The San Damiano Cross is the large Romanesque wood cross that St. Francis of Assisi was praying before when he received the commission from the Lord to rebuild the Church. The original cross presently hangs in the Basilica of Saint Clare (Basilica di Santa Chiara) in Assisi.
The Archdiocese of Chicago released updates on 12 Renew My Church groupings between Jan. 20 and Jan. 23. Over the past several months, the groupings’ feedback and discernment teams, made up of representatives from each of the parishes and schools, met to review and discern the future parish, school and church structures for their respective areas. Based on their meetings and discussions with the larger parish communities, they submitted feedback reports to the Archdiocesan Standards and Recommendations Commission, which includes representatives from across the archdiocese. The commission reviewed the feedback reports and other materials and information, including demographic data, financial summaries, and parish and grouping trends. Over the course of the past several weeks, Cardinal Cupich, the archdiocese’s auxiliary bishops and Presbyteral Council discussed the commission’s recommendations. Based on those discussions and prayerful consideration, the following decisions have been made: Edens Valley grouping The Edens Valley Renew My Church grouping includes the following parishes and school: St. Lambert Parish, Skokie; St. Peter Parish, Skokie; St. Isaac Jogues Parish, Niles; St. Martha Parish, Morton Grove; and St. John Brebeuf parish and school, Niles. The new structure will be: Effective July 1, St. Lambert and St. Peter will unite to form a new parish, with a new name that will be determined later, at two worship sites. Both churches will continue to have a regular schedule of Masses, which may differ from their current schedules. Effective July 1, St. Isaac Jogues and St. Martha will unite to form a new parish, with a new name that will be determined later, at two worship sites. Both churches will continue to have a regular schedule of Masses, which may differ from their current schedules. The Shrine of All Saints at St. Martha will continue to operate as an important ministry. The united parishes will evaluate their ability to reduce auxiliary properties via sale or long-term lease. St. John Brebeuf parish and school will continue in their current structures. Logan Square/Avondale grouping The Logan Square/Avondale Renew My Church grouping includes the following Chicago parishes and schools: Our Lady of Grace parish and school, St. Sylvester parish and school and St. Hyacinth Basilica. The new structure will be: Effective July 1, Our Lady of Grace and St. Sylvester will unite as a new parish with a new name that will be determined later, with two worship sites. Both churches will continue to have a regular schedule of Masses, which may differ from their current schedules. St. Sylvester will be the parish church where all sacramental records are kept. St. Hyacinth Basilica will remain in its current structure and continue under the leadership of the Resurrectionist Fathers. Our Lady of Grace School and St. Sylvester School will continue to operate under their current programs. Chatham/Park Manor grouping The Chatham/Park Manor Renew My Church Grouping includes the following Chicago parishes and school: St. Clotilde Parish, St. Columbanus Parish, St. Dorothy Parish and Augustus Tolton Academy. The new structure will be: Effective July 1, the parishes of St. Clotilde, St. Columbanus and St. Dorothy will unite as one new parish with St. Columbanus serving as the parish church. St. Clotilde and St. Dorothy will cease regularly scheduled Masses and move toward formal closure. The specific timeline to transition Masses to St. Columbanus will be determined by parish leadership in the coming months. There will be no changes to Augustus Tolton Academy. Summit grouping The Summit Renew My Church grouping includes St. Blase Parish and St. Joseph parish and school, all in Summit. The new structure will be: Effective July 1, St. Blase and St. Joseph will unite to form a new parish, with a new name, at two worship sites. Both churches will continue to have a regular schedule of Masses, which may differ from their current schedules. St. Blase will be the designated parish church where sacramental records are kept. The united parish will continue to support trilingual ministry in Polish, Spanish, and English. Further, due to long-term concerns about financial sustainability identified during the discernment process, the RMC Commission has asked the united parish to focus first on uniting at two worship sites for the next three years. Beginning in 2024, a formal annual review process will be initiated to determine the sustainability of maintaining both campuses. At that time, both sites will be reviewed annually regarding operational efficiency, ministerial capabilities and spiritual outreach. St. Joseph School will be closed permanently at the end of the current academic year. Bronzeville/Hyde Park/Washington Park grouping The Bronzeville/Hyde Park/Washington Park Renew My Church grouping includes the following Chicago parishes and schools: St. Ambrose Parish, St. Anselm Parish, Corpus Christi Parish, St. Elizabeth Parish, Holy Angels parish and school and St. Thomas the Apostle parish and