Diocese of Belleville educators Peggy Butler (above) of Blessed Sacrament Grade School in Belleville and David Schauer of Gibault Catholic High School in Waterloo recently received Excellence in Teaching Awards from Emerson Electric. More than 100 teachers in the St. Louis metropolitan area, from the kindergarten through college levels, were […]
Allie Miller, a senior at Marian University in Indianapolis, uses an X-ray fluorescence macro-scanner to analyze the painting “Madonna and Child” in the collection of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields during her time there as an intern this past summer. The United States Postal Service selected the painting […]
Former Diocese of Belleville Bishop and current Bishop Emeritus Edward K. Braxton at his home in west Belleville (David Wilhelm photo). THE MESSENGER: You have been a priest for 54 years and a bishop for 29 years. What have been some of the most fulfilling aspects of your journey? BISHOP […]
Diocese of Belleville Bishop Michael McGovern greets parishioners as they exit the church following the 200th Anniversary Mass and celebration at St. Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Church on Oct. 19 in Hecker (Tim Vizer photo). We’re part of a story That’s over a century old, A tale of Catholic settlers […]
Carolyn Ponting isn’t going anywhere. Ponting, 84, lives in a cozy ranch house in Cairo. She is one of a small number of people who have chosen to remain in the small southern Illinois city. Cairo has seen dramatic population loss and economic decline since the early 20th century and […]
Bishop Michael McGovern celebrated six months as Bishop of Belleville on Jan. 22. The Messenger recently asked Bishop McGovern to reflect on the challenges and accomplishments during those six months. You were installed as the ninth bishop of Belleville on July 22, 2020, during a global pandemic. As a new […]
Alejandro Avalos and his wife, Gabriela De La Cruz, both immigrated from Mexico as young adults. They met in the United States. After they were married, they settled in Albers, where they live with their two children, Ana, a freshman at Mater Dei Catholic High School in Breese, and Alejandra, a 5th grade student at Albers Elementary School. “When Ana was younger, it was a dream to send her to Mater Dei,” Avalos says. “With the help of scholarships, Ana has the opportunity to attend Mater Dei and learn the Catholic values my wife and I want her to grow up with.
