Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria
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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. A diocese of the Metropolitan Province of Chicago, the metropolitan- or overseer- of the Chicago Province is the Archbishop of Chicago, currently His Eminence, Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I.
The Diocese of Peoria is comprised of 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, who was bishop from 1952 to 1958, John B. Franz, Edward W. O'Rourke, and O'Rourke's successor- the previous bishop of Peoria- Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark, New Jersey, 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, a member of the Congregation of the Holy Cross educated at Notre Dame, was installed April 10, 2002. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and titular bishop of Amantia.
