PEORIA, Ill. – A sacred piece of history to the region is on display at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
A small exhibit in the museum’s lobby features a vestment stole worn by Father Jacques Marquette during his expedition to the Peoria area, dating back to 1673, as part of missionary and exploration trips along the Illinois River.
The museum marked the opening of the exhibit with a ceremony Thursday morning to mark the 350th anniversary of the expedition.
Bishop Louis Tylka of the Peoria Diocese says the stole is a link back to some of Peoria’s early founders.
“We get an understanding of how many of our ancestors in subsequent generations came and settled in these areas. But this is the first, this is the first experience of the French coming into the area and bringing about an experience of encounter, which is always important when two cultures encounter one another,” Tylka said.
Museum Chief Curator Bill Conger says the stole is more than an object, it can also help tell a story.
“It’s the stories that people want to connect to, it’s the story of the Jolliet-Marquette expedition which 350 years ago led them to become the first Europeans on the Illinois River, and stopping in our region here,” Conger said.
The exhibit is the first time the stole has been on display for public view, with the last time it was seen by anyone was during Bishop Tylka’s first Homily to the Peoria Diocese. He wore it during the Homily, an honor he says he did not take lightly.
Conger says the museum is equipped to display such a delicate item with the proper lighting for the case it’s in.
The stole will be on display until the end of January.
