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Oct. 19, 2006
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Bristol parish to have new neighbor to south |
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Chicago Archdiocese plans new church in Lake County |
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BRISTOL —
As Lake County, Ill. grows, so grows the need for additional Catholic parishes. Just south of Bristol and over the Wisconsin border, the Chicago Archdiocese estimates that more than 33 percent of new residents are Roman Catholic and without a parish to call their own.
If approved, a new parish with a seating capacity of 1,600 would be located on a 40-acre parcel owned by the Chicago Archdiocese one mile south of the state line on Highway 45 near highway 173.
Still in its early planning stages, the possibilities exist for an alternate site south of 173 on other acreage owned by the archdiocese which may better suit a greater number of Catholics. Upon securing a suitable location, the new parish would operate out of a temporary home for two to three years until the facility is complete.
Fr. John Jamnicky, a Chicago archdiocesan priest, acknowledged that growing population forecasts, combined with overcrowding at St. Patrick Parish in Wadsworth, St. Peter Parish in Antioch and Gurnee’s St. Paul the Apostle captured the attention of Cardinal Francis George, archbishop of Chicago.
“I was working in Washington D.C. for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,” he said, at an informational meeting Oct. 10 at St. Scholastica Church in Bristol. “Cardinal George called me and mentioned that he was looking at some possibilities for me when I came home. He then said that he would like me to found a new parish in Lake County and wondered whether I would be open to that type of assignment.”
For Fr. Jamnicky, the opportunity to begin a parish was an idea always in the back of his mind and he welcomed the challenge. Upon his return to Chicago in July, Cardinal George suggested he begin a feasibility study for six months to determine the community’s needs, responses and concerns as well as to meet with local politicians and neighboring parish officials.
“I called Fr. Roger Savage of St. Scholastica and told him that I was interested in beginning a new parish in Lake County, and offered my services to help out in any way that I could so I could learn more about the area,” he said. “Coincidentally, he was going on sabbatical, so it was a golden opportunity to help him out with Masses and other needs.”
Though large, the new church would address the growing requirements of the area for the next 30 to 40 years, as well as allow for a greater number of parishioners without further stressing the dwindling priest population.
“We have limited resources and we want a facility that is built for the future and large enough to meet the needs of this developing community,” Fr. Jamnicky said. “And with limited clergy, we can’t offer eight to 10 Masses on Sundays, so if the church were larger, we could accommodate more people with a smaller number of Masses.”
Initial plans do not include a school, despite a capped enrollment at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein. Instead, Fr. Jamnicky hopes that by attempting to erase the invisible boundary along the Wisconsin-Illinois state line, he will encourage the collaboration between the Milwaukee and Chicago archdioceses.
“I realize that historically, this invisible state line really has separated people who have all the same kinds of needs and we try to satisfy them ourselves,” said Fr. Jamnicky. “But with more sharing and dialogue, we could meet each other’s needs.”
Although Carmel has a waiting list, neighboring St. Joseph High School in Kenosha and Catholic Central in Burlington remain underutilized, Fr. Jamnicky acknowledged.
“These high schools should be providing education for those on the Illinois side who can’t find a Catholic high school to go to, and our grammar schools in Illinois should provide education for those on the Wisconsin side,” he said. “With the new parish, I will work closely across this invisible abyss that seems to divide us so we can provide church and education for everyone. We have such limited resources, so why duplicate services when it isn’t necessary?”
Although, Fr. Jamnicky understands that some members of nearby Wisconsin parishes may travel to the new location in Lake County, he will not attempt to draw members from the Milwaukee Archdiocese.
“It would never be our purpose to solicit people from Wisconsin or other Illinois parishes as it would not be appropriate, but people do go where they want to go,” he said. “Most of the time, growth in the parish is determined by the pastor and the parish life. You can have 15,000 Catholics belonging to a parish and if the wrong pastor is in that parish, they will go to another parish — there are so many dynamics to this.”
Although Fr. Jamnicky plans to evangelize, invite and welcome all area Catholics who may not currently attend church or belong to a parish, it will be the youth demographic that will envelop much of his efforts.
“While we won’t have a specific school for our youth, we will have classrooms and youth opportunities,” he said. “We need to attract our youth as the Protestant churches do and I am very dedicated to the ministry and evangelization of our young people.”
Already established is the bond of friendship and collaboration between Fr. Savage and Fr. Jamnicky. Despite “boundaries that seem wider than the Mississippi without a bridge,” both priests plan to continue sharing their time, talents and resources.
“Oh that will most definitely go on,” Fr. Jamnicky said. “It is going on now and will only get better between us. As to how much we are able to do outside of the archdiocesan boundary walls remains to be seen, but we want to assist each other and share our resources.” |
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