Our History

April 6, 1956
Groundbreaking for Holy Family Parish in Peoria, Illinois

June 1956
Bishop Cousins appoints Father Walter Buche as Pastor of the new parish

July 15, 1956
First Mass celebrated as a parish community in the chapel located in the school building

September 10, 1956
Holy Family Parish School begins its first school year, staffed by three Benedictine Sisters and three lay teachers

Spring 1957
Construction of Rectory completed

Fall 1959
Construction of Cafeteria and additional classrooms completed

May 1961
Benedictine Sisters move into new convent on Wagner Lane

March 25, 1973
Groundbreaking for church building

December 24, 1973
First Mass celebrated in the church

April 28, 1974
Mass of Dedication for Holy Family Church

October 10, 1979
Conventual Franciscans of Saint Bonaventure Province assume pastoral care of the parish;
Fr. Aloysius Romanowski, OFM Conv. says first Mass as pastor

June 12–13, 1981
First annual Heritage Days Festival marks twenty–fifth anniversary of the parish

October 4, 1982
Dedication of new organ for church

Fall 1988
Renovation of Sanctuary and new carpeting in church

April 19, 1991
Dedication of the Holy Family Memory Garden

October 4, 1998
Opening of the Bread of Life Eucharistic Adoration Chapel

July 14–16, 2006
Holy Family celebrates its fiftieth anniversary

November 12, 2006
Rectory/Friary destroyed by fire

Summer 2007
Construction begins on new friary residence and office complex

Spring 2008
New friary residence and parish offices completed

October 2008
Parish celebrates 10th anniversary of Eucharistic Adoration Chapel

October 2009
30th anniversary of the Conventual Franciscans arriving at Holy Family

Spring 2013
Renovation of Church; improvements to parking lot

June 2014
Our capital campaign to remodel and retire parish debt reaches its goal to raise $967,000.