About St. Catherine Church- St. Mary Magdalene Parish · Aledo, Illinois
St. Mary Magdalene Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the Catholic Diocese of Peoria, serving the Catholic faithful of Mercer County in western Illinois. It was canonically established on January 26, 2022, through the merger of three former Mercer County parishes: St. Catherine in Aledo (the principal church and seat of parish governance), St. Anthony in Matherville (a subsidiary church), and the former St. John in Viola, whose faith community was absorbed after their church was destroyed by an arson fire in 2021. The parish is pastored by Father John Thieryoung, who has served the Mercer County Catholic communities since 2002, and the parish office is located in St. Catherine's Rectory at 106 N.E. 4th Street in Aledo. It serves roughly 200 active Catholic households across rural Mercer County.
- Established
- 2022
- Patron
- St. Mary Magdalene (parish); St. Catherine of Alexandria (principal church); St. Anthony (Matherville church)
- Rector
- Father John Thieryoung
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Peoria (Galesburg Vicariate)
Why belong here
St. Mary Magdalene Parish is a small, family-sized Catholic community of about 200 households spread across rural Mercer County, gathered around the historic St. Catherine Church in Aledo and St. Anthony Church in Matherville. Parishioners worship at traditional Sunday Masses and Saturday Vigil Masses in both churches, gather for parish-wide social events, and are led by Father John Thieryoung, who has shepherded these faith communities for more than two decades. Visiting families will find a welcoming rural parish with regular confession times, weekly bulletins, a parish video library, and an active parish council and trustees guiding its life.
Mass times at St. Catherine Church- St. Mary Magdalene Parish
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- St. Catherine Church, Aledo: Saturdays 7:00–7:50 AM
- St. Catherine Church, Aledo: Sundays 7:10–7:50 AM
- St. Anthony Church, Matherville: Thursdays during Holy Hour, starting at 7:00 AM
- St. Anthony Church, Matherville: Saturdays 3:00–3:50 PM
Adoration times
- St. Anthony Church, Matherville: Thursdays during Holy Hour starting at 7:00 AM
Parish History
St. Mary Magdalene Parish was canonically erected on January 26, 2022, when Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, signed the decree merging St. Catherine (Aledo), St. Anthony (Matherville), and St. John (Viola) into a single parish. The merger was recommended by Father John Thieryoung and approved after consultation with the diocesan Presbyteral Council, citing the long collaboration between the parishes under a shared pastor, the warm welcome extended to Viola parishioners after the 2021 arson fire, and the declining overall and Catholic population of rural Mercer County. The new parish's name honors the patron painted above the high altar of the pioneer St. Mary Church in Keithsburg (built 1868, closed 2013), where Mary Magdalene was depicted embracing the cross.
- St. Catherine Parish, Aledo — founded 1914; present church built 1930 under Father J. T. Shields
- St. Anthony, Matherville — mission of St. Catherine 1914–1967; present church and rectory built 1981
- St. John, Viola — roots to 1885; the 1974 church was destroyed by arson in May 2021
- Three Catholic cemeteries (St. Mary/Keithsburg, St. John/Viola, St. Joseph/Aledo-Matherville) remain independent of the merger
St. Catherine Church (Aledo)
St. Catherine Church, located at 106 N.E. 4th Street in Aledo, is the principal church and seat of parish governance for St. Mary Magdalene Parish. Founded in 1914 and rebuilt in 1930, it has long served as the diocesan base for Catholic life in Mercer County. The parish center was added in 1968.
- Address: 106 N.E. 4th Street, Aledo, IL 61231
- Year established: 1914
- Present church building: 1930 (under Father J. T. Shields)
- Parish center built 1968
- Home to the parish office (St. Catherine Rectory)
St. Anthony Church (Matherville)
St. Anthony Church in Matherville is a subsidiary worship site of St. Mary Magdalene Parish, located at 1386 252nd Street, Matherville, IL 61263. It served as a mission of St. Catherine from 1914 until it became its own parish in 1967; the present church and rectory were built in 1981.
- Address: 1386 252nd Street, Matherville, IL 61263
- Year established: 1967 (mission of St. Catherine 1914–1967)
- Present church and rectory: 1981
Clergy and Staff
Father John Thieryoung serves as pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Parish, continuing his shepherding of the Mercer County Catholic communities that began in 2002. JoDene Huntley is the parish secretary. Two trustees — Jacqueline McKnight and Mark Boehmer — serve the parish alongside the pastor.
- Pastor: Father John Thieryoung (ordained May 25, 1996; in Mercer County since 2002)
- Secretary: JoDene Huntley
- Trustees: Jacqueline McKnight and Mark Boehmer
- Parish office hours: Mondays and Thursdays, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Parish Life and Ministries
The merged parish operates with a parish council, two elected trustees, and rotating ministry schedules for each worship site. Father Thieryoung and parishioners have discussed additional ways to unite and communicate across the new parish, including a parish app, a new website, a parish directory, and a prayer chain. A weekly parish bulletin and a parish video library (featuring devotional content such as the Litany of the Saints) support ongoing formation and communication.
- Parish Council
- Trustees: Jacqueline McKnight, Mark Boehmer
- Ministry Schedules for St. Anthony, St. Catherine, and (historical) St. John
- Parish app, directory, and prayer chain (launched 2022)
- Weekly bulletin (e.g., St. Mary Magdalene Parish Bulletin)
- Video library with devotionals such as the Litany of the Saints
Diocese and Vicariate
St. Mary Magdalene Parish belongs to the Catholic Diocese of Peoria and is part of the diocese's Galesburg Vicariate. The merger creating the parish was enacted by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, and co-signed by Msgr. Philip Halfacre, vicar general, following consultation with the Presbyteral Council.
- Diocese: Catholic Diocese of Peoria
- Vicariate: Galesburg Vicariate
- Establishing authority: Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC
- Vicar general: Msgr. Philip Halfacre
Contact and Office
Parish office operations are centralized in the St. Catherine Rectory in Aledo, the principal church and seat of parish governance.
- Office: 106 N.E. 4th Street, Aledo, IL 61231 (St. Catherine Rectory)
- Phone: 309-582-7500
- Office hours: Mondays and Thursdays, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Website: http://www.cpomc.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father J. T. Shieldscirca 1930
Directed construction of the present St. Catherine Church in Aledo.
- Father C. M. Meyer1945–1980
Served St. Catherine Parish for 35 years.
- Father John Thieryoung2002–present
Pastor of the Mercer County Catholic communities (St. Catherine, St. Anthony, St. John) since 2002; became first pastor of the merged St. Mary Magdalene Parish in 2022. Born January 6, 1960 in Cleveland, Ohio; ordained May 25, 1996.