Dear St. Philomena Parish Family,
Blessed and joyful weekend to you all! It is hard to believe we are already at the start of fall this week…and already upon Beatification week for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. I am very much looking forward to the Mass and celebrations—Fr. Blake and I will be journeying to St. Louis with the folks on our parish buses. For those who aren’t able to join in St. Louis for the Mass, know that I will be praying for our parish family and asking Archbishop Sheen to help us all continue growing closer to Christ.
This week, we continue with Msgr. Gray’s Book Study…as I was looking through his notes I couldn’t help but think each of these chapters could be its own column. Hopefully some of the nuggets below will help us in better knowing Sheen…but perhaps also invite us to learn more through future reading.
Treasure in Clay: The Autobiography of Fulton J. Sheen…Chapter 6
How did Sheen approach the “Catholic Hour” radio audience differently from the “Life is Worth Living” television audience? In the future, what is the third approach to a digital audience that will be necessary in the future? Do you think Sheen was correct about this future prediction? How did he prepare his sermons? If you haven’t visited Sheen’s tomb at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Peoria, Illinois, do so to see if the wish he expressed in this chapter was fulfilled.
Answers: The radio is like hearing the Word as in the Old Testament. Television is like seeing the Word incarnate as the Gospel is taught by the person of Jesus in the New Testament. He took a direct approach with a Christian audience on radio, speaking about God and his revelation. On radio, he was teaching in the name of the Bishop’s Conference. He took an indirect approach with the wider and more mixed television audience, in which he spoke..
Dear St. Philomena Parish Family, Blessed and joyful weekend to you all! It is hard to believe we are already at the start of fall this week…and already upon Beatification week for Archbishop Fulton J.... Read More
We will pray the St. Therese Novena for Vocations from September 22-30, 2026. DAY 1 “MISSION” Meditation: “The Church by its very nature is mission.” Through baptism, we share in this mission. God sent His... Read More
Dear St. Philomena Parish Family, Blessings to you all this day! I hope everyone enjoyed a great Labor Day Weekend! I was thankful to get in a visit to the farm for my day off.... Read More
Dear St. Philomena Parish Family, One of my favorite greetings is hearing Archbishop Sheen say in that deep voice, “Peace be to you.” Many years ago when I was a seminarian, someone gave me a... Read More
BEATIFICATION DETAILS OF ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN “With great joy and deep gratitude to God, I am pleased to announce the Mass for the Beatification of the Venerable Servant of God, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen,... Read More
St. Philomena Parish is a Catholic Church with a parochial elementary grade school in an established family neighborhood in the heart of Peoria, IL.
Our mission is to proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ through worship, sacraments, education and community life. Each parishioner is invited to understand, embrace, and communicate the truth of Catholic Christianity to our culture.
Monday-Friday: 7:00 a.m.
Monday-Saturday: 8:00 a.m.
Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:30 p.m.
Sunday: 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 7:30 p.m.
7:00 a.m., 8:00 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 5 p.m.
Thursday: 8:30 a.m.
Saturday: 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
