Before and after Sunday mass at Our Lady, Mother of the Church on Feb. 6, parishioners were reacting to a recent Archdiocese of Chicago announcement that five local Catholic churches would be consolidated, and one would close.
The parishioners were signing petitions asking that their pastor, Rev. Andrzej Bartosz, be appointed as the new pastor of a consolidated parish that will include Our Lady, Mother of the Church, at 8747 W. Lawrence Ave.
The Archdiocese of Chicago announced on Jan. 26 the fate of churches in the Northwest Side-Harwood Heights-Norridge grouping in the Renew My Church initiative.
Renew My Church is designed to deploy priests and resources where they can be most effective, according to archdiocese officials. It has resulted in many consolidations, and some closures, of parishes around the archdiocese.
Effective July 1, the new structure will unite Saint Rosalie Church, 6750 W. Montrose Ave., Harwood Heights, with St. Monica Church, Chicago, as one parish with two worship sites plus one pastor and one pastoral team. Both churches will host regular masses, the Archdiocese said.
Also on July 1, St. Eugene Church in Chicago, Divine Savior Church in Norridge and Our Lady, Mother of the Church in Chicago will unite to form one parish, also with one pastor and one pastoral team. Divine Savior will be closed after Sept. 5, and its masses will conclude around Labor Day weekend this year, the Archdiocese’s statement said. There was no information in the announcement about the future of the Divine Savior premises at 7740 W. Montrose Ave.
New permanent parish names, within guidelines provided by the archdiocese, are to be determined.
St. Eugene and Our Lady, Mother of the Church will continue to host regular masses, according to the statement.
The diocese’s announcement caused at least one Our Lady, Mother of the Church parishioner to ask before Sunday mass on Feb. 6 if her church building was closing.
When she was told that Our Lady Mother of the Church will remain open, Concetta DiPiazza of Norridge said she was happy to hear that.
“This is going to be a worship church,” said Our Lady, Mother of the Church Deacon Sonny Annoreno of Mount Prospect.
“It is a beautiful church.”
Bartosz greeted parishioners before and after mass.
“After the announcement, it seems that this is not the end of the Renew My Church, this is the beginning, because now is the big task to unite all the three communities into one,” Bartosz said.
In the Sunday bulletin, Bartosz wrote in his letter to readers, “I am excited and eager to see the fruits of this work come to life.
“I am fully aware of how difficult this change will feel…the RMC announcement is not the end of the process, this is a beginning of building a new reality.”
Some local residents have taken to social media and the Norridge-Harwood Heights News to express concerns.
Dom Sulimowski, an active volunteer at Divine Savior parish and former Norridge village trustee, said he wasn’t surprised to see Divine Savior closed since the parish had ended its yearly carnival and other fundraising.
He also noted that some parishioners have left and he thinks younger people aren’t interested in attending.
“Many are not aligned with the church’s philosophy and business strategies,” he wrote in an email to Norridge-Harwood Heights News. “Simply said, people just don’t trust the church. As an example, the way the church aided and abetted pedophile priests and tried to cover up the issue.”
Sulimowski recalled that when he served on the Norridge Village Board, it voted on a proposal for the village to purchase Divine Savior’s land and develop the property to be a new village center and for a new police station.
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“I believe VON (Village of Norridge) bought it for $1.4 million,” he wrote. “I voted against the sale! I did not and still do not think that it was a good investment for the village and as we have witnessed it hasn’t saved Divine Savior.
“During the discussion, the money was supposed to go for Divine Savior to be for the infrastructure. Since that sale I have not seen any investment or a minimal investment into the church’s infrastructure. Now the Archdiocese has control of that money.”
Sulimowski said he thinks some Divine Savior parishioners will attend mass at other local churches or via livestream, and some may just stop going. He expects he and his wife may attend a different church, but they haven’t yet decided which one.
“I still volunteer at Divine Savior and will probably do so until the doors are closed,” he said.
Andrew Charles Kopinski, an area resident, wrote in an email to the Norridge-Harwood Heights News that the Archdiocese’s decision to restructure the parishes is “deeply troubling” and said Divine Savior parish is financially solvent.
He said that in previous consolidations, the non-primary churches were closed at a later date.
Kopinski offered to help any registered parishioners file an appeal to the Vatican.
“I think it is likely appeals will be filed for the three parishes involved in our community,” he wrote.
Others hope the power of the pen as signatures on petitions will make a difference in appointing Bartosz as pastor over Our Lady, Mother of the Church, St. Eugene and Divine Savior.
“Well, I think it’s needed in these times, I mean, it’s unfortunate that some of the churches are going to be closing down,” said Michael Onesto, a parishioner from Chicago, who signed the petition in the company of his wife Elizabeth Onesto and their daughter Sofia Onesto, 7, a first-grader. Sofia also signed the petition.
“She (Sofia) actually goes to St. Eugene’s grade school and that’s one of the parishes that’s going to be merging with Our Lady, Mother of the Church, so at least we’re excited about that,” Michael Onesto said.
Paul Vega of Chicago helped to circulate the petition before and after mass, holding clipboards while people signed.
He said, “I’m really excited about it, you know, bringing three parishes together, bringing the energy of the people together, and bringing the faith together,” Vega said.
Bartosz indicated that members of the archdiocese team will be on site to gather feedback as the consolidation deadline approaches this summer.
“Recognizing the emotional and personal nature of this, we are, in fact, seeing the birth of a new, unified parish community,” Bartosz said.
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