St. Mary's Cathedral Peoria and Ven. Fulton Sheen Museum

 

Sorry that most of these don't have great captions on my part - we traveled to Peoria in June with friends and also some family. We ate lunch at Catrina's Express, a small lunch place but HIGHLY recommended. They handled our big group with 6 adults and 4 children well. It probably helped it was a Saturday not a weekday!

Ven. Fulton Sheen was a priest in Peoria IL before he became a bishop in New York. The best place to learn about him is his foundation or his autobiography, Treasure in Clay. He is this.close to canonization, waiting on Rome to issue the green light. The Diocese of Peoria holds his body in a crypt in the side chapel of St. Mary's Cathedral. Another place to read about his impact is in Bonnie Engstrom's book 61 Minutes to a Miracle. 

In the museum (2 blocks away from the Cathedral), I found his embroidered vestments to be simply beautiful. I took photos of all 3. There was also a short guided tour of his life complete with photos, personal images, and stories from those who knew him. 

Another side chapel at the Cathedral held dozens of relics. I just took a few photos of those but it was stunning to see the entire collection. 

The Cathedral itself has undergone tremendous renovation over the past decade. Two blog posts at Liturgical Arts Journal, and at St. Louis Patina, showcase more images with better quality than my camera! Wouldn't you love to worship in this church every chance you had?!