About Immaculate Conception · Manito, Illinois
Immaculate Conception Church is a Catholic mission church located in the small Mason County community of Manito, Illinois. It is part of St. Isidore the Farmer Parish in the Diocese of Peoria, a combined pastorate officially formed on March 15, 2025, that also includes St. Mary Church in Delavan and St. Joseph Church in Hopedale. The current Manito church was built in 2015 under the leadership of Fr. David Whiteside and dedicated by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, replacing an earlier building on the same site. Today the parish is served by Fr. Geoff Horton and a team of deacons, with Sunday Mass celebrated at 10:30 a.m. and a Wednesday morning weekday Mass at 9:00 a.m.
- Established
- 1870
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of her Immaculate Conception
- Rector
- Fr. Geoff Horton
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception offers a small, family-sized Catholic community in rural Mason County, with a brand-new (2015) church, a working fellowship hall, and a parish campus that lives out its faith in concrete ways — through the Bread of Life Bakers fundraiser, the Journey in Faith youth group, and the youth-built Blessing Box that distributes food and necessities 24/7 to neighbors in need. Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday morning Mass, monthly adoration, and easy confession before Sunday Mass make it a welcoming place for families and visitors alike. As a mission church of St. Isidore the Farmer Parish in the Diocese of Peoria, parishioners benefit from a broader pastoral team of a priest and four deacons serving three churches together.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 10:00 AM – 10:20 AM (30 minutes before Sunday Mass)
Adoration times
- Third Thursday of January, April, July, and October, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (alternates monthly with St. Mary's and St. Joseph; see parish calendar for location)
History of Immaculate Conception, Manito
Catholic life in Manito stretches back to 1870, when the community was first recorded in the Diocese of Peoria. In 1877 the small congregation became a mission of St. Patrick's Parish in Havana. Fr. Thomas Cashman built the first Catholic church in Manito in 1890, and the property was deeded that same year to the Catholic Bishop of Chicago by James McHarry. St. Frederick Cemetery, just down the road, was established in 1880 through a land donation by Frederick and Caroline Knollhoff to Bishop John Spalding of Peoria. After decades in the original church, the 1964 land donation of Katherine Hamilton allowed the Diocese of Peoria to build a second church at 505 South Adams Street in 1970.
- 1870 — Catholic community recorded in Manito (Diocese of Peoria)
- 1877 — Becomes a mission of St. Patrick's, Havana
- 1880 — St. Frederick Cemetery established
- 1890 — Fr. Thomas Cashman builds the first Catholic church in Manito
- 1970 — Diocese of Peoria builds the second church at 505 South Adams Street
Building the 2015 Church
By 2010 the 1970 church was in serious disrepair. Bishop Daniel R. Jenky appointed Fr. David Whiteside as pastor of St. Patrick's, Havana, together with Immaculate Conception, Manito, with the explicit mandate to build a new church for the Manito community. The old building was demolished in 2014, and on September 27, 2015, the new Immaculate Conception Church — including a fellowship hall and kitchen — was dedicated by Bishop Jenky. The construction was made possible by prayer and the donated time and talents of many parishioners and volunteers.
- 2010 — Fr. David Whiteside appointed; charged by Bishop Jenky to build a new church
- 2014 — Old church demolished
- September 27, 2015 — New church dedicated by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky
Clergy and Staff of St. Isidore the Farmer Parish
Since the formation of St. Isidore the Farmer Parish on March 15, 2025, Immaculate Conception has been served by the combined pastoral team of the new pastorate, alongside St. Mary's in Delavan and St. Joseph in Hopedale. The parish office is centrally located at St. Mary's in Delavan.
