About St. Thomas More · Dalzell, Illinois
St. Thomas More Catholic Church is a small rural parish in Dalzell, Illinois (Bureau County), founded in 1934 by Benedictine priest Father Richard Gregoire, O.S.B. It is now one of three worship sites of St. Barbara Parish in the Catholic Diocese of Peoria, alongside Holy Trinity in Cherry and St. Patrick in Arlington. The parish is best known locally for its intimate church, its Divine Mercy Adoration Chapel, and its tight-knit small-town Catholic community in the Illinois Valley.
- Established
- 1934
- Patron
- St. Thomas More
- Rector
- Father Binh K. (Thaddeus) Tran
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
St. Thomas More offers a small, close-knit Catholic community in rural Bureau County where the faithful know one another by name. Weekday Mass on Tuesday and Friday mornings, Saturday Vigil Mass, and the Divine Mercy Adoration Chapel — open daily for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament — give parishioners rich liturgical and devotional life in a peaceful country setting. As part of the new tri-site St. Barbara Parish, members benefit from shared staff, resources, and ministries across Dalzell, Cherry, and Arlington while still belonging to a neighborhood-sized worship site at 302 Chestnut Street.
Mass times at St. Thomas More
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Alternating Saturdays in the confessional, 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
Adoration times
- Divine Mercy Adoration Chapel — open daily, Fall/Winter hours 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (closed during snow/tornado warnings or Mass cancellations)
Parish History
St. Thomas More was organized in 1934 to serve the Catholic families of Dalzell and surrounding Bureau County farmland. The first Mass was celebrated on December 22, 1934, in the Valle Theater by founder Fr. Richard Gregoire, O.S.B. The current church was constructed under his direction in 1937 and dedicated that September by Bishop Joseph H. Schlarman. For most of its first forty years the parish was served by Benedictine priests — first by Fr. Gregoire and then by a succession of O.S.B. pastors from St. Bede Abbey — giving the parish a distinctly monastic liturgical flavor that continues to shape its devotional life.
- First Mass: December 22, 1934, Valle Theater, Dalzell
- Church built: 1937; dedicated September 26, 1937 by Bishop Joseph H. Schlarman
- Rectory completed: 1941
- New roof: 1977 ($4,571)
- New rectory: 1980 ($59,000)
- Parish center (St. Thomas More Hall): 1981 ($156,000)
- Divine Mercy Adoration Chapel opened: February 28, 2001
- United into St. Barbara Parish: April 26, 2025
Parish Societies, Hall & Community Life
St. Thomas More has long supported its worship and community life through lay organizations and its parish hall. The St. Thomas More Society gathers parishioners for fellowship and service, while the St. Thomas More Hall (built 1981) hosts parish dinners, ministry meetings, fundraisers, and seasonal events. The parish also keeps in touch through a Flocknote text-message service, and the well-known annual Ravioli Fundraiser is a small-town tradition covered by regional press.
- St. Thomas More Society
- St. Thomas More Hall (parish center, built 1981)
- St. Thomas More Ministry Schedule (lectors, Eucharistic ministers, servers, rosary leaders)
- Flocknote text-message parish updates
- Annual Ravioli Fundraiser
St. Barbara Parish & Diocese of Peoria
On April 26, 2025, St. Thomas More (Dalzell) was united with Holy Trinity (Cherry) and St. Patrick (Arlington) to form the new tri-site St. Barbara Parish, in the Catholic Diocese of Peoria. The parish mailing address is 212 S. Main Street, PO Box 159, Cherry, IL 61317, and the central office phone is (815) 894-2006, open Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 AM to noon. St. Thomas More remains a distinct worship site at 302 Chestnut Street.
- St. Barbara Parish established: April 26, 2025
- Worship sites: St. Thomas More (Dalzell), Holy Trinity (Cherry), St. Patrick (Arlington)
- Diocese: Catholic Diocese of Peoria
- Pastor: Father Binh K. (Thaddeus) Tran
- Mailing/main office: 212 S. Main St., PO Box 159, Cherry, IL 61317
- Main office phone: (815) 894-2006
- Office hours: Tuesday–Friday, 9:00 AM – Noon
- Emergency Anointing line: 779-248-2164
Visiting & Contact
St. Thomas More is located at 302 Chestnut Street in the village of Dalzell, Bureau County, Illinois (ZIP 61320). The parish is easy to reach from US Route 6 / IL-89 and serves the surrounding farming communities. Visitors and parishioners are warmly welcomed at Mass, in the Adoration Chapel, and at parish events in St. Thomas More Hall.
- Address: 302 Chestnut Street, Dalzell, IL 61320
- Phone: (815) 894-2006
- Emergency Anointing: 779-248-2164
- Website: https://bureaucatholic.org
- Adoration Chapel open daily 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Richard Gregoire, O.S.B.1934–1938
Founder; offered the first Mass in the Valle Theater on Dec. 22, 1934; built the church in 1937.
- Fr. Frederick Winchell, O.S.B.1938–1940
Succeeded Fr. Richard; served until Feb. 13, 1940.
- Fr. Richard Gregoire, O.S.B.1940–1942
Reappointed; completed the rectory in 1941; entered military service in 1942.
- Fr. Phillip Stauffer, O.S.B.1941–1943
Benedictine pastor during World War II.
- Fr. Robert Donovan, O.S.B.1943–1945
- Fr. Aloysius Sharkey, O.S.B.1945–1947
- Fr. Leo Zimmerman, O.S.B.1947–1951
- Fr. Jerome Walsh, O.S.B.1951–1954
- Fr. Boniface Martin, O.S.B.1954–1964
Oversaw exterior renovation and interior refurbishment of the church; retired June 1964.
- Fr. Alcuin Mueller, O.S.B.1964–1974
Served until his death in 1974.
- Fr. Richard Powers1974
Appointed pastor August 1974.
- Fr. Dale Finnell1975
- Fr. George Hiland1975 (3 weeks)
Served as administrator for three weeks.
- Fr. John Fitzgerald1976–
Appointed January 1976.
- Fr. Placid Hatfield, O.S.B.around 2001
Oversaw the opening of the Divine Mercy Adoration Chapel on Feb. 28, 2001.