Letter from Bishop Jenky, CSC
May 20, 2020

My dear brothers and sisters in the Risen Lord,

These past couple of months have been a truly extraordinary time. As the world struggled to come to terms with how best to respond to the pandemic, we have been unable to participate in the Mass and the Sacraments in the usual way. I know that this has been difficult for both our priests and the people they serve.

As many of you know, consistent with the Governor’s Executive Order, we have begun offering drive-in Masses in a number of our locations. While we are presently only opening our churches for funerals, weddings, and baptisms, we are planning for the day when we will resume weekday and Lord’s Day Masses. It will require many adjustments on the part of everyone, clergy and laity alike.

Please keep in mind that while our parish staffs will attempt to take appropriate precautions consistent with the advice of public health authorities, parishioners and guests should understand that they assume the risk of contracting COVID-19 anytime they enter a public space since such precautions do not eliminate the risk of infection.

I am immensely grateful for the work that has been done by the Archdiocese of Chicago, in conjunction with State and local leaders, to begin the formulating of a plan for the reopening of our churches. The Governor has pointed out that the spread of the deadly virus varies from one region of Illinois to another, and his plan for loosening the restrictions currently in place reflects this reality.

In the Diocese of Peoria, we have modeled our plan after the one developed for use in the Archdiocese of Chicago and have made adaptations that correspond to our region. In all cases, the requirements of the appropriate authorities are to be observed. I particularly wish to acknowledge and thank our partners at OSF HEALTHCARE who have made their Infectious Disease Team available to us and who have given their endorsement to this plan.

Please bear in mind that as the situation changes, from one county to the next, modifications may be necessary to the plan. We are working diligently to open our churches and provide you with the Sacraments in a way that reflects our love for God and our responsibilities to one another. As I have said before, we are striving at all times to conduct ourselves as devout believers and responsible citizens. We are all in this together.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C.

See the letter on the diocesan website.

We have received permission to go ahead with Mass outdoors. Because of the rainy forecast through Tuesday evening and because we haven’t had a chance to test the setup under live conditions, we are not able to begin offering Mass outdoors until Tuesday morning Wednesday morning. It is important to keep the celebration of Mass dignified, and we aren’t confident we can make that happen in time for Sunday. It’s also TBD what we will do on other rainy days.

Here are key points to know:

• Mass will be celebrated outside at Historic St. Patrick. The altar will be in front of (or in, if weather makes it necessary) the garage. The Mass times will remain as they are on our current quarantine schedule.
• Communion will be distributed after Mass as we are doing currently.
• Please note that restrooms will NOT  be available.
• Please turn off the engine in your car.
• It is very important that you remain in your cars during Mass (this being one of the conditions under which we are allowed to proceed).
• You will be able to follow the livestream if your phone allows you to do that, but be aware that there is a substantial lag (about five seconds) before what’s happening in front of you comes through your phone. You will also have the option of tuning your FM radio to 102.1, which should have no delay.
• If you are using your phone, please use your phone data and not the parish Wi-fi. Using the Wi-fi will put an unpredictable stress on the system we use for streaming.
• Larger vehicles (trucks, vans, SUVs, etc.) please park toward the back so that you do not block the view of those in smaller cars.

Stay tuned for more details.

Because of the poor weather forecast for tomorrow, we are not going to attempt Mass outdoors until Wednesday. Please see this post for information about what to do when we do have it.

PEORIA, IL: The Diocese of Peoria joyfully announces the ordination of Coadjutor Bishop-Elect Louis Tylka will take place on Thursday, July 23, 2020 in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, in Peoria. Coadjutor Bishop-Elect Tylka will one day succeed Bishop Daniel Jenky as the ninth Bishop of the Diocese of Peoria. Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, will be the principal consecrator. Bishop Daniel Jenky will serve as co-consecrator.

Follow this link for further details: Official Diocesan Announcement

This is how we’ll handle distribution of Communion on this Sunday (5/17) and following Sundays, always subject to change as conditions allow:

• In Bloomington, we will offer Communion after both the 10:00 a.m. Mass and the 12:00 noon Mass. At both times, Communion will be offered both at Historic St. Patrick and at the Holy Trinity Parish Center. Please see below for traffic patterns.
• In Wapella, Communion will also be offered after the livestreamed 10:00 a.m. and noon Masses. Note that we may alter this schedule depending on demand. The Communion station will be in or in front of the rectory garage, depending on the weather.
• In all the places where we offer Communion, hand sanitizer will be available in line.
• If you exit your vehicle, please remain at least six feet from anyone not in your household.
• We request that all communicants wear face masks except when receiving.
• Those who wish to receive on the tongue are strongly requested to line up toward the end of the Communion lines.

At the Holy Trinity Parish Center, please use the Locust St. entrance, not the entrance on Main St. (so that we don’t back up traffic there).

At Historic St. Patrick, the area marked in red is a suggested place to park if you intend (as we hope) to stay and pray after receiving. Please park in the yellow area only if you have mobility challenges.

Parishioner Interviews: Feel a little disconnected? Yearning for Community? Check out our “Parishioner Interviews” as a way to get to know one another. Peace in Jesus!

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PEORIA, IL: Today the Vatican announced that His Holiness, Pope Francis, has appointed the Reverend Louis Tylka, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, as the Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Peoria.

Full News Release

Adoration is available M-F from 3:30-4:30 in the parking lot of the Holy Trinity Parish  Center. Please remain in cars and be careful to observe spacing when waiting for confession.

The Rosary will be live streamed M-F following the daily Mass.  This will be a new stream; the Mass stream will end and the Rosary stream will begin shortly after.