- Pastor — Fr. Geoff Horton
- Deacons — Dcn. Gene LaBelle, Dcn. Robert "Bob" Sondag, Dcn. Bill Meyer, Dcn. Jon Dosher
- Director of Religious Education — Pam Elliott
- Administrative Assistants — Gayle Williamson and Carolyn Zimmer
- Parish Office — Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM, at St. Mary's, Delavan
Parish Ministries and Outreach
Immaculate Conception is known for its active lay-led ministries. The Bread of Life Bakers, the parish's signature fundraiser, produces povitica bread, pizza, cookies, and cheesecake, with proceeds supporting the parish mission. The Journey in Faith youth group, directed by Gloria Lovelace, builds and maintains the parish's Blessing Box — an outdoor 24/7 pantry on Adams Street that shares food, hygiene items, and necessities with the wider Manito community. Religious education for children is coordinated by Director of Religious Education Pam Elliott.
- Bread of Life Bakers (povitica, pizza, cookies, cheesecake)
- Journey in Faith youth group and Blessing Box
- Religious Education / Faith Formation
- Electronic tithing and parish stewardship
The Blessing Box — A 24/7 Outreach
In August 2018, after a Sunday Mass in which Jesus was proclaimed as the "Bread of Life," Immaculate Conception's youth group dedicated and stocked an outdoor Blessing Box — a raised, lit receptacle with safety-glass doors that makes non-perishable food, hygiene supplies, and other necessities available around the clock. Inspired by Matthew 25:35 ("I was hungry and you gave me something to eat"), the project was designed and built largely by the teens themselves, using bricks, siding, and roofing tiles left over from the 2015 church construction. The teens even gave the box a miniature version of the church's Holy Spirit stained-glass window. Every item placed in the box carries an inspirational sticker, and the youth refill it after each Sunday Mass.
- Built by the Journey in Faith youth group, 2017–2018
- Stocked after every Sunday Mass
- Open 24/7 on parish grounds, visible from Adams Street
St. Isidore the Farmer Parish (Combined Pastorate)
On March 15, 2025, Immaculate Conception (Manito), St. Mary (Delavan), and St. Joseph (Hopedale) officially merged to form St. Isidore the Farmer Parish in the Diocese of Peoria. The three churches retain their own identities, buildings, and Mass schedules but share one pastor (Fr. Geoff Horton), one pastoral team, and a single parish office located at St. Mary's in Delavan. The Diocese of Peoria records the year established for the Manito church as 1870, and the year established for the Delavan church as 1867, with Hopedale's St. Joseph dating to 1909.
- Parish Established: March 15, 2025
- Member churches: Immaculate Conception (Manito), St. Mary (Delavan, 1867), St. Joseph (Hopedale, 1909)
- Pastorate office at St. Mary's, Delavan
Visiting Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception Church is located at 501 South Adams Street in Manito — Adams Street being the community's main road through Mason County. Visitors are warmly welcomed at Sunday Mass (10:30 a.m.), Wednesday Mass (9:00 a.m.), or during the monthly Thursday evening adoration. The parish campus includes the church itself plus a fellowship hall and kitchen used for parish events and outreach. The parish office (serving all three St. Isidore the Farmer churches) is staffed Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., at St. Mary's, Delavan.
- Address: 501 S. Adams St., Manito, IL 61546
- Parish phone: (309) 244-8516
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Thomas Cashmancirca 1890
Built the first Catholic church in Manito in 1890; the property was deeded by James McHarry to the Catholic Bishop of Chicago on July 13, 1890.
- Fr. Charles Beebemid-20th century
Was the priest who began coming to Manito regularly on weekends to celebrate Mass, following auxiliary service by Viatorian priests from Spalding Institute in Peoria.
- Fr. David Whiteside2010–c. 2025
Appointed by Bishop Jenky in 2010 as pastor of St. Patrick's, Havana, together with Immaculate Conception, Manito. Charged with building a new Manito church; oversaw construction and the dedication of the new building by Bishop Jenky on September 27, 2015. Added pastoral care of St. Mary, Lewistown, in 2017. Ordained May 24, 1997, by Bishop John J. Myers.