Statements

Legislation has been introduced to legalize assisted suicide in Illinois. SB 3499 makes it legal for a physician to prescribe an array of lethal drugs to a person diagnosed with a terminal disease who requests to end his or her life. The Catholic Bishops of Illinois oppose this legislation; there is a better way forward for our state.

The family is the central, basic cell of society and our government should be supporting families and assisting parents in the care of their children, not undermining them.

This moment is of great historical significance in that the Joliet Diocese has never undertaken a project of such magnitude. The restructuring of the Joliet Deanery is deliberate, proactive, and anticipatory of the future of the Deanery based on current facts.

On December 18, 2023, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith announced the Declaration, Fiducia Supplicans.

Scholarship recipients now face an uncertain future after the Illinois state legislature failed to act. We must continue our efforts to find a way that allows for more educational opportunities such as Invest in Kids for low-income students and parents who need this program.

The entire Diocese of Joliet faith community offers our prayers and condolences for Wadea Al-Fayoume, his family and friends, and all those affected by his death.

An urgent statement from the Catholic bishops of Illinois: Unless the General Assembly acts to renew the Invest in Kids scholarship program, more than 9,000 children currently relying on this program to attend a non-public school may have their educational path disrupted. A bulletin insert and Mass announcement is included.

The second phase of targeted restructuring in the Diocese of Joliet began July 1, 2023, and includes all sixteen parishes in the Joliet Deanery. The sixteen parishes have been grouped into smaller clusters to facilitate the restructuring process.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has invited the faithful to pray the litany of the Sacred Heart and make an act of reparation—an act offered to the Lord with the intention of repairing the spiritual damage inflicted by sin.

Benedictine University, along with St. Procopius Abbey and the Diocese of Joliet, announced today that the University will now be deemed an independent Catholic university within the Diocese of Joliet.