Five Catholic parishes in the Harwood Heights-Norridge-Northwest Side area will consolidate into two, and one will eventually close, according to a Jan. 26 announcement from the Archdiocese of Chicago.
The decision was announced as part of the archdiocese’s “Renew My Church” initiative, which Manuel Gonzales, spokesperson for the archdiocese, said is underway because of the priest shortage and because many parishes no longer have the population base to sustain them after longtime congregants moved away.
The archdiocese’s Northwest Side-Harwood Heights-Norridge Renew My Church grouping includes the following parishes and related schools: Divine Savior Parish in Norridge; St. Rosalie Parish in Harwood Heights; and St. Eugene Parish and School, St. Monica Parish and School, and Our Lady Mother of the Church Parish, all in Chicago, the archdiocese said.
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The newly announced configuration will unite St. Monica and St. Rosalie as one parish with two worship sites, one pastor and one pastoral team. In the other configuration, St. Eugene, Divine Savior and Our Lady Mother of the Church will unite to form one parish, with one pastor and one pastoral team, at least through the end of the summer, and then Divine Savior will likely be leased or sold, Gonzales said.
The change will go into effect as of July 1, according to the archdiocese.
Both St. Monica and St. Rosalie churches will continue to host regular masses, with schedules to be determined in consultation with the parish leadership, the statement said.
A new permanent parish name will be determined by the local community and guidelines provided by the archdiocese. Rev. Greg Lorens, currently pastor at St. Monica, will serve as pastor of the newly-united parish, according to the archdiocese. St. Monica Academy will continue to serve as the parish’s school.
In the configuration of St. Eugene, Divine Savior and Our Lady Mother of the Church, St. Eugene and Our Lady Mother of the Church will continue to host regular masses, with schedules determined by the parish leadership.
Gonzales said St. Eugene’s campus provides parish and school facilities to serve as an administrative center for the parish, and will continue to offer the parish-governed school. Our Lady Mother of the Church provides accessible space for Masses and other ministries to supplement St. Eugene’s facilities. Divine Savior’s facilities would require more investment, Gonzales noted.
Each of the parishes currently has its own pastor, said Gonzales.
The churches currently have masses in English and Polish and Gonzales said it is “very likely” that offering will continue. The decisions will be determined by the pastor and parish leadership in the coming months.
Divine Savior Church is expected to conclude offering regularly scheduled masses between Aug. 1 and Labor Day weekend, according to the archdiocese. Gonzales said Divine Savior parishioners will eventually attend another church in their area. Attendance had been declining at Divine Savior, he said.
The archdiocese’s Priest Placement Board will continue its work to recommend a pastor for the new parish, according to a statement.
“It is up to each parishioner to find a parish where they feel most comfortable,” Gonzales said. “Our hope is that will be at one of the neighboring parishes.”
The Renew My Church initiative is taking place now because large church buildings which were built and established by particular groups of immigrants, such as Irish and German Catholics, are often the most expensive to maintain and do not have the parish base they did when they were built, Gonzales said.
A shortage of priests to serve the large number of congregations in the Archdiocese of Chicago is also contributing to the changes, he said.
The archdiocese and local pastors have worked with the Renew My Church Accompaniment Team to facilitate the changes to come.
Over the past several months, the archdiocese and local parish leaders have held meetings with the broader parish communities to determine future consolidation decisions, according to the archdiocese.