Belleville astronaut Sandy Magnus with residents at the Benedictine Living Community before her April 17 visit (Submitted). By David Wilhelm Messenger Editor Sr. Barb Biver remembers the time several years ago when an Elvis Presley impersonator came to entertain residents at the Benedictine Living Community at the Shrine of Our […]
Dominic Grzegorek, of Ashley, regularly prays at the grotto (right) for the Blessed Mother Mary that was built on his property by Nashville mason Dave Schuette. “It’s a way of honoring her and showing respect for her, and it turned out really good,” Grzegorek said (Submitted). By Linda Norris Messenger […]
Raphael H. “Rafe” Middeke, 92, of Trenton, formerly of Damiansville, died at 6:25 a.m. Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at Aviston Countryside Manor. He was born June 21, 1933, in rural Clinton County, a son of the late Bernard and Mary (nee Hellmann) Middeke. After attending St. Rose Elementary School, Rafe […]
A U.S. Army detachment from Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri carries the remains of World War II veteran Edgar William “Billy” Nevois to his final resting place at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Prairie du Rocher. At left, Illinois Patriot Guard Riders hold flags and salute Nevois, who died in […]
In August 2023, nine Catholics came together as members of the Diocesan Young Adult Council for the Diocese of Belleville. “Throughout the first year, growth was slow and difficult,” said Mark Loyet, director of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Belleville. “Covid was not all that far […]
Joe Hubbard, who spent a lifetime helping the impoverished, underprivileged and ill, died at 7:17 p.m. on Sept. 10 at age 82. Hubbard’s care and compassion for needy people in the Diocese of Belleville was legendary, and his service led many of them to refer to him as a “saint,” […]
The massive sandstone grotto at Camp Ondessonk in Ozark, located deep in southern Illinois, is like a cave and can be used as a shelter during storms (Submitted photo from recent Earth Day Mass). In the pre-dawn hours of July 4, catastrophic flooding of the Guadalupe River in west-central Texas […]
