One Parish, Two Country Churches
Most Holy Eucharist Parish serves the Bloomington-Normal area of McLean County from two campuses that have stood on the Illinois prairie for well over a century. On the east side of Bloomington, St. Patrick Church of Merna rises at 1001 North Towanda Barnes Road. Twelve miles to the east in the village of Downs, St. Mary Church sits at 108 East Washington Street. Together the two communities share a pastor, a staff, a school system, a faith formation program, a youth ministry, and a vision rooted in the Most Holy Eucharist and the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church.
Both campuses remain true to their rural origins even as Bloomington has grown around them. The parish's stated mission is for everyone to be rooted in the Most Holy Eucharist and to be welcomed into a deeper relationship with God by loving and serving others through God-given gifts. Daily and weekend Mass, perpetual adoration, two parish schools, and dozens of lay ministries make the parish a year-round center of sacramental and charitable life for the Bloomington-Normal community.
Mass and Reconciliation at Both Campuses
The parish offers Mass every day of the week, with the heaviest schedule at St. Patrick's of Merna. Monday through Thursday, daily Mass is celebrated at 8:00 am at St. Patrick's. On Friday, Mass is offered twice, at 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. Saturday's vigil Mass begins at 4:00 pm. Sunday Masses at St. Patrick's are celebrated at 7:00 am, 9:00 am, and 11:00 am. The 9:00 am and 11:00 am Sunday Masses are the family Masses, with the nursery and Children's Liturgy of the Word available during the 9:00 am.
St. Mary Church in Downs celebrates Mass on Wednesday at 5:30 pm, on Saturday at 4:30 pm, and on Sunday at 8:30 am. Reconciliation is offered in the confessional marked Fr. Matt at the back of St. Patrick's on Friday from 12:00 to 4:00 pm, on Saturday from 9:00 to 10:00 am, and on Sunday from 10:00 to 11:00 am. At St. Mary's, priests hear confessions for about thirty minutes immediately following the Saturday and Sunday Masses. Confessions can also be made by appointment through the parish office.
Holy Days of Obligation are observed as the Bishops of the United States have set them: January 1 (Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God), August 15 (Assumption), November 1 (All Saints), December 8 (Immaculate Conception), and December 25 (Nativity of Our Lord), in addition to each Sunday.
Parishioners may schedule up to ten Mass intentions per household each year, with no more than three on weekends. The stipend is ten dollars per Mass and must be paid within two weeks of scheduling.
The Seven Sacraments and the Pastoral Office
Through its sacramental ministry, the parish invites newcomers and longtime Catholics alike into the central rites of Catholic life. Baptism is celebrated at St. Patrick's on Saturdays after the 4:00 pm Mass and on Sundays after the 11:00 am Mass, and at St. Mary's on Sundays after the 8:30 am Mass. First-time parents attend a one-time pre-baptismal preparation class, usually offered on the first Monday evening of each month. The parish supplies a baptismal candle and a baptismal bib for each child. Parents may choose a Catholic sponsor who is at least sixteen, confirmed, and a practicing member of a parish; a second sponsor may be a Christian from another denomination.
The sacraments of Reconciliation, Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation are taught to the children of the parish in the Faith Formation classes, with First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion normally received in the second grade and Confirmation in the eighth grade. Adults who have not been baptized, those baptized without further formation, and Christians seeking entrance into full communion with the Catholic Church journey together through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, known by its new name, OCIA. Sessions begin in September each year and conclude at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, when the candidates receive Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist in a single liturgy.
Couples preparing for marriage are asked to begin by calling the parish office. Front office staff check the church's calendar, outline the steps to reserve a date, and arrange meetings with one of the parish priests. A liturgical coordinator then walks the couple through the readings, music, and details of the wedding liturgy. Funerals are planned in collaboration with the family and the funeral home; the parish staff coordinates music, readings, and the funeral liturgy, and the Funeral Luncheon Volunteers of St. Patrick's often host a meal for the family afterward in Shamrock Hall.
Anointing of the Sick is available to any Catholic facing serious illness, preparing for surgery, or suffering the difficulties of advanced age. The sacrament may be celebrated at home, in the hospital, or in the church. Outside parish office hours, an emergency line routes after-hours calls directly to a priest.
Eucharistic Adoration and Encounter Nights
Eucharistic Adoration is one of the most distinctive features of life at Most Holy Eucharist. At St. Patrick's, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed in the monstrance on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm, and on Fridays from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The parish maintains a list of substitutes and a list of permanent adorers; the parish invites anyone who feels drawn to a holy hour of silent prayer to sign up through the adoration page or by emailing the adoration coordinator.
