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Archdiocese of Chicago Provides Updates on Four Renew My Church Groupings

January 22, 2021

The Archdiocese of Chicago today announced updates on the Wrigley Field; the North Riverside, Lyons, Stickney, Riverside (“NRLSR”); the Oak Lawn, Burbank, Bridgeview and the southwest suburbs of Chicago Ridge, Hickory Hills, Oak Lawn and Palos Hills (“SW CHOP”) Renew My Church groupings.

Over the past several months, the groupings’ Feedback and Discernment Teams, made up of representatives from each of the parishes and schools met to 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 Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, 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:

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
  • Our Lady of Lourdes Parish

The new structure will be:

  • Effective July 1, 2021, 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. 

 

Additional information will be forthcoming regarding the assignment of pastors. We hope to share this information within the next few weeks.

North Riverside, Lyons, Stickney, Riverside Grouping

The North Riverside, Lyons, Stickney, Riverside (NRLSR) 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)
  • 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, 2021, 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 move toward formal closure. 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. 

Additional information will be forthcoming about the assignment of a pastor. We hope to share this information within the next few weeks. 

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, 2021, St. Louis de Montfort will close and its parishoners 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, 2021, 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 (SW CHOP) 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)
  • 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, 2021, 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.   

Additional information will be forthcoming regarding the assignment of pastors. We hope 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 stronger, more sustainable and capable of reaching more people in their work of making disciples of Jesus Christ, building communities and inspiring witness.

 

About Renew My Church

Renew My Church is the Archdiocese of Chicago’s response to Christ’s call and our invitation for renewal. The Renew My Church process will transform the archdiocese over the next several years by working with groupings of parishes to determine how they will achieve the goal of having vibrant, life-giving faith communities accessible to all Catholics. To learn more about Renew My Church, visit renewmychurch.org.