PEORIA, Ill. — Bishop Daniel Jenky is retiring after 20 years, opening the doors for the Diocese of Peoria’s ninth bishop.
25 News reports that Pope Francis officially accepted Bishop Jenky’s resignation Thursday morning. Jenky is succeeded by Louis Tylka, who was appointed co-bishop for the Diocese about 18-months ago to work along side Jenky until his retirement.
Bishop Jenky turned 75 on Thursday – that’s the age when a bishop must submit a letter offering their retirement and the pope either accepts or rejects it.
Jenky said he’s been experiencing mobility difficulty from arthritis and spinal issues, so he petitioned for Pope Francis to appoint Tylka co-bishop to help during his last two years.
Monsignor Jason Gray said Jenky helped the Peoria Diocese grow.
“Bishop Jenky has been here for 20 years and has built up the liturgy in a special way,” Gray said. “We’re very thankful for the work he’s done and we look forward to the work that Bishop Tylka has to do.”
Appointed bishop in 2002, Jenky also faced questions about abusive priests for years. The diocese would go on to remove 15 priests from the ministry during his tenure.
“He stepped in to the Diocese of Peoria at a difficult time for any Bishop to take over, and I know that he has really guided and led the church through that,” Gray said.
Bishop Tylka, who was a priest in the Chicago Archdiocese was installed in July 2020 has already handled many day-to-day responsibilities of the diocese.
Jenky’s crest had already been taken down and Tylka’s crest was already up to signal the transition.
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