About St. Mary (Mission of St Mary, Depue) · Tiskilwa, Illinois
St. Mary in Tiskilwa, Illinois, was a Roman Catholic mission church associated with St. Mary's Parish in nearby DePue, both within the Diocese of Peoria. The Tiskilwa congregation traces back to the mid-1860s, when Catholic families in Bureau County were first served by visiting priests from Mendota, Geneseo, and Sheffield; the current frame church was completed in 1881. Father George Pierson became the first resident pastor in 1905 and the parish was served by 23 successive priests until declining attendance and a diocesan-wide priest shortage led to its closure on July 20, 2024, as part of Bishop Louis Tylka's "Growing Disciples" reorganization that consolidated 156 parishes into 75 across the 26-county diocese.
- Established
- 1865 (parish organized in mid-1860s); current church structure completed 1881
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Father Scott Potthoff (last pastor; church closed July 20, 2024)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
St. Mary's Tiskilwa was for more than a century a small but deeply community-rooted rural Catholic parish — the kind of place where the same organist might serve for decades, the Lawn Social was a summer highlight for the whole village, and a Lithuanian-born pastor was known to walk Main Street dropping in at every business. Although the church formally closed on July 20, 2024, those with a connection to St. Mary's are invited to keep its memory alive through its two historic cemeteries (the 1873 cemetery south of Tiskilwa and the 1864 "Old St. Mary's Cemetery" four miles west), which remain maintained by the Diocese of Peoria. Active Catholics from Tiskilwa now belong to St. Louis Parish in Princeton.
Mass times at St. Mary (Mission of St Mary, Depue)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM, after the 12:00 PM Spanish Mass (only if no baptism is scheduled)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Daily adoration prior to Mass was introduced by Father Bailey Clemens (at the parent St. Mary's, DePue)
Parish History
Catholic life in Bureau County predates the Tiskilwa parish by nearly two centuries. According to a long-cited local history, the first Christian services in the county were celebrated in 1673, when the Jesuit missionary Father Marquette landed on the shore of Lake DePue, erected a cross, and said Mass. The Tiskilwa congregation itself, however, took shape in the mid-1860s. Catholic families were first served by visiting priests from Mendota, Geneseo, and later Sheffield; Masses were said in private homes and in the Union School, a public school that stood on what is now the site of St. Mary's. The current church structure was completed in 1881. Father George Pierson became the first resident pastor in 1905 and was followed by 22 other priests across 119 years. The parish was formally closed on July 20, 2024, as part of Bishop Louis Tylka's diocesan-wide 'Growing Disciples' reorganization.
- First Christian services in Bureau County: 1673, Father Marquette at Lake DePue
- Catholic congregation organized: mid-1860s
- Current church building completed: 1881
- First resident pastor: Fr. George Pierson, 1905
- Total priests who served the parish since 1905: 23
- Parish formally closed: July 20, 2024
Buildings, Architecture & Art
The 1881 wood-frame church on Main Street is a textbook example of small-town Midwestern Catholic architecture. Father Pierson's 1905 campaign enlarged the building to the south, installed three stained-glass windows above the altar, and added the large pipe organ still in the choir loft; the same era produced a steel bell tower at the southwest corner to support a several-ton Baltimore-cast bell (1908). The 1923 parsonage, built under Fr. Edwin Welsh, is a composite-style building with unusual Gothic arched windows in its east-end chapel and perpendicular English Gothic tracery in the second-story gabled windows. In 1955 Fr. Louis Schaechter built a church hall attached to the east side of the church, and in 1964 the formerly white clapboard siding was covered with Nustone to visually unify the two structures. The most dramatic interior change came in 1961, when Fr. Casimir Ruibys covered the three stained-glass altar windows and commissioned a large mosaic mural of Mary on the soaring wall behind the altar.
