Joliet Diocese Announces Parish Restructuring Plan for Joliet Parishes

Citing changes including a reduced number of incoming priests, an aging population of priests, and costs associated with maintaining historic church buildings, Joliet Bishop announced a "targeted restructuring decision" for parishes in Joliet. 

The decision grouped parishes and then determined which buildings would remain as worship sites and which building would close. 

For the grouping consisting of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St. Joseph (in Joliet rather than Rockdale)  St. Bernard, St. Mary Magdalene, and St. Anthony, it was determined:

-Our Lady of Mount Carmel will remain in its current structure.

-The remaining parishes will be merged into one with two worship sites, St. Mary Magdalene and St. Joseph.

-St. Bernard and St. Anthony will close. 

A view of St. Joseph Church in downtown Joliet: https://youtube.com/shorts/6aLZFJvxVDU?si=ESw5nbVcM7Xg_IdT

For the grouping consisting of  St. Paul the Apostle, St. Jude, St. Patrick, Sacred Heart and St. Joseph (Rockdale), it was determined that these parishes will be merged and that St. Paul and St. Patrick will be worship sites.  St. Joseph in Rockdale will be a mission of the new parish. St. Jude and Sacred Heart will close. 

A view of Sacred Heart Church:


For the grouping consisting of  Cathedral of St. Raymond, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary Nativity, Holy Cross, St. Ambrose (Crest Hill) and St. Anne (Crest Hill), it was determined that:

"The Cathedral of St. Raymond will remain in its current structure.


St. John the Baptist will remain in its current structure. When the Franciscans can no longer staff St. John’s, the parish will be amalgamated into St. Raymond. At that time, a decision will be made as to whether St. John’s Church remains open as a worship site.


St. Mary Nativity will become a territorial parish, but otherwise will remain in its current structure. Holy Cross will be become a personal mission of St. Mary Nativity serving the Polish community.


St. Ambrose and St. Anne will unite in an amalgamation; St. Anne will be extinguished and the church will close."



Popular posts from this blog

Beautiful Fall Colors at Gerdes Grove, Twelve Mile Grove in Wilton Center, Illinois

Image
Beautiful fall colors are on display at Gerdes Grove and the Laughton Preserve in Wilton Center, Illinois.  The preserves are part of the Will County Forest Preserve District.  Laughton Preserve, Wilton Center, Illinois  Laughton Preserve, Wilton Center, Illinois  Laughton Preserve, Wilton Center, Illinois Gerdes Grove, Wilton Center, Illinois According to the Forest Preserve District of Will County's website : " Laughton Preserve began with the District's acquisition of an 8-acre parcel from the Gerdes family, and has grown to 430 acres from extensive acquisitions in the 1990s and in 2006.  The preserve contains approximately 2 miles of Forked Creek and has been left largely undisturbed, as it protects a remnant of the historic Twelve Mile Grove (a prairie grove 12 miles along the road from Joliet to Danville), portions of the 1832 Ce-Na-Ge-Wine and Joseph Laughton Reservations, and the historic Wallingford Settlement in Wilton ...
Read more

Local VFW Post Joins Work to Keep Gemini Giant in Wilmington

Image
The Wilmington VFW Post is joining the local effort to keep the Gemini Giant in Wilmington.  The statue is up for online bid at the Grafe Auction website . Wilmington's VFW Post 5422 posted to their Facebook page on March 8, 2024 that: " The Wilmington VFW Post 5422 along with Save the Gemini Giant have teamed up to make an effort to keep the Gemini Giant in Wilmington and relocate it 1 mile west on Route 66 to the VFW.  We need your help. "   Read the full post here . The Gemini Giant has greeted Route 66 travelers to Wilmington for decades:
Read more