Catholic Diocese of Peoria

About 100 students from Central Catholic High School in Bloomington were among the tens of thousands of Catholics who witnessed the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen move closer to sainthood.

Central Illinois native Fulton Sheen is now "Blessed," and as the first American-born bishop to be beatified, has a clear path to sainthood.

The Peoria diocese Sunday afternoon celebrated the 107th anniversary of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s ordination as a priest ahead of his beatification ceremony on Sept. 24.

St. Mary's Church in El Paso will host a watch party for the Sept. 24 ceremony in the same parish hall where Sheen was baptized.

Bishop Louis Tylka of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria said his parishes have seen a significant increase in attendance recently. It comes from a mixture of curiosity and hunger for faith amid many populations, especially youth.

Peoria-area native Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen is on track toward sainthood once again, the Diocese of Peoria announced Monday.

With work underway on the Catholic Diocese of Peoria’s project to transform the former Spalding Institute into a new facility honoring the life and legacy of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, current Bishop Louis Tylka is restoring the Sheen Foundation Advisory Board.

Monsignor Doug Hennessy, a Catholic priest known for his kindness, his work in the civil rights era, and a half-century of service to the people of Central Illinois, has died at age 87.

The Bloomington priest never thought he'd wind up back in his hometown. Hennessy retired in 2013 after a decade as pastor at Holy Trinity Catholic Church.

The Catholic Diocese of Peoria’s leader calls the election of the first American pope “of great significance for the Church and the world.”