Blessed Sacrament Church opens capsule from 1958

Note: I received this e-mail regarding Blessed Sacrament Church's new renovation project. Sunday, members of the church opened a capsule from 1958. Photos from the capsule opening are provided.

"As it prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary later this year, Blessed Sacrament Parish in Morton is undertaking phase II of its expansion and renovation with a $2 million renovation of the church. The parish completed phase I in 2005 – a $4.4 million project that included the expansion of its pre-K - 8th grade school and the addition of a parish hall and office and meeting room space.

The renovation kicked off Sunday, concurrent with the beginning of Catholic Schools Week, an annual celebration of Catholic education that this year will focus on celebrating community service.

Phase II expansion and renovation will increase the church’s gathering and devotional space and update the sanctuary, windows, lighting and heating and cooling systems.  Once work is complete, the church will be connected to the parish hall, providing seating for an additional 120 people and the addition of a chapel, bride’s room and restroom. The work, which is being done by Lontai Design and Peoria Metro Construction, is expected to be completed by late November 2009. During the renovation Mass and other activities that occur in the church will be celebrated in the parish hall.

Blessed Sacrament traces its beginnings back to 1953, when a Catholic Mission was established in Morton. Two Masses were celebrated every Sunday in the Morton Civic Building on Jefferson St. and later, the old township hall was given to the mission and a permanent chapel was established with room for 60 people to gather. As the Catholic community in Morton grew, the Peoria Diocese purchased the current 7.5 acres on Greenwood St. and the Morton Mission became Blessed Sacrament. A school was constructed in 1958 and the church was completed in 1964 – somewhat of a landmark as it was one of the first round churches to be built in the Peoria diocese.

The parish has grown from some 300 families in the early 1960s to more than 1,100 families in 2009. Approximately 240 students are enrolled at Blessed Sacrament School and about 250 public school children attend religious education classes at the school. Father Mark DeSutter is the fourth and current pastor at Blessed Sacrament as he has led the parish since June 2000 when the late Father Eugene Finnell retired.  Three deacons, Kevin Zeeb, Rick Miller and Dave Steeples also serve the parish."

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It's Super Bowl voting time

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Reality fans rejoice, Natalie Getz has spoken

On Friday, I interviewed Natalie Getz, the 27-year-old Mortonite who competed on ABC's The Bachelor. Here's a little look at what we discussed today.

A brief excerpt:

"My sisters nominated me (for the show). I've always been the girl who was in long-term relationships," Getz said. "I started thinking I wanted to be alone."

Her sisters felt otherwise. They applied Getz for the show. ABC called Getz to inform her she was selected as a finalist.

That's when, Getz said, she became a little hesitant to continue. She said she kept putting off phone calls from ABC because she was not sure about the experience.

It was her family and close friends who encouraged her to do so, she said.

"They all said it would be a great experience," Getz said.

"It was overwhelming," she said. "I thought, 'should I do this, should I not?'"

Nevertheless, she did, and she is glad.

"It was an awesome experience," Getz said.

Though she was presented with a million-dollar diamond necklace during her Las Vegas date with the bachelor, her reaction on television did not reflect how she really felt about it.

"I don't own any jewelry," Getz said. "My ears aren't even pierced."

"I'm thinking in my head, 'I feel guilty, because I don't even like jewelry," she added.

But, she said she appreciated the gesture by Jason, the bachelor, and did not want to express her true feelings and hurt his. She often commented on the necklace during the show.

What I got out of our discussion:

This just a brief excerpt. The rest, you will have to wait until Wednesday.

My interview with Getz was limited to about 20 minutes while being moderated by a Warner Bros. publicist. But, Getz was able to describe quite a bit about her experience. I tried to ask some questions many of you were curious about. Each one, she answered in full detail.

Getz seemed like an incredibly outgoing person. She had a lot to say about her experience. And, though her final words Monday night for Jason were bold, she had a great response that drew a good chuckle from me. Getz had quite a sense of humor.

After learning she was not going to be chosen, she said she was so overwhelmed while in the limo with cameras in her face, it was hard to even remember exactly what she said or how she said it.

I will save the rest for publication, which is Jan. 28. I think you will all enjoy it.

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Local educational center launches Web site to foster language learning

Kultural Kids LLC, the premier, Illinois-based, language-learning center, launched Foreign Language Friends this month.

A dynamic, Web-based community, Foreign Language Friends offers additional resources for children ages 1 to 12 to learn Spanish. The site provides affordable access for families and individuals to utilize a collection of animations, games and other online activities designed to make learning fun and enjoyable.

“Our rich, multimedia content complements on-site resources through Kultural Kids by offering themebased and activity-focused initiatives founded in immersion, a crucial process that pairs Spanish words or other languages with everyday activities and concepts,” said Denise Leitch, co-founder of Kultural Kids and Foreign Language Friends.com. “Foreign Language Friends provides constantly expanding offerings and is fully online-based, providing convenient learning opportunities at home, school and anywhere else students are able to access the Web site.”

Foreign Language Friends includes activities that build vocabulary as well as memory challenges that reinforce new concepts and words. Additional features make learning fun through animation, sing-along tools, spelling bee games and print materials.

For more information and to access learning resources through Foreign Language Friends, visit www.ForeignLanguageFriends.com.

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