Encounter Nights are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm at St. Patrick's. The evening is candlelit and simple: a period of peaceful prayer in Adoration, a reflection offered by a guest speaker, music, and silence. Reconciliation is offered throughout the night, and on some evenings prayer teams are available to pray over those who come forward.
From a Schoolhouse to a 200-Foot Bell Tower: St. Patrick of Merna
St. Patrick of Merna has stood on this stretch of east-central Illinois since 1883, when Bishop John Lancaster Spaulding established it as a separate parish from Holy Trinity in Bloomington. In its earliest years, Mass was offered in a schoolhouse, and it was not until 1891 that a church was dedicated, built at a cost of $13,500.
The young parish endured its first catastrophe in 1902, when a tornado severely damaged the church. For several months while repairs were made, Masses were celebrated on the church lawn, the same lawn that would one day become the foundation of the present property. The parish grew slowly through the middle of the twentieth century and remained a quiet Catholic presence in the farming community around Merna in eastern McLean County.
On August 24, 1982, a second tornado destroyed the Merna church. Under the leadership of Bishop Edward O'Rourke, the Diocese of Peoria chose to rebuild the parish on the corner of Route 9 and Towanda Barnes Road, on land owned by the James Dee family. The new church, built at a cost of $950,000 and seating four hundred, was dedicated on December 1, 1985, when the parish counted about seventy-five registered households. As the east side of Bloomington filled with new families, the parish grew by more than a hundred and fifty families a year.
In 1991 a Pastoral Planning Commission began charting the parish's next chapter. The first phase of expansion, completed in 1998 and blessed by Bishop Myers, added a $1.3 million wing with administrative offices, a multipurpose room for religious education and parish programs, a nursery, and a library. In 2004 a capital campaign titled A Dwelling for God's Family raised pledges and donations of more than $5.1 million. After planning with Graham & Hyde Architects and P. J. Hoerr, Inc., the parish broke ground on the current church on June 9, 2005. Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, presided at the dedication on November 5, 2006.
The most visible feature of today's campus is a 200-foot bell tower, dedicated to all who have served St. Patrick's since the late 1800s. The tower houses the original bell recovered from the ruins of the 1982 tornado. Visitors enter through a gathering space anchored by a stained-glass window from the earlier church, whose colors move from black at the bottom through red clay, the greens of growing plants, the browns and golds of ripe grain, and finally the blues of the Illinois sky, a visual reminder of the parish's rural roots.
Just inside the worship space, the baptismal font pours water into the church itself, an architectural expression of the grace of Baptism flowing out to God's people. The 2006 building also added a 900-square-foot nursery connected to a playground, a deacon's office, a bridal dressing room, a music practice room, vesting and work sacristies, and storage areas for music and mechanical equipment.
The Windows of St. Patrick's
Every window in the church and chapel, along with the altar, lectern, tabernacle and stand, presider chair, deacon chair, cantor stand, sanctuary candle stands, dedication candles, paschal candle, and baptismal font, was designed by Brother Martin Erspamer, OSB, a monk of St. Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana. Brother Martin holds an MFA from Boston University and is certified as a liturgical designer from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and he has designed for churches and chapels across the United States as well as in Rome and India.
The two great Creation Windows face east and west. The east window is a celebration of daylight, with a brilliant red sun symbolizing the brightness of God's love in the world through Jesus, and a vibrant seed representing the hope of faith. The west window takes its cue from the Book of Revelation: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars. Twelve stars surround the moon, which is transparent enough to reveal the brilliance of the sky beyond it.
Seven smaller windows in the daily chapel illustrate the seven sacraments. Baptism is shown as a green branch rising from the waters of new life. Confirmation features the Holy Spirit as a dove with fire. The Eucharist window draws on the Didache: wheat gathered from many fields and ground into one bread, grapes gathered and crushed into one wine, all of us gathered into one Body in Christ. Reconciliation is rendered in violet and purple with waters below the cross, recalling that the sacrament flows from baptism and the words of Isaiah: by His wounds we are healed. The Anointing of the Sick window is darker, with a red cross pierced by a green shaft of new life. The Marriage window shows interlocking rings and a green branch. Holy Orders is portrayed with a shepherd's staff and a stole, the signs of the authority of Christ conferred at ordination.