- 1881 wood-frame church on Main Street
- 1905 southward expansion + stained-glass windows + pipe organ (Fr. Pierson)
- 1908 bell, cast in Baltimore, originally hung in steel southwest tower; reinstalled in front of church after tower became unsafe in 1940s
- 1923 parsonage with Gothic arched windows and English Gothic tracery (Fr. Welsh)
- 1955 church hall added on east side (Fr. Schaechter)
- 1964 Nustone siding replacement
- 1961 mosaic mural of Mary behind the altar; stained-glass windows covered (Fr. Ruibys)
Pastorate Succession
From 1867 to 1905 the Tiskilwa congregation was served only by visiting priests traveling from Mendota, Geneseo, and Sheffield; in the late 1890s, Father Mannion of Sheffield reportedly caught the 9 a.m. Saturday train in, stayed overnight at the depot agent's home, and returned on Sunday at 5 p.m. The first resident pastor, Father George Pierson (1905), launched the parish's most ambitious building program; he also simultaneously served Princeton as a mission of Tiskilwa from 1905 to 1910. Twenty-two more resident pastors followed across 119 years, the longest tenure belonging to the Lithuanian-born Father Casimir Ruibys (1960–1981). The final pastor was Father Scott Potthoff, who led the farewell Mass on July 20, 2024.
- 1867–c.1880s: visiting priests from Mendota
- c.1880s–1890s: visiting priests from Geneseo
- c.1898: Father Mannion of Sheffield
- 1905: Fr. George Pierson (first resident pastor)
- 1960–1981: Fr. Casimir Ruibys (longest-serving; Lithuanian-born)
- 2002: Msgr. James K. Ramer (Administrator, while remaining Pastor of St. Louis, Princeton)
- 2005–2006: Fr. Kevin Creegan (Administrator then Pastor of St. Mary DePue + Tiskilwa)
- c.2019–July 20, 2024: Fr. Scott Potthoff (final pastor; led farewell Mass)
Parish Cemeteries
St. Mary's maintained two cemeteries that long outlived the church itself. The 'Old St. Mary's Cemetery' was established in 1864, four miles west of Tiskilwa. A second parish cemetery was laid out in 1873 on the south side of the village. Both cemeteries continue to be maintained by the Diocese of Peoria and remain available for burials, even after the church building's closure in July 2024.
- 1864 'Old St. Mary's Cemetery' — 4 miles west of Tiskilwa
- 1873 cemetery — south of Tiskilwa
- Both continue to be maintained and used for burials
Worship, Liturgy & Sacraments
In its final years, St. Mary's Tiskilwa offered Mass on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 8:00 AM (English), Wednesday evenings at 6:00 PM (Spanish), and Sundays at 12:00 PM (Spanish). Confessions were heard Sundays from 1:30–1:45 PM after the Spanish Mass (when no baptism was scheduled) or by appointment. Daily adoration prior to Mass was introduced at the parent parish under Fr. Bailey Clemens.
- Tuesday 8:00 AM (English)
- Wednesday 6:00 PM (Spanish)
- Thursday 8:00 AM (English)
- Sunday 12:00 PM / 12:15 PM (Spanish)
- Confessions: Sundays 1:30–1:45 PM after Spanish Mass, or by appointment
Music Ministry
Music was a point of pride for St. Mary's across the generations. The pipe organ in the choir loft, purchased by Fr. George Pierson in 1905, remained in use into the 21st century. Long-serving organists included Cleo Brown and Catherine Ary, each of whom served for decades. Parishioners still remember the rich baritone voices of choir members like Bernie Cotter and Donnie Sims wafting from the choir loft during Sunday liturgies.
- Pipe organ (1905) — still in choir loft
- Organist Cleo Brown — multi-decade tenure
- Organist Catherine Ary — multi-decade tenure
- Choir voices remembered: Bernie Cotter, Donnie Sims
Parish Life & Community
For more than a century St. Mary's was the social as well as spiritual center of Tiskilwa. The Altar and Rosary Society, founded in 1923, sponsored bazaars, plays, chicken dinners, and ravioli suppers. The parish hosted the village's signature summer event, the Lawn Social, from the early 1900s through the mid-1990s — featuring homemade ice cream (made famous by Mary Palm's barbecue-sandwich recipe in the 1950s), games of chance, food stands, clowns, bingo, and a children's 'Go Fish' booth. Catechism was taught Saturday mornings for grade-schoolers and Wednesday nights for high-schoolers. By 1997 the directory recorded 96 families and more than 250 parishioners; by 2024 only about 12 families remained.
