About St. Elizabeth · Thomasboro, Illinois
St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in Thomasboro, Illinois, about 100 miles south of Chicago in northern Champaign County. Founded in the early 1890s as a mission of St. John in Champaign, the parish has long served the farming community along the Illinois Central (now Canadian National) railroad. Today, St. Elizabeth is one of three worship sites of St. Malachy Parish in the Diocese of Peoria and is led by Pastor Fr. Joel Phelps, who also serves as Vicar Forane of the Champaign Vicariate. The parish offers a Saturday Vigil Mass, a Tuesday evening Mass, and a monthly Holy Hour, with ministries enriched by bilingual (English/Spanish) leadership across the multi-church cluster.
- Established
- 1892
- Patron
- St. Elizabeth of Hungary
- Rector
- Rev. Joel (Joel) Phelps
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peoria (Champaign Vicariate)
Why belong here
St. Elizabeth of Hungary is a small, faithful farming parish with more than 130 years of Catholic life in Thomasboro. It belongs to St. Malachy Parish, a thriving multi-site community that runs St. Malachy School in Rantoul, cares for three parish cemeteries, and offers ministries in both English and Spanish — including a noon Spanish Mass. Parishioners can worship at St. Elizabeth's intimate Saturday Vigil and Tuesday evening Masses, join devotions like the monthly Holy Hour (third Tuesday after Mass), and tap into the wider cluster's faith formation, music, and sacramental preparation. For families and individuals in northern Champaign County seeking a parish rooted in Dominican spirituality, tied to the legacy of Chanute Air Force Base, and led by a bilingual pastor who also coordinates the Diocese of Peoria's Champaign Vicariate, St. Elizabeth is a warm and accessible spiritual home.
Mass times at St. Elizabeth
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
- Tuesday: 5:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
- Before Holy Day Vigil: 5:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Adoration times
- Holy Hour — Third Tuesday after the 6:00 p.m. Mass
Parish History
St. Elizabeth of Hungary traces its roots to 1892–93, when it began as a mission of St. John in Champaign to serve Catholic families in the small Illinois Central railroad town of Thomasboro. The first frame church was built on land donated by Azro Arms on the south side of Clark Street, near the village's southwest corner. Over six decades the parish rebuilt, remodeled, and added a bell tower, then relocated in the 1950s to its present Church Street and Central Avenue site, dedicated November 19, 1956. After a 1958 fire destroyed the original Clark Street church and rectory, St. Elizabeth continued to grow as a farming-community parish under the care of pastors serving the wider Champaign Vicariate, and in 2024 was merged into the St. Malachy Parish multi-site cluster by Bishop Louis Tylka.
- Founded 1892–93 as a mission of St. John Parish, Champaign
- First frame church on land donated by Azro Arms, southwest corner of Clark & Church Streets
- Bell tower added late 1930s; renovation in 1954
- Old school purchased 1957 as parish hall (401 N. Church St.)
- Present church on south edge of town dedicated Nov. 19, 1956
- Original church and rectory destroyed by fire March 12, 1958
- 2024 merger with St. Malachy (Rantoul), St. Lawrence (Penfield), St. Charles Borromeo (Homer)
Patron Saint: St. Elizabeth of Hungary
The parish takes its name from St. Elizabeth of Hungary, born in Pressburg in 1207, daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and Queen Gertrude. A princess who embraced radical Franciscan simplicity, she is remembered for her profound charity to the poor and her devotion to prayer. The Roman Catholic Church celebrates her memorial on November 17 — and it was on that same feast day that the present St. Elizabeth of Hungary church in Thomasboro was formally dedicated in 1956.
- Feast day: November 17
- Born 1207 at Pressburg (Bratislava); daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary
- Franciscan tertiary; renowned for care of the poor
Devotions
St. Elizabeth continues the practice of Eucharistic devotion with a monthly Holy Hour held on the third Tuesday of each month immediately following the 6:00 p.m. Mass. Cluster-wide devotions, novenas, and benediction opportunities (when offered) are coordinated through the St. Malachy Parish office.
- Holy Hour — Third Tuesday after 6:00 p.m. Mass
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is led by Pastor Rev. Joel Phelps, who also serves as Vicar Forane (coordinator) of the Champaign Vicariate of the Diocese of Peoria. He has been at St. Malachy/St. Elizabeth since June 2017 and provides bilingual English/Spanish ministry across the cluster. Parochial Vicar Rev. John Verrier joined in July 2024 to assist with the merged multi-site parish. Pastoral Assistant Donna Ayers and Music Director Camille Goudeseune support the day-to-day life of the Thomasboro church.
