About St. Patrick · Elmwood, Illinois
St. Patrick is a Roman Catholic parish serving the small rural community of Elmwood, Illinois (Peoria County), in the Diocese of Peoria. The parish worships at 802 W. Main Street and is currently twinned with nearby St. Mary's Parish in Kickapoo, sharing a pastor and the wider faith-formation and youth-ministry programs hosted through the St. Mary's School system. Mass is celebrated in English in a traditional country-parish setting, and the parish is a member of the St. John XXIII cluster of Peoria-area parishes listed by the Diocese of Peoria.
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Rev. James Pankiewicz
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
St. Patrick's offers a small, traditional country parish in the heart of Peoria County where Mass is celebrated regularly on Sunday, Saturday vigil, and Tuesday morning, and where parishioners know one another by name. Through its twinning with St. Mary's Kickapoo, members enjoy access to a much larger network of ministries — Cornerstone Youth Ministry for grades 6–12, parish athletics, faith formation, and the parish-school system — while still belonging to a tight-knit Elmwood congregation.
Mass times at St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Identity & Location
St. Patrick Parish serves the small town of Elmwood, Illinois, in Peoria County. It sits on West Main Street in the heart of the community, at 802 W. Main Street, Elmwood, IL 61529, with phone (309) 742-4921. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Peoria.
- Patron: St. Patrick
- Feast day: March 17
- Diocese: Diocese of Peoria (https://www.cdop.org)
- Rite: Roman-Latin
- Mass language: English
History of the Parish
St. Patrick's roots lie in the 19th-century settlement of Catholic farm families in rural Peoria County. Mission priests out of Peoria first brought the sacraments to the area, and the parish was eventually established as a mission/church within what became the Diocese of Peoria after 1875. The present church on West Main Street has served the community for generations. The parish is now twinned with St. Mary's Kickapoo under shared pastoral leadership.
- Catholic settlement in Peoria County since the 19th century
- Falls within the Diocese of Peoria (est. 1875)
- Currently twinned with St. Mary's Parish, Kickapoo
Pastor & Staff
Rev. James Pankiewicz has served as pastor of the twinned St. Mary's Kickapoo / St. Patrick's Elmwood parishes since 2021. Father Pankiewicz was ordained in 2010 and grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri with three sisters and a brother; he previously served St. Joseph's Pekin (2010–2013), the Newman Center at the University of Illinois (2013–2016), and the Heart of Peoria Parishes (2016–2021). He can be reached through the St. Mary's parish office.
- Pastor: Rev. James Pankiewicz (2021–present)
- Parish shared with St. Mary's Church, Kickapoo
- Parish office reachable through stmaryskickapoo.org
Faith Formation & Youth Ministry
Because St. Patrick's is twinned with St. Mary's Kickapoo, faith formation and youth ministry are run jointly. Cornerstone Youth Ministry serves students in grades 6 through 12 across both parishes, fostering authentic faith experiences and community for ages 12–17 to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. Sacramental preparation (First Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation) is coordinated through the joint parish office.
- Cornerstone Youth Ministry (grades 6–12) — joint with St. Mary's Kickapoo
- Religious education / faith formation for parish children
- First Reconciliation & First Communion preparation
- Confirmation preparation for teens
Parish School & Athletics
St. Mary's School in Kickapoo is the parish school that serves St. Patrick's families as well as those from St. Joseph's Brimfield and St. Sharbel's Peoria. The school offers a robust blend of academic programs, arts, athletics, and community engagement. Its athletics program — including soccer, basketball, volleyball, track & field, and baseball — is open to parish families from St. Patrick's, and the Boosters Club underwrites extracurricular expenses so families can participate at no extra charge.
- St. Mary's School (Kickapoo) — serves St. Patrick's families
- Athletics: soccer, basketball, volleyball, track & field, baseball
- Boosters Club underwrites extracurricular costs
Sacraments
St. Patrick's celebrates the normal range of Catholic sacraments, with preparation for First Sacraments run jointly with St. Mary's Kickapoo. Couples should contact the parish office to begin marriage preparation, and the Anointing of the Sick is available by contacting Father Pankiewicz.
- Baptism — contact parish office
- Marriage — contact parish office
- First Communion / First Reconciliation — joint faith formation
- Confirmation — joint youth-ministry program
- Anointing of the Sick — by request
Stay Connected
Because the parish is administered jointly with St. Mary's Kickapoo, most announcements, bulletins, and staff contacts flow through the St. Mary's website at stmaryskickapoo.org. The parish also maintains a Facebook presence under the page name St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, Elmwood, IL (facebook.com/stpatsrcc/).
- Shared website: https://stmaryskickapoo.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stpatsrcc/
- Diocese of Peoria: https://www.cdop.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James Pankiewicz2021–present
Pastor of St. Mary's Kickapoo / St. Patrick's Elmwood (twinned parishes). Ordained 2010; previously St. Joseph's Pekin, Newman Center at UIUC, Heart of Peoria Parishes.