DIOCESE OF PEORIA
Total Population: 1,428,303

• 26 Counties

• Percent of Population that is Catholic: 10.8%

• 156 parishes and 2 (missions/shrines)
  

PRIESTS

• There are 118 diocesan priests in active parish ministry in the Diocese of Peoria, and 43 retired priests. Including religious priests and priests from other dioceses, there are 145 priests serving in parishes in the Diocese of Peoria.

• 70% of the priests are over the age of 50.

• In the next 10 years, we may have fewer than 100 active priests.

• Currently, there are more parishes than diocesan priests serving in parishes.
  

SACRAMENTS AND MINISTRY STATISTICS

• Mass attendance is down 19% from 2011 – 2019, and then an additional 22% from 2019-2022. Infant Baptisms are down 27% since 2015/2016.

• Funerals are down 10% since 2015/2016.

• Catholic marriages are down 34% since 2015/2016.

• Our baptism and marriage trends reflect the national landscape, as they are half of what they were 20 years ago.
  

GROWING DISCIPLES PROCESS

• Two years ago, Bishop Tylka initiated a process centered not upon the reality of decline, but rather a process of renewal seeking opportunities for growth.

• Originating from listening sessions of his first two years serving as Coadjutor Bishop, the Bishop articulated five foundations on which to create a better, more vibrant Church: Evangelization, Discipleship, The Eucharist, Vocations and the legacy of Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

• The Bishop enlisted the help of the Catholic Leadership Institute to guide the Growing Disciples process of assessing our current structure and discerning a more mission-driven sustainable structure for the future.

• The Diocese compiles sacramental, financial and demographic statistics for every parish in the Diocese of Peoria.

• Our Growing Disciples Core Team, Consultants, Priests, Curia Offices, Diocesan Planning Commission, and Key Parish Leaders provided opportunities for conversations, prayer and discerning. We gathered feedback from thousands of parishioners and community members.

• The Growing Disciples Core Team created three consecutive and different draft models, building on feedback from the previous draft model.

• The Presbyteral Council, as required by Church law, provided consultative input to the Bishop by reviewing all of the data pertaining to each parish.