Peoria Notre Dame

🚨Tickets for the Beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen Available Next Week (the week of June 22, 2026) 📣🙏

“It is with profound joy and gratitude that I share that tickets for the Mass of Beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, as well as many of the events surrounding this historic celebration, will become available during the week of June 22, 2026, through the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation website at celebratesheen.com.

The Beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen is a historic moment for the Diocese of Peoria, and the Church throughout the United States and around the world. The Mass of Beatification will take place on September 24, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dome will open early for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Eucharistic Adoration, providing pilgrims an opportunity to prepare spiritually for this sacred celebration. Beginning later that morning, a special pre-Beatification program will feature a variety of Catholic speakers and musicians.

While the Beatification Mass will be the centerpiece of these celebrations, it is only one part of what I hope will be a transformative pilgrimage experience for countless people. From September 15–26, 2026, pilgrims will have the opportunity to participate in a rich series of prayerful, educational, and celebratory events, including Holy Hours, Masses of Thanksgiving, visits to Archbishop Sheen’s tomb, and the inaugural Sheen Awards in Peoria, Illinois.

Together, these events form the official Sheen Pilgrimage—an opportunity to walk in the footsteps of one of the Church’s greatest evangelizers while reflecting on his life, legacy, and missionary witness.

As tickets become available, I encourage everyone to begin considering how they can make this historic moment meaningful in their own lives. I invite you to review the schedule, prayerfully discern which events you would like to attend, and begin planning your pilgrimage now. I strongly encourage pilgrims to make the journey to both Peoria and St. Louis so they can fully experience the breadth and beauty of this grace-filled time in the life of the Church. Each event has been designed to help us encounter Jesus Christ more deeply through the witness of Archbishop Sheen.
Because of the historic significance of this event and the anticipated attendance from across the nation and around the world, advance ticket registration will be required for the Beatification Mass and select events.

Additional information regarding schedules, hotel accommodations, livestream opportunities, pilgrim resources, and frequently asked questions will be available at celebratesheen.com when registration opens.

All are encouraged to attend in person if possible, or to join in prayer and participation virtually as the Church celebrates the Beatification of one of the greatest evangelizers of the modern era.”

https://www.celebratesheen.com/

We are so excited to announce that next year's digital photography class will ALL be working with digital SLR cameras, thanks to a generous donation from a PND donor.

In the past, the class was taught from whatever the students had, digital cameras of all kinds, and phones. Now Mrs. Burgess can teach students about all camera functions, as well as composition and editing. The digital design students had a chance to try them out at the end of this semester. Thank you to Mrs. Ross for putting together the proposal for the cameras and to our donor for making it all possible.

The art department and our school is incredibly grateful for this opportunity for our students!

PND has an opening to join the volleyball coaching staff for those interested in an assistant volleyball coach position! Please reach out to Dave Rudolph with any questions at [email protected]. ☘🏐

to this past semester! Every fall and spring, we visit all of our twelve partner grade schools with alumni from their schools at lunch and recess. We even had the opportunity for some of our dance team members to teach the PND Fight Song to a group at St. Phil's. We have the best community in our diocese and love to be able to visit with them!! ☘

Congratulations to upcoming senior Max Kirby for winning the Open 4-mile for the 15-19 year old age group at the Steamboat Classic on Saturday! Max has been a standout runner for PND in both cross country and track since freshman year. We are are so proud of you Max!

Every runner who topped the fields at the 2026 Steamboat Classic, in both the 4-mile and 15-kilometer races in Peoria — including age-group winners. See link below ⬇️

📸 MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR

☘ NEW IRISH INSIGHT PODCAST EPISODES☘
Ms. Santen's Podcasting: Advanced Digital Media class released two more wonderful episodes before the end of the school year (and stay tuned for more this summer).

Watch now at the links below:
🎥 Mr. John Donnelly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Skl5X1pzF3o&t=590s
🎥 Mr. Mitch Gilfillan (PND Class of 2002): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMzgU_gi7xE&t=1492s

☘

This week at PND, we have a slightly shifted schedule for when our front office is open! Monday and Thursday, we are open from 8-11 AM. Tuesday and Wednesday stay the same with our standard summer hours from 8 AM - 1 PM.

Thank you for your flexibility!

Sr. Jude Andrew, one of our theology teachers, is working on the beatification team for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and is collaborating with The Pontifical Missions Societies, a network which Sheen used to run, on a special project. The goal is to make 70,000 World Mission Rosaries for all the participants at the beatification.

PND Students: you can participate & receive CSP hours for doing so! You can either email Sr. Jude Andrew to coordinate a drop off or bring the completed rosaries to her at the start of the school year.

More information, including instructions and getting supplies, can be found at this link: https://pontificalmissions.org/worldmissionrosary ☘

Congratulations to Sydney (Peters) Russell, PND Class of 2017, on being awarded as the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year (RYDY)! What an amazing way to see our alumni putting their faith into action in their careers! ☘️

🏆 Congratulations to Sydney Russell, recognized as the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year (RYDY)!

Sydney serves at OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute, helping provide individualized nutrition therapy and support throughout treatment and survivorship. Her passion for care, education and service continues to make a difference for so many across our community.

We’re proud to celebrate this incredible achievement and the compassionate care Sydney brings to our Mission every day. 💚

Learn more about how Sydney and her team support our patients through healthy eating: https://bit.ly/4wSehCm

The French Club journeyed north to Alliance Française where they practiced their conversational and baking skills, making croque monsieurs and madeleines under the guidance of a French-speaking instructor. From there, they popped in to check on Pope Leo’s childhood home. Then, Father Baruch Zinsou offered Mass for them at Our Lady of Africa Parish. He is a member of the Society of the Divine Word; he was officially ordained Saturday, May 23rd. He said his first French Mass. His homily focused on helping those around us and how charity starts at home. Erin Magner (Class of 2027) served as lector. What an awesome experience for our French students! ☘