The nave wall carries eight angels of the liturgical seasons, each wearing a mantle in the color of its season: violet for Advent, gold for Christmas, green for Ordinary Time, purple for Lent, gold for Easter, and deep red for Pentecost. Five additional nave windows illustrate the symbols of the Eucharist: the manna in the desert, the offering of Melchizedek with bread and wine upon the altar, the loaves and fishes, the pelican feeding its young with its own blood, and the living fountain of water with doves drinking from it.
A Hundred Years on Washington Street: St. Mary of Downs
St. Mary's history runs back to April 1910, when the cornerstone was laid. On June 30, 1910, Bishop Dunne, assisted by fifteen priests, dedicated the new church in a service that began with a procession through the village. People had traveled by train from Bloomington for the ceremony, and Bishop Dunne's sermon recalled Christ's words to St. Peter, that upon this rock He would build His church. During the Mass the Bishop confirmed twenty-three parishioners, and afterward dinner was served to four hundred people in the new church hall.
The total cost of the church and its land was $13,000. Each family paid rent on its pew, with the seats nearest the front costing the most, and each pew was marked with a nameplate. Hitch racks on the north and west sides of the building held the teams of horses that pulled buggies, wagons, and carriages over frozen winter roads, muddy spring roads, and dusty summer roads. A round trip to Sunday Mass often took a family three or four hours.
In November 1931 the Mission Church of St. Mary was transferred from St. Patrick's of Bloomington to St. Patrick's of Wapella. The interior was redecorated in 1937 and again in 1960. From 1971 to 1979, priests from Holy Trinity of Bloomington provided pastoral care. Between 1970 and 1971 the interior was extensively remodeled to incorporate the liturgical changes of the Second Vatican Council. In 1979 the church was transferred to St. Patrick's of Merna, and in April 1981 it achieved independent parish status. In the same year, the house at 101 North Lincoln was purchased to serve as a rectory and CCD classrooms. A 2002 addition added a parish center and increased the church's seating capacity; the center was named in honor of Edward W. O'Rourke, a Downs resident and parishioner who had been appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Peoria in 1971. Bishop Jenky celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation at the parish in 2005 and blessed the Bishop Edward W. O'Rourke Parish Center. In 2010 the parish marked a century of Catholic worship in Downs.
Religious Education from First Communion through Confirmation
The parish's faith formation program welcomes children from first grade through eighth grade at both campuses. At St. Patrick's, classes for grades one through five meet once a week during the school year in a classroom setting. Preparation for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion takes place in the second grade, and attendance in first grade is a prerequisite for receiving the sacraments. Junior High Faith Formation, grades six through eight, includes Confirmation preparation along with biblical study and what the parish describes as in-depth encounters with Jesus. The program organizes its work around three movements, Believe, Belong, Become: a space where young people can wrestle with hard questions about their faith, an environment of invested small-group leaders and friendships, and a lifelong commitment to discipleship.
At St. Mary's, classes for grades one through eight meet on Sunday mornings following the 8:30 am Mass. First Holy Communion is received in the second grade after a two-year preparation beginning in first grade, and Confirmation is received in the eighth grade after a two-year preparation beginning in seventh grade.
Children's Liturgy of the Word is offered at the 9:00 am Sunday Mass at St. Patrick's. Children are called forward at the beginning of Mass, hear the Gospel proclaimed at their age level, share the Prayers of the Faithful, and recite the Creed together before returning to their families for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Teen and adult volunteers lead the sessions.
For families who homeschool, the parish hosts Caritas, a community of homeschooling families from across the Bloomington-Normal area. Caritas provides an online communication platform for networking, an enrichment cooperative that typically meets eight times per semester at St. Mary's in Downs, and a calendar of regular park dates and outings. Classes have included art, science, and chant.
Corpus Christi School and Central Catholic High School
The parish's two schools serve students from preschool through high school. Corpus Christi Catholic School, which the parish school has been operating in the Bloomington-Normal area for more than 150 years, partners with the parish to offer religious education rooted in prayer, Scripture, and the sacraments. Weekly Mass is celebrated at school, with students serving as lectors, gift bearers, altar servers, and choir. Religion classes study the Creed, the Commandments, the Beatitudes, the lives of the saints, and the history of the Church. Second and seventh grades focus on preparation for First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation.
Beyond religion, the school offers SmartBoards in every classroom, iPads and laptops, a computer lab with keyboarding and publishing tools, a 3D printer, and a robotics curriculum. Physical education emphasizes skill development and good sportsmanship; competitive sports are offered in grades five through eight. Music begins with rhythm in the lower grades and progresses to computer-based composition in the upper grades. Chorus begins in grade four and band in grades five through eight. Art weaves medium, technique, and art history into each lesson, including religious artists and pieces. Spanish begins with immersion in preschool and continues with three days a week of instruction in junior high. The school's phone number is (309) 662-3712.