school. The new structure will be: St. Ambrose, St. Anselm, Corpus Christi, St. Elizabeth and Holy Angels will unite to form one parish effective July 1. Holy Angels will be the main worship site where all sacramental records are kept. The specific timeline to transition Masses to Holy Angels will be determined by parish leadership in the coming months. St. Thomas the Apostle will remain in its current structure. There are no changes to Holy Angels School or St. Thomas the Apostle School. Wrigley Field grouping The Wrigley Field Renew My Church grouping includes the following Chicago parishes and schools: St. Andrew parish and school, St. Benedict parish and school, St. Mary of the Lake Parish and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. The new structure will be: Effective July 1, St. Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes will unite to form a new parish called St. Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish with one pastor and one pastoral team. St. Mary of the Lake will serve as the main ministry center of the parish. The future of Our Lady of Lourdes Church and campus will be reviewed on an annual basis, with a particular focus on supporting the pastoral presence and importance of the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, while also balancing what is financially sustainable. The Our Lady of Lourdes school building on the east side of Ashland Avenue will be listed for sale as soon as possible. Proceeds from the sale will help enhance ministry in the new parish. St. Andrew and St. Benedict will remain separate parishes. An annual review of the relationship and sustainability of the individual parishes will take place between parish leadership and the episcopal vicar of Vicariate II. North Riverside, Lyons, Stickney, Riverside grouping The North Riverside, Lyons, Stickney, Riverside Renew My Church grouping includes the following parishes and schools: St. Hugh Parish, Lyons; St. Mary parish and school, Riverside; St. Pius X Parish, Stickney; and Mater Christi Parish, North Riverside. The new structure will be: St. Pius X will join the discernment grouping with parishes in Cicero/Berwyn later this year. Effective July 1, St. Hugh, St. Mary and Mater Christi will unite as one parish with a new name to be determined later, one pastor and one pastoral team. St. Mary will serve as the administrative center for the united parish and formally be designated the parish church. Both St. Mary and Mater Christi will continue with a regular schedule of Masses to be determined by the pastor in consultation with parish leadership. The Mother of Mothers Shrine at Mater Christi will continue with no changes. St. Hugh Church will cease regularly scheduled Masses no later than Ash Wednesday (March 2) 2022 and the entire campus will be sold or leased. Local leadership will determine a timeline for this transition. Many communities have discerned that transitioning Masses sooner rather than the recommended date is prudent for the new community and they have the flexibility to transition sooner. There are no changes to St. Mary School. Oak Lawn, Burbank, Bridgeview grouping The Oak Lawn, Burbank, Bridgeview Renew My Church grouping includes the following parishes and schools: St. Albert the Great parish and school, Burbank; St. Fabian Parish, Bridgeview; St. Gerald parish and school, Oak Lawn; St. Louis de Montfort Parish, Oak Lawn. The new structure will be: Effective July 1, St. Louis de Montfort will close and its parishioners are invited to join any of the neighboring parishes. The patrimony (financial assets and physical property) of St. Louis de Montfort will be shared equally among St. Albert the Great, St. Fabian and St. Gerald. St. Gerald will manage the campus and lead the process for deciding the future of the campus. Other than these changes, St. Albert the Great, St. Fabian and St. Gerald parishes will remain in their current structure, including pastors. The commission recommends St. Louis de Montfort wind down its ministry by June 30, including a final regularly scheduled Mass. Operations at the current parish schools (St. Albert the Great and St. Gerald) will remain the same. Chicago Ridge, Hickory Hills, Oak Lawn and Palos Hills grouping The Chicago Ridge, Hickory Hills, Oak Lawn and Palos Hills Renew My Church grouping includes the following parishes and schools: Our Lady of the Ridge Parish, Chicago Ridge; St. Linus parish and school, Oak Lawn; St. Patricia parish and school, Hickory Hills; and Sacred Heart Parish, Palos Hills. The new structure will be: St. Patricia and Sacred Heart will each remain in their current structures. Effective July 1, Our Lady of the Ridge and St. Linus will unite as a new parish with a new name, continuing to use both churches for Mass. As one parish, the two communities will have one pastor and one pastoral team. The local community will discern possibilities for the new name, within guidelines provided by the archdiocese. Until Cardinal Cupich decides on a permanent name for the new parish, the new parish will have an interim name — Our Lady of the Ridge and St. Linus Parish. St. Linus School will be the united parish’s school. The school will retain its name. The Mass schedule at each worship site will be reviewed by the pastor in consultation with parish leadership