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Archdiocese of Chicago Provides Updates on Two Renew My Church Groupings

May 12, 2021

The Archdiocese of Chicago today announced updates on the O’Hare Neighborhood and St. Bruno-St. Richard 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 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 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:

O’Hare Neighborhood Grouping

The O’Hare Neighborhood Renew My Church grouping includes the following parishes and schools:

  • Immaculate Conception Parish and School (Chicago)
  • St. Juliana Parish and School (Chicago)
  • Mary, Seat of Wisdom Parish and School (Park Ridge)
  • Our Lady of Hope Parish (Rosemont)
  • Our Lady of Ransom Parish (Niles)
  • St. Paul of the Cross Parish and School (Park Ridge)

The new structure will be:

  • Our Lady of Hope will become a mission of Mary, Seat of Wisdom Parish and regular Sunday Worship will continue at both locations.
  • Immaculate Conception, St. Juliana, St. Paul of the Cross and Our Lady of Ransom will remain in their current structures. 
  • Operations at the four schools among the parishes will be unchanged.
  • These changes will go into effect no later than July 1, 2021.

St. Bruno-St. Richard Grouping

The St. Bruno-St. Richard Renew My Church grouping includes the following Chicago parishes and schools:

  • St. Bruno Parish and School
  • St. Richard Parish and School

The new structure will be:

  • St. Bruno and St. Richard will unite to form a new parish, with a new name to 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.
  • This change will go into effect no later than July 1, 2021.
  • School structures will continue to be discerned, with a final decision by November 2021.

Next Steps

Over the next few months, the archdiocese and the current parish pastors will support these 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.