Central Catholic High School is a diocesan Catholic high school serving Bloomington-Normal and five supporting parishes, and is the only Catholic high school in McLean County. Named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School, Central Catholic consistently ranks in the top seven percent of the Washington Post's Most Challenging High Schools in America. Every class begins in prayer; every student attends Theology during each of those four years and participates in at least one retreat. Students take part in Eucharistic Adoration throughout the year, contribute more than 5,800 hours of service annually through the Living the Faith program, and donate more than $10,000 each year to a charity chosen by the senior class. The school offers twenty athletic programs and a broad range of extracurricular activities. The school's phone number is (309) 661-7000.
High School Youth Ministry, Totus Tuus, and Vacation Bible School
The high school youth ministry of St. Patrick's of Merna welcomes teens in grades seven through twelve with a mission to know that they are known, loved, and chosen by God. Summer small groups meet Wednesday mornings during the summer for fellowship, study, and conversation in boys' and girls' groups. The year-round program builds Christ-centered friendships within the parish and takes teens into the wider community through service.
Each summer the parish hosts Totus Tuus, a week-long catechetical program in which teams of college-age students lead children and teens in classes, songs, skits, and games. The daytime program, for students entering grades one through six, runs Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. The evening program, for incoming seventh through twelfth graders, meets from 6:30 to 8:15 pm Sunday through Thursday. Scholarships are available for both programs. Vacation Bible School, another summer tradition, runs four evenings with a rainforest theme that explores the nature of God, with music, crafts, and games for the parish's children.
Music and the Liturgical Arts
Music is woven into the daily worship of the parish. Cantors and accompanists, all at least eighteen years old and trained to demonstrate proficiency, lead the congregation at weekend Masses, funerals, weddings, and special liturgies. The adult choir, open to those in high school and older, sings at the 9:00 am Sunday Mass every other week, throughout Advent and Easter, and at all Holy Week liturgies including the Easter Vigil. Rehearsals are held Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in the music room.
Children's choirs rehearse weekly. The third, fourth, and fifth graders meet on Tuesdays from 6:00 to 6:40 pm, and the sixth through eighth graders meet on Wednesdays from 5:00 to 6:00 pm. Each youth choir leads a monthly Mass, and both groups sing together at the Christmas Eve and Easter liturgies. At St. Mary's in Down, the music ministry is led separately by Colleen Cavi.
Other liturgical roles open to parishioners include lectors, who proclaim the Scriptures at Mass; extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, who assist the priest with the distribution of Communion and bring the Eucharist to the sick and homebound; ministers of hospitality, who serve as ushers and greeters; and altar servers, who assist the priest and deacon at the altar, beginning in fifth grade. High school students may serve as masters of ceremony, guiding the younger servers through the rite.
Helping Neighbors in Need
Helping Neighbors in Need is the parish's ongoing collection of non-perishable food and personal hygiene items. Drop-off bins stand in the coat closet across from the Welcome Center at St. Patrick's and at the Religious Education doors. The donations are distributed to clients of St. Vincent de Paul, the Holy Trinity food pantry, and other local groups as needs arise.
The St. Brigid Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul was founded at St. Patrick's of Merna in 2009, when the volume of requests handled by Monsignor Jerry Ward and Sister Rita Ann Bregenhorn had grown so large that sixteen parish volunteers were recruited to share the work. In its first year the conference served one hundred and ninety-four calls for help; by 2017 the number had grown to seven hundred and eighty-eight community members served each year. Since its formal founding the conference has helped more than four thousand individuals and families, keeping families in their apartments, keeping lights on, and restoring hope. Requests for assistance with rent, utilities, and food are handled by parishioner volunteers who visit each home and learn each story.
The St. Mary Ladies Auxiliary welcomes all the women of the parish for fellowship and service, meeting once a month at St. Mary's in Downs to plan charitable projects in support of the parish and the surrounding community. The Prayer Shawl Ministry, known as PURLS, gathers on the second Tuesday of each month, both at 10:00 am and at 6:30 pm, to knit and crochet shawls for parishioners who are undergoing difficulties. All skill levels are welcome. The Garden Ministry tends the Garden of Remembrance and other flower beds during the planting and growing seasons. The Heavenly Dusters are four rotating teams of volunteers who dust the church and chapel once each month in preparation for the weekend services.
