Parish Events and News
Solemnity of Sacred Heart of Jesus & 40 Hours Devotion
June 27th & 28th
Join us for a special celebration in Utica. Celebrate the feast that honors the boundless love, compassion, and enduring heart of Christ for all humanity.
We will begin on Friday evening with the celebration of Holy Mass at 7:00 p.m. Immediately following, we will hold a Eucharistic Procession to the main road through town (about 4-5 blocks).
On Saturday, we will offer Eucharistic Adoration from 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Confession time will also be available from 1:00-5:00 p.m. that day.
We are happy to welcome Fr. John Thieryoung as our main celebrant and homilist for this event.
National Eucharistic Pilgrimage
The 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage began on May 18th with an opening Mass in Indianapolis. The pilgrimage will cover approximately 3,300 miles across the Midwest and Southwest regions of the United States, concluding in Los Angeles on Corpus Christi (June 22nd). Throughout the journey, there will be numerous opportunities for daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and other events hosted by the various dioceses along the route. St. Mary's was proud to be a small piece of this special adventure.
150th Diocesan Anniversary
The marking of the 150th Anniversary of the Diocese of Peoria is meant to be a time of great spiritual, ecclesial, and social significance in the life of the local Church. The anniversary celebration of the Diocese of Peoria will begin on February 12, 2025 with the opening Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, and will continue until the closing Mass on May 22, 2027.
During this time, St. Mary Church will be one of six Pilgrimage Sites that may be visited. The faithful will be able to obtain the 150th Anniversary indulgence granted by the Holy Father if they partake in a pious pilgrimage to any sacred pilgrimage site.
Eucharistic Holy Hour
We offer adoration time weekly on Tuesdays from 7:00-8:00 p.m. Come sit and rest in our Lord's presence.
Confessions are also available.
Mass and Sacraments
Mass Schedule
Saturday Vigil Mass: 5pm
Sunday Masses: 8 and 10am
Weekday Masses: 7am
First Communion
& Confirmation
Arranged through our CCD program for children. Adults please contact the church.
Confessions
Online confession guide here.
Saturday: 4-4:45pm
Sunday: 7:30-7:45am
First Friday: 5:15-6:00pm
Anointing of the Sick
Please contact the church anytime day or night.
Holy Matrimony
Contact the church to schedule and begin preparation at least eight months before the wedding.
Baptism
Contact the parish office to schedule an infant baptism.
For adults, our regional RCIA program meets in the fall.
On Holy Thursday, April 11, 1675, Francis Jacques Marquette offered the first parochial Mass in the Illinois Country at Utica in the presence of 5,000 Native Americans. Father Marquette and his companion Louis Joliet, took possession of this land in the name of Jesus Christ and founded the Mission of the Immaculate Conception. A monument in his honor stands in the northeast corner of the property.
That mission eventually became the Church of Saint Mary. In 1858 a small frame church was built which was destroyed by fire seventeen years later and a brick and stone church was built on the site of the former Saint Mary School.
In 1883 the Reverend Charles Xavier O'Neill was appointed the first pastor of Saint Mary's but never took up residence there. The Reverend Canon Jeremiah Moynihan was appointed the first resident pastor in 1884. The Reverend Francis J. O'Reilly succeeded Canon Moynihan in 1888 and in the same year erected the present church.
Take a look at the Memorial's 1951 Commemorative Booklet.
Historic St. Mary's