between now and July 1. The Mass schedule after July 1 may differ from the current schedule. West Town grouping The West Town Renew My Church grouping includes the following Chicago parishes and schools: St. Helen parish and school, Holy Innocents Parish, Holy Rosary Parish, St. Malachy + Precious Blood parish and school, St. Mark Parish, St. Stephen King of Hungary Church and Santa Maria Addolorata Parish The new structure will be: Effective July 1, St. Helen, St. Mark and Holy Rosary will unite as a new parish with a new name, one pastor and one pastoral team. St. Helen will be the main worship site for the newly formed parish. The RMC Commission asks parish leadership to annually review the best use of Holy Rosary, with a final determination within three years. This may or may not include a regular schedule of Masses. The RMC Commission also recommends the regular schedule of Masses at St. Mark cease no later than Ash Wednesday (March 2) 2022. Local leadership will set a specific timeline for this transition. Many new parish communities have discerned transitioning Masses sooner than the recommended date is prudent for the community. There are no changes to St. Helen School. Effective July 1, St. Stephen King of Hungary Church will become a canonical mission serving the Hungarian community in the archdiocese. Effective July 1, Holy Innocents, Santa Maria Addolorata and St. Malachy + Precious Blood will unite as a new parish with a new name to be determined later, one pastor and one pastoral team. Holy Innocents and St. Malachy + Precious Blood will both be worship sites for the newly formed parish, with a Mass schedule to be determined by the pastor in consultation with parish leadership and may differ from their current schedules. The RMC Commission recommends the regular schedule of Masses at Santa Maria Addolorata cease no later than Ash Wednesday (March 2) 2022. Local leadership will set a specific timeline for this transition. Many new parish communities have discerned transitioning Masses sooner than the recommended date is prudent for the community. There are no changes to St. Malachy School. Sts. Ferdinand and Ladislaus grouping The Ferdinand-Ladislaus Renew My Church grouping includes St. Ferdinand parish and school and St. Ladislaus Parish, all in Chicago. The two parishes will remain separate parishes with no changes at this time. The parish structure will be reviewed again in 2024 during the fifth year of the Society of Christ’s six-year contract to lead St. Ladislaus Parish. St. Ferdinand School will continue to serve as the parish school of St. Ferdinand Parish. Kedzie-Elston Corridor grouping The Kedzie-Elston Corridor Renew My Church grouping includes the following Chicago parishes and schools: St. Edward parish and school, Resurrection Parish, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish and Our Lady of Mercy Parish. Rather than making a final decision, additional discernment and prayerful consideration is needed. Cardinal Cupich endorses the direction for the grouping to move forward as two parishes. As envisioned in the scenarios discussed this fall, St. Edward and Our Lady of Mercy will each remain the main site of one of the two resulting parishes. Continuing discernment will evaluate what is the most fruitful and realistic future of Immaculate Heart of Mary and Resurrection campuses. No decisions have been made at this time about either church and campus; however, it is likely that either one or both will discontinue being used as worship sites once the final decision is made. There will be no changes to St. Edward School. Additional information will be forthcoming regarding the assigned pastors for newly configured parish communities. The archdiocese hopes to share this information within the next few weeks. Next steps Over the next few months, the archdiocese and the pastors of the current parishes will support the communities in their transition to the new parish and school structures. The archdiocese’s Renew My Church Accompaniment Team will work with local leaders to ensure the uniting faith communities and staff are supported through this time of change. All parishes will embark on the next phase of renewal to become a stronger, more sustainable and capable of reaching more people in their work of making disciples of Jesus Christ, building communities and inspiring witness. To learn more about the decisions on these groupings, visit renewmychurch.org.
Migrant families expected to move into former school in May The first of about 300 migrants are expected to move into the former St. Bartholomew school building in early May, according to Eric Wollan, chief capital assets officer of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Grants from Lilly Endowment to help spiritually renew parishes Three organizations in the Archdiocese of Chicago have received grants from the Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative to support projects aimed at helping parishes engage in ongoing spiritual renewal.
Melrose Park parish celebrates St. Joseph Table While many parishes in the archdiocese were celebrating St. Patrick on March 17, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Melrose Park turned its attention to a figure important to Italians and Italian Americans: St. Joseph, whose feast day is March 19.