About Immaculate Conception · Carthage, Illinois
Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic church in Carthage, Illinois, serving the Catholic community of the county seat of Hancock County in western Illinois. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Peoria and, since the 2025 Growing Disciples realignment, is one of three active church sites of Holy Archangels Parish, alongside Sts. Peter and Paul in Nauvoo and Sacred Heart in Warsaw. Immaculate Conception hosts a Saturday Vigil Mass and a Sunday Mass, hosts a weekly Tuesday Mass, a monthly Spanish Mass, and serves as a center for faith formation, outreach, and fellowship in Carthage. The parish is staffed jointly with the other Hancock County Catholic churches from the rectory at Villa Marie in Nauvoo.
- Established
- 1878
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception
- Rector
- Fr. Anthony J. (Tony) Trosley, Pastor of Holy Archangels Parish
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception offers a small-town Catholic community with a full sacramental life: Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses, a weekly Tuesday Mass, a monthly Spanish Mass, and regular opportunities for confession and adoration. The parish is a hub for faith formation through CCD classes (now held in the new parish hall) and serves the broader Carthage area through an active outreach ministry. As part of Holy Archangels Parish, it combines the warmth of a local church with the strength of a shared Catholic community across Hancock County.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes before weekend Masses (Nauvoo, Carthage, Dallas City, Warsaw)
- 15 minutes before daily Mass
- After Mass at Hamilton
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as scheduled (see bulletin)
Parish Identity & Mission
Immaculate Conception is the Catholic church serving Carthage and surrounding rural areas of southern Hancock County. Its mission, as stated on the cluster website, is shared across all the Hancock County Catholic churches: 'We, the Hancock County Catholic Churches, Work Together to Form Disciples of JESUS, to Lead All to HIM in the Eucharist, and to be HIS Presence in the World.' Since 2025 the parish has operated as part of Holy Archangels Parish, a unified Catholic community covering the entire county.
- Diocese of Peoria
- Holy Archangels Parish (multi-site parish formed 2025)
- Three active church sites: Carthage, Nauvoo, Warsaw
History of Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception was established in 1878 to serve the Catholics of Carthage, the seat of Hancock County. The parish has worshipped continuously at 125 N. Fayette Street since then. Its most visible recent milestone was the November 2019 blessing of a new parish hall that solved chronic space and accessibility problems. In 2025 the parish entered a new chapter as part of Holy Archangels Parish.
- 1878 – Parish established
- 2019 – New parish hall blessed (Nov. 24)
- 2025 (July 1) – Joined Holy Archangels Parish
- 2025 (June 27–28) – Final Masses at Sacred Heart Dallas City and St. Mary Hamilton
Architecture & Facilities
While the original church building itself is not described in detail online, the parish's principal recent construction project is well documented. The 2019 parish hall, an 80-by-88-foot Morton building, was designed by Anthony Crane of Architechnics Inc. in Quincy and built by Trotter Contracting Inc. of Macomb.
- 80 ft × 88 ft parish hall
- Fellowship hall seating 225
- Commercial-grade kitchen
- Six classrooms (3 also serve as tornado shelters)
- Parish offices
- Small apartment for visiting priests
- Covered walkway connecting hall and church
- Stained-glass window from former St. Mary, West Point, above main entrance
Clergy, Deacons & Staff
Immaculate Conception is served by the priests and staff of Holy Archangels Parish. The current pastor, Fr. Anthony J. Trosley, has ministered in Hancock County since 2003 and was named first pastor of the consolidated parish in 2025. Two deacons assist across the cluster, and the parish draws on a full team of lay staff for faith formation, outreach, business, and parish operations.
- Fr. Anthony J. Trosley – Pastor (ordained 1978)
- Fr. James G. Pallardy – Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Thomas R. Szydlik – former Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Tony Herdrich
- Deacon Dan Moffitt
- Ann Cokel – Carthage Secretary
- Susan Knipe – Business Manager
- Trisha Mitchell – Religious Education Coordinator
- Barb Drozdz – Outreach Coordinator
- Erin Cuthbert – Operations Coordinator
Mass & Worship Schedule
Immaculate Conception hosts the Saturday Vigil Mass for the western part of the cluster and one of the two Sunday Masses. A weekly Tuesday Mass is celebrated at the church, and a monthly Spanish Mass has been added for the area's Spanish-speaking Catholic community.
- Saturday Vigil: 4:00 PM (Immaculate Conception)
- Sunday: 10:00 AM (Immaculate Conception)
- Sunday: 5:00 PM (Spanish Mass, monthly)
- Tuesday: 8:00 AM (Immaculate Conception)
Faith Formation & CCD
Religious education for the parish's school-aged children takes place in the six classrooms of the new parish hall, where a covered walkway leads directly to the church so children can attend Mass before or after class. Trisha Mitchell serves as Religious Education Coordinator across the cluster.
- CCD classes (Sunday morning)
- Religious Education Coordinator: Trisha Mitchell
- First Communion preparation
- Confirmation preparation (Bishop Tylka administered in spring 2025)
Spanish-Language Ministry
Immaculate Conception serves as the home of the cluster's Spanish-language ministry, celebrating a monthly Spanish Mass on Sunday evenings and supporting sacramental preparation for Spanish-speaking families.
- Monthly Spanish Mass (e.g., May 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM)
- Bilingual First Communion, Confirmation, Baptism, Marriage preparation
- Parent meetings with Spanish-speaking parishioners
Outreach & Charity
Barb Drozdz serves as Outreach Coordinator for the Hancock County Catholic churches, organizing the cluster's charitable and social-service work. The parish also serves as a gathering point for funeral dinners, bridal showers, and parish fellowship events in its new hall.
- Outreach Coordinator: Barb Drozdz
- Funeral dinners hosted in the parish hall
- Fellowship events (bridal showers, birthdays, etc.)
- Parish prayer contacts network
Prayer & Devotions
The parish maintains a regular rhythm of Eucharistic devotion and intercessory prayer, including a daily live-streamed Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and seasonal Marian observances such as May Crownings.
- Daily Rosary (Mon/Tue/Fri at noon, live-streamed)
- Chaplet of Divine Mercy (3:00 PM live-streamed)
- May Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Healing Service with prayers to Bishop Fulton Sheen
- Memorial to the Unborn
Sacraments
All seven Catholic sacraments are available to parishioners through Immaculate Conception and the wider Holy Archangels Parish, with preparation programs offered in both English and Spanish.
- Baptism
- First Holy Communion
- Confirmation
- Marriage
- Anointing of the Sick
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- Eucharist
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Anthony J. Trosley2009–present
Pastor of the five Hancock County Catholic churches from 2009; named first pastor of the combined Holy Archangels Parish in 2025. Ordained May 27, 1978; born in Wood River, IL.
- Fr. Thomas R. Szydlikserved 2019 period
Parochial Vicar of the Hancock County Catholic Community at the time of the 2019 parish hall blessing.