Mass to celebrate St. Patrick Church building’s 100th anniversary was celebrated on March 30. The Maytown Mass was followed by a dinner in the parish hall.
See more in the April 12 issue of The Observer.
The Rockford Diocese provided 260 volunteer lobbyists who traveled to Springfield on March 20. They joined others from the dioceses of Belleville, Peoria and Springfield to be trained and then do their best to encourage representatives and senators to vote No on House bills 2495 and 2467 and Senate bills 1942 and 1594. The bills would make abortion a “fundamental right” in the State, undermine women’s health, attack conscience rights, require all insurance plans subject to State regulations to cover abortions and expand public funding of abortion, not to mention repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act. An afternoon rally against the bills in the Capitol rotunda increased the total of abortion opponents to a State office-estimate of 4,000 people.
See more in the April 5 issue of The Observer.
Attorney Jeff Anderson and Associates held a press conference in Chicago today, March 20, 2019 to reveal names of clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese and Dioceses of Illinois. In the document he calls “The Anderson Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese and Dioceses in Illinois”, he lists names of those accused of sexual abuse gleaned from public sources already made available from the Catholic Dioceses of Illinois. The Diocese of Rockford issued a response to that press conference today.
Click here to read that response
The biennial Bishop’s Luncheon sponsored by the Rockford Diocesan Council of Catholic Women welcomed 136 men and women on March 13 in Dixon. Bishop David Malloy was honored as were the deanery spiritual assistants, including Father James Keenan, shown here with RDCCW president-elect Josie Whaley.
See more in the March 22 issue of The Observer
Two gatherings at the Cathedral of St. Peter on March 9 brought catechumens and candidates together for the annual Rite of Election. At both ceremonies, the names of catechumens (those coming into the Catholic Church who have not been baptized previously) were enrolled (see photo), and candidates (those who will receive the sacraments of confirmation and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil) were presented and recognized. Bishop David Malloy then prayed over the elect and the candidates before the gatherings were dismissed, with many joining the bishop at a reception in Fellowship Hall.
See the March 15 issue of The Observer for more photos and a list of the catechumens and candidates.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I write to you at a moment of profound challenge to the citizens of the State of Illinois. In recent weeks Democrats in the Illinois House and Senate, following the examples of other states, have introduced bills that, if passed and signed, would expand attacks on the life of the unborn through abortion while, at the same time, attacking the rights of conscience and the rights of parents of a minor child or of an adult mentally or developmentally disabled child seeking an abortion...
Read entire letter: English | Spanish
- Click here to email your state House and Senate lawmakers and urge them to vote “no” on these bills
- Fact sheet on HB 2467/SB 1594 | Fact sheet on HB 2495/SB 1942
- Summary of information regarding abortion in Illinois
- Bulletin insert in English, Spanish and Polish
- Diocese of Rockford Life Advocacy Day at the Illinois Capitol in Springfield, hosted by the Catholic Conference of Illinois – March 20
A roomful of permanent deacons and wives gathered on Feb. 23 at the Cathedral of St. Peter for the annual Deacon Assembly Day. The topic this year was “Protect Your Flock” – a program to help clergy respond with knowledge and effective resources if a victim of domestic abuse comes to them. Part of the program was interactive as groups of three were given real-life victims’ stories, making choices of which step to take, and receiving bandages whenever they come to a station where “Abuse Happens.”
See more in the March 1 edition of The Observer.
The annual Scout Sunday Mass was held at the Cathedral of St. Peter on Feb. 3. The event includes a presentation by Bishop David Malloy of religious awards earned by scouts in the past year.
See more in an upcoming issue of The Observer.
