Five Foundations

Through numerous conversations with priests and lay leaders, Bishop Louis Tylka discerned five foundations on which to build the future of the Diocese of Peoria, to become an even more vibrant, mission-driven and sustainable Church. The five foundations are:

  1. Empower evangelization so as to share the saving name of Jesus.

  2. Inspire discipleship in each baptized follower of Jesus.

  3. Strengthen vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

  4. Deepen our awareness of the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

  5. Continue the legacy of Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

Part 1

What does "evangelization" really mean, and how are we called to evangelize as Catholics? What does this have to do with the Growing Disciples Pastoral Planning initiative? In this video, Bishop Lou Tylka and Father Adam Cesarek, pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Pontiac, Ill., discuss their perspectives–and address common challenges and questions–related to evangelization and Growing Disciples.

Empowering Evangelization

Part 2

Inspiring Discipleship

What did Jesus intend for all of us when he called his first disciples--and what does that mean for us as a Church today? Matt Faley Chief of Mission for the Diocese of Peoria, and Jenny Witt, Director of Evangelization at St. Philomena Parish, discuss what we mean when we use the word "discipleship," how to discern what Jesus intended for all of us, and how to live out vibrant discipleship--both in our personal apostolates and in our parishes--which is an important goal of the Growing Disciples pastoral planning process.

Part 3

Strengthening Vocations

How did God make you to love? Which path will lead you to holiness? Fr. Chase Hilgenbrinck, Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Peoria, and Sr. M. Bernadette, FSGM, discuss our universal call to holiness, how to listen for the path God is calling us to take, and why they each felt called to enter the religious life – a foundational understanding essential to the Growing Disciples pastoral planning process.

Part 4

The Eucharist

Do you believe in the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist? Did you know that the Mass is our invitation to join in Christ’s sacrifice and participate in communion with God and love for Jesus? Father Luke Spannagel, Priest and National Eucharistic Preacher for the Diocese of Peoria, and Ana Rodas, Assistant Director of Divine Worship for the Diocese of Peoria, discuss how we can come to know and experience Christ’s true presence in the Eucharist, so that our participation in the Mass produces the fruit our Lord intended when He gave us the gift of sharing in communion through the Eucharist – a foundational understanding essential to the Growing Disciples pastoral planning process.

Part 5

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

Watch as Monsignor Jason Gray, Priest and Director of the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation, and Katie Bogner, Teacher for the Diocese of Peoria and creator of “Teaching with Fulton Sheen” curriculum, discuss the life of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, his first recorded miracle, and the many ways he modeled how we can pursue our lives as disciples, living and working in witness for Christ.

Decisions are yet to be made.