The Catholic Diocese of Peoria
The history of the Diocese of Peoria can be traced back to the beginnings of European exploration and the early missionaries. In August 1673, Father Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit priest, performed the first baptism near present day Peoria. A few years later Recollet priests, including Father Louis Hennepin, for whom the present day town of Hennepin was named, brought the Word of God to the native inhabitants of central Illinois. The French continued to dominate the religious scene in Illinois until the end of the French and Indian War in 1763, when the Illinois territory fell under the jurisdiction of the British Government. Though under British jurisdiction, French priests continued to minister to the few Catholics in the Illinois territory until the end of the American Revolution. In the 1790's the Illinois territory officially became the responsibility of Bishop John Carroll, then Bishop of the entire United States.
During the 1820's the counties that currently make up the Diocese of Peoria were included in several dioceses, including Bardstown, Kentucky, St. Louis, Missouri and Vincennes, Indiana. During this period central Illinois was largely a mission territory of these dioceses. In 1843, the Diocese of Chicago was formed, encompassing the entire state of Illinois. The coming of the railroads in the 1840's occasioned a growth spurt in the Catholic population in central Illinois. Many new churches were built, most of which served a specific ethnic group. The 1850's found Catholics, in particular Catholic immigrants, the targets of bigotry. In fact, in order to build a church, Catholics in Galesburg had to challenge a town charter that prohibited the sale of land for that purpose. In spite of these setbacks the Catholic population in central Illinois continued to grow and flourish.
In 1875 the Diocese of Peoria was established. On May 1, 1877, the Right Reverend John Lancaster Spalding was consecrated as its first Bishop. Under Bishop Spalding's leadership the Diocese of Peoria grew quickly from 40 parishes to 200. The bishop was well known for his writings on education and is also recognized as the founder of the Catholic University of America. Bishop Spalding remained the Bishop of Peoria until 1908 and died in 1916.
On September 1, 1909 the Most Reverend Edmund M. Dunne, the former Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Chicago, was installed as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Peoria. Under Bishop Dunne the diocese continued to grow and prosper. New parishes were built and school enrollment was on the rise. Also, the Newman Apostolate began serving Catholic students in public universities.
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