- Altar and Rosary Society founded 1923
- Lawn Social — early 1900s to mid-1990s
- Mary Palm's barbecue sandwich recipe (1950s)
- Saturday catechism for grade schoolers; Wednesday for high schoolers
- 1997 directory: 96 families / 250+ parishioners
- 2024: about 12 families remained
Pastoral Linkages & Final Closure
St. Mary's Tiskilwa had long been linked pastorally with St. Mary's Parish in DePue — itself a Polish-origin community organized in 1908 as 'St. Mary's of Czestochowa.' The DePue parish was founded in 1909 when a frame church was erected in the White City area on land donated by Oliver Keim, and relocated to its present Park Addition site in 1916. Since July 1, 2013, St. Mary's DePue has been part of the larger Nativity of Our Lord Parish in Spring Valley, formed by the merger of Immaculate Conception, Sts. Peter and Paul, and St. Anthony parishes. Father Scott Potthoff, the last resident pastor of St. Mary's Tiskilwa, simultaneously served as Pastor of Nativity of Our Lord and St. Mary's DePue. In May 2024, Bishop Louis Tylka announced the conclusions of a two-year diocesan study ('Growing Disciples') that consolidated 156 parishes into 75 across the 26-county diocese; the Tiskilwa church was formally closed on July 20, 2024, with parishioners reassigned to St. Louis Parish in Princeton.
- Long a mission of St. Mary's, DePue (Polish-origin parish, organized 1908)
- Since July 1, 2013, linked with Nativity of Our Lord Parish, Spring Valley
- Final farewell Mass: Saturday, July 20, 2024, 6:00 PM (Fr. Scott Potthoff)
- Parishioners reassigned to St. Louis Parish, Princeton
- Cemeteries remain active and maintained by the Diocese of Peoria
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Visiting priests from Mendota1867–c.1880s
First priests to serve Tiskilwa Catholics; celebrated Mass in private homes and the Union School.
- Visiting priests from Geneseo1880s–1890s
Succeeded the Mendota circuit.
- Father Mannion (of Sheffield)c.1898
Per Shaw Local history, regularly arrived on Saturday's 9 a.m. train and returned Sunday at 5 p.m., often staying at depot agent Jim Meegan's home.
- Father George Pierson1905–?
First resident pastor. Enlarged the church to the south, added three stained glass windows above the altar, purchased the large pipe organ still in the choir loft, and erected the southwest steel bell tower to support a several-ton Baltimore-cast bell (1908). Also served Princeton as a mission of Tiskilwa, 1905–1910.
- Other resident priests (1905–c.1990s)1905–1993
Diocesan history records 23 priests total since 1905; individual names before the late 20th century are not all enumerated in available sources.
- Father Casimir Ruibys1960–1981
Longest-serving pastor. Lithuanian-born 'displaced person' who escaped Soviet-annexed Lithuania in 1945 with his brother, entered the Peoria Diocese in 1949. Oversaw the 1961 altar renovation: covering the three stained-glass windows and commissioning the large mosaic mural of Mary behind the altar.
- Father Guthrierecent
Named among recent pastors in the 2024 Shaw Local farewell article.
- Father O'Nealrecent
Recent pastor named in 2024 farewell article.
- Father Driscollrecent
Recent pastor named in 2024 farewell article.
- Father Thieryoungrecent
Recent pastor named in 2024 farewell article.
- Monsignor James K. Ramer2002 (Administrator)
While remaining Pastor of St. Louis (Princeton); Administrator of St. Mary (Tiskilwa), 2002. Later Pastor of St. Anne (East Moline), then Senior Status in 2017; deceased June 13, 2026.
- Father Kevin Creegan2005 (Administrator); 2006 (Pastor)
Born New London, Wisconsin, Dec 8, 1959; ordained May 26, 2001. Administrator of St. Mary (Tiskilwa) 2005; Pastor of St. Mary (DePue) and St. Mary (Tiskilwa) 2006. Also served as Spiritual Director for Cursillo (Spanish) 2017. Later Pastor of St. Mary (Champaign) in 2024.
- Father Scott Potthoffc.2019–July 20, 2024
Pastor of Nativity of Our Lord (Spring Valley) 2019; while remaining pastor there, became Pastor of St. Mary (DePue) and St. Mary (Tiskilwa) in 2024. Led the final farewell Mass on July 20, 2024; later Pastor of St. Malachy Parish (Rantoul) in 2026.
 "St. Mary (Mission of St Mary, Depue)")