A long-range plan to convert the long-shuttered St. Irenaeus Catholic Church property in Park Forest into a multiphased planned unit development which would include a community service and housing campus was reviewed Wednesday by the Village Board and members of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The meeting was the first step in a long-range process to convert the 6.4 acre site at Orchard Drive and Indianwood Boulevard from a house of worship into a community center and convert adjacent buildings into homes for pregnant girls and women, and a multiuse facility supporting childcare services.
Lamekia Davis, Rich Township District 227 board member, and Michael Maloney, executive director of the Kankakee’s Garden of Prayer, represented the Women’s Empowerment Center and Network in presenting the plan.
A vote was not taken. Andrew Brown, the village’s assistant director of economic development and planning, said the meeting was just the start of the long process which probably would involve changes to the plan before it could be approved.
Along with St. Lawrence O’Toole Catholic
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church in Matteson, the 60-year-old St. Irenaeus Church closed in summer 2022 as part of an overhaul of South Side and south suburban parishes.St. Irenaeus, with its imposing spire, was an anchor for what was once Park Forest’s booming shopping mall. The decision to close received numerous comments on social media, most of which underscored feelings of sadness and perceived loss.
Shortly thereafter, the church was on the market and a large “for sale” sign placed on Indianwood Boulevard.
The proposed project, which Maloney said would take about five years to complete, is divided into three phases, the first of which would convert the convent into a nine-bed group home for pregnant girls between the ages of 12 to 17 and renovate the rectory into a similar facility for pregnant women from age 18 to 21.
The second phase would turn the existing church into a community event center and a cooling/warming shelter.
The third phase would convert the school building into a 14-bed residential care facility which would include a daycare center, office space, a salon and a food pantry.
Maloney said the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services would help fund the project, but he estimates the cost over the five-year period of development would be $20 million.
Jerry Shnay is a freelance columnist for the Daily Southtown.