Walking with the Grieving, the Separated, and Those Who Struggle
The parish's Grief Ministry coordinates GriefShare, a thirteen-week seminar and support group for those grieving the death of someone close. Each session includes a video seminar and a group discussion time. BeFrienders, a listening ministry of trained volunteers, walks alongside parishioners facing difficult or transitional circumstances, including illness, loneliness, separation or divorce, and the loss of a loved one. Recovering from Divorce, a thirteen-week small-group program, helps separated and divorced Catholics understand the emotional pain, draw on the resources of their faith, and learn practical tips for the days ahead. Books are provided and there is no charge to participate.
The parish also maintains a confidential network of ministries for men and women seeking healing from pornography, sexual addiction, or the trauma of betrayal. Sexual Integrity 101 is a nine-week introductory course for men seeking freedom from unwanted sexual behaviors; 7 Pillars of Freedom is a ten-month weekly small group; and Hope for Men offers a path for husbands who have been betrayed.
Men's, Women's, and Prayer Ministries
MAN UP! is the parish's flagship men's ministry. The group meets in Shamrock Hall at St. Patrick's every Friday morning from 5:30 to 6:45 am for about an hour of study, fellowship, and prayer, after which the men return home to see their children off to school or to begin the workday. The group follows The Path, the rule of life published by the Fathers of St. Joseph, and begins each morning with a guided prayer in the church before moving into Shamrock Hall for small-group conversation. Coffee is provided. The Knights of Columbus maintain an active presence at both campuses, and the parish also hosts a Kingdom Builders men's prayer team that meets on the fourth Thursday of each month from 8:30 to 9:30 am in the chapel.
The Seven Sisters Apostolate at Most Holy Eucharist currently supports three groups, one each for the pastor and the two parochial vicars. Seven Sisters is a commitment to pray a holy hour each day of the week for a specific priest or bishop, a lavishing of prayer for his deeper conformity to Christ. The Kingdom Builders women's prayer team meets on the second Thursday of each month from 1:00 to 2:00 pm in the chapel. The Prayer Network compiles submitted intentions and circulates them by email to the prayer warriors who have signed up to intercede for others.
Hospitality, Fellowship, and Getting Involved
Donut Sundays at St. Patrick's are held on the third Sunday of the month after each Mass, when parishioners gather in Shamrock Hall for donuts, coffee, and juice. At St. Mary's in Down, Donut Sundays follow the 9:00 am Mass on the Sundays when Religious Education is in session. The Parish Hospitality Directors, known as the PHDs, plan Pizza with the Priests for new parishioners, Mass and Munchies gatherings, senior dinners throughout the year, and other welcome events.
The Funeral Luncheon Volunteers prepare and serve a meal to the family and guests after a funeral liturgy. Parish Nurses are licensed R.N.s who meet with parishioners on the third weekend of every month after Masses for health education, referral assistance, and pastoral conversation. Volunteers who work with children complete the three-part Safe Environment Training required by the Diocese of Peoria, and volunteers who drive on parish business complete the diocesan Vehicle Training.
Adults and teens at least twelve years old may volunteer in the nursery at St. Patrick's during the 9:00 am and 11:00 am Sunday Masses. Children from nine months (and walking) through four years old are welcomed, with the same parent expected to drop off and pick up. The nursery is free. Parents may request Children's Liturgy of the Word for older children at the 9:00 am Mass.
Giving and Parish Life
The parish offers online giving through the Online Giving portal, with one-time or recurring donations by debit card, credit card, checking, or savings account. Weekly or monthly offering envelopes are mailed to parishioners and may be dropped in the collection basket or mailed to the parish office. The parish also accepts donations through bank bill pay, as well as farm commodities, stocks, mutual funds, IRA charitable distributions, and legacy gifts through trusts and bequests. Memorial giving and endowment giving are also available.
Most Holy Eucharist Parish livestreams its liturgies on Facebook and YouTube, maintains a presence on Instagram for youth ministry, and provides a free myParish app with daily readings, the saint of the day, prayers, and parish announcements. The parish bulletin is published weekly and mailed to parishioners, and a monthly newsletter is emailed to all addresses on file. The Catholic Spirit Radio, EWTN, Catholic radio stations, and the Diocese of Peoria are listed among the parish's helpful external links.
St. Patrick's of Merna and St. Mary's of Downs are bound together by more than a shared pastorate. They share a stained-glass tradition, a school system, a St. Vincent de Paul conference, a music program, a calendar of feast days, and a commitment to bring every member of the parish, from the youngest to the oldest, into the life of the sacraments and the service of their neighbors in Bloomington-Normal and McLean County.