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. 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 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 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 B. 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 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 in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and as titular bishop of Amantia.
High schools
- Alleman High School, Rock Island
- Central Catholic High School, Bloomington
- Marquette High School, Ottawa
- Peoria Notre Dame High School, Peoria
- St. Bede Academy, Peru
- St. Thomas More High School, Champaign
- Schlarman High School, Danville
Resources
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria
- Profile of Bishop Daniel R. Jenky
- "Peoria". Catholic Encyclopedia. (1913). New York: Robert Appleton Company.