- Rev. Joel Phelps — Pastor (since June 2017), Vicar Forane, Champaign Vicariate
- Rev. John Verrier — Parochial Vicar (since July 2024)
- Donna Ayers — Pastoral Assistant
- Camille Goudeseune — Music Director
St. Malachy Parish Cluster (Multi-Site Parish)
Following Bishop Louis Tylka's May 2024 diocesan restructuring, St. Elizabeth of Hungary is one of four worship sites of St. Malachy Parish. St. Malachy in Rantoul (311 East Grove Avenue) is the primary worship site; St. Elizabeth (Thomasboro) and St. Lawrence (Penfield) remain in occasional use, with St. Charles Borromeo (Homer) no longer in use within 12 months of the plan's announcement. The cluster operates St. Malachy School in Rantoul and cares for three parish cemeteries.
St. Malachy School (Rantoul)
The parish cluster operates St. Malachy School, a Catholic elementary school in Rantoul serving families from across northern Champaign County. School-day Mass is celebrated on Fridays at 8:20 a.m. at St. Malachy when school is in session, with a 12:00 p.m. Friday Mass also offered.
Parish Cemeteries
The merged parish cluster 'cares for three parish cemeteries,' including burial grounds historically associated with the Thomasboro worship site. Specific cemetery names, locations, and office hours are coordinated through the St. Malachy Parish business office.
Sacraments & Faith Formation
Sacramental preparation for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick, along with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), is coordinated through the St. Malachy Parish cluster office. St. Elizabeth continues to host the regular Vigil and Tuesday Masses, the monthly Holy Hour, and serves as a venue for the cluster's occasional services and special events.
- Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick coordinated through St. Malachy Parish office
- RCIA and sacramental preparation through the cluster
- Confession: Saturday 4:00–4:45 p.m.; Tuesday 5:15–5:45 p.m.
Diocese & Vicariate
St. Elizabeth of Hungary belongs to the Diocese of Peoria and is part of its Champaign Vicariate. As part of the 2021–24 'Growing Disciples' pastoral plan led by Bishop Louis Tylka, it was merged in 2024 with three neighboring parishes into St. Malachy Parish. The pastor, Fr. Joel Phelps, also serves as Vicar Forane (coordinator) for the Champaign Vicariate, which covers Catholic communities in Bellflower, Bement, Champaign, Homer, Ivesdale, Mahomet, Monticello, Penfield, Pesotum, Philo, Rantoul, Seymour, Thomasboro, Tolono, and Urbana.
- Diocese of Peoria
- Champaign Vicariate (Fr. Joel Phelps, Vicar Forane)
- Cluster: St. Malachy (Rantoul), St. Elizabeth (Thomasboro), St. Lawrence (Penfield)
- Primary worship site: St. Malachy, Rantoul — 311 East Grove Avenue
Visit, Contact & Office Hours
Parishioners and visitors can reach the Thomasboro business office at (217) 643-3395 or by email at [email protected]. The parish business office is open on Tuesdays from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The mailing address is PO Box 307, Thomasboro, IL 61878, and the church is located at 100 South Church Street, Thomasboro, IL 61878. All campus-specific details (parking, accessibility, transit) are best confirmed by phone.
- Phone: (217) 643-3395
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Tuesdays 1:00–5:00 p.m.
- Mailing: PO Box 307, Thomasboro, IL 61878
- Street: 100 South Church Street, Thomasboro, IL 61878
- Website: http://sms217.org/STE/home.htm
- Cluster site: https://stmalachyparish.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joel PhelpsJune 2017–present
Arrived as administrator of St. Malachy (Rantoul) and St. Elizabeth (Thomasboro) in June 2017 from Holy Cross, Mendota / Sts. Peter and Paul, Peterstown / St. Theresa, Earlville. Also serves as Vicar Forane (coordinator) of the Champaign Vicariate and provides bilingual English/Spanish ministry. Took on St. Lawrence (Penfield) and the merged cluster in July 2024.
- Rev. John VerrierJuly 2024–present
Joined as parochial vicar of the St. Malachy–St. Elizabeth–St. Lawrence–St. Charles Borromeo cluster under Bishop Tylka's 2024 diocesan merger plan.