic High School, Bloomington
- Marquette High School, Ottawa, Illinois
- Peoria Notre Dame High School, Peoria
- St. Bede Academy, Peru
- St. Thomas More High School, Champaign
- Schlarman High School, Danville
Abuse scandal
Main article: Sexual abuse scandal in Peoria dioceseThere have been numerous instances of sexual abuse by clergy in the Peoria diocese.
Ecclesiastical province
Further information: List of the Catholic bishops of the United States#Province of ChicagoExternal links
References
"Peoria". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.
Categories:- Peoria, Illinois
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria
- Religious organizations established in 1875
- Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century
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