By: By Tom Dermody

STREATOR — Expressing both hurts and hopes, the Catholic community of Streator prepared for the approaching transition from four parishes to one consolidated parish by coming together Monday night under one roof to pray, listen, and learn together.

“It’s going to take everyone’s generosity, everyone’s good will, and everyone’s faith to reach the vision of one parish, one school, and one church,” said Msgr. John Prendergast, pastor, at the close of two hours of often-passionate discussion that drew a standing-room-only crowd Sept. 13 to St. Stephen’s Gym.

The meeting was an opportunity for members of St. Stephen’s, St. Anthony’s, Immaculate Conception, and St. Casimir’s parishes to voice thoughts and emotions as they move toward forming a new parish under the patronage of St. Michael the Archangel. (See related story below.)

“You are all welcome here,” assured Maureen Gallagher, a consultant from The Reid Group who guided the discussion.

A Milwaukee resident experienced in facilitating parish consolidations around the United States, Gallagher acknowledged the closing of “beloved parishes” is a painful process, and called Monday’s meeting an opportunity “to help heal divisions that are separating us.”

“Everyone in this room has two things in common,” said Gallagher. “We were baptized in Christ Jesus and we care about the church in Streator.”

That care was repeatedly expressed by dozens of parishioners even as they offered divergent opinions at the gathering.

(Editor’s note: In outlining “ground rules” for the discussion, Gallagher asked participants to maintain the confidentiality of those who spoke. Though most speakers identified themselves, The Catholic Post will honor that request in its reporting.)

As they approached an open microphone, parishioners’ comments often began with phrases such as “I love my church,” or “I’ve lived in Streator all my life and no one loves this town as much as I do.”

“When I got the letter I cried,” admitted a member of Immaculate Conception Parish, recalling the July day she learned of the planned consolidation. “This is my church. I was married in this church. I’m devastated to think they will be gone. I’ll really, really miss them.”

“Change is difficult,” said a member of the Vision 2021 committee, a group of parish leaders which for three years has been studying the consolidation process. In 2007, Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, wrote a letter to all Streator-area Catholics asking them to work with their pastors in such a direction “in order to establish a strong, vibrant Catholic presence in Streator for the 21st and 22nd centuries.”

“Everyone here feels a pain,” the committee member continued. “The committee has had pain. Msgr. Prendergast has had pain. Open your hearts and let’s come together as a community.”

Msgr. Prendergast and committee members fielded questions on the consolidation process, finances, and plans for St. Anthony’s School, which will renamed St. Michael the Archangel School on Sept. 30.

Msgr. Prendergast applauded a suggestion on transforming the small gym at the school into a chapel after concerns were expressed about the impact on students of the loss of St. Anthony’s Church across the street.

“In looking at loss and dealing with pain you can be creative,” said Msgr. Prendergast, calling the suggestion “a viable thing that can be done to provide for the continuing liturgical education of our children.”

Msgr. Prendergast also used Monday’s meeting to introduce an architect’s rendition of a proposed new Catholic church blending many of the elements of the four present churches.

Effective after Masses Sept. 26, St. Michael the Archangel Parish will be based at St. Stephen’s Church. However, in the coming weeks parishioners will vote on whether to renovate St. Stephen’s to meet the needs of the consolidated parish or to build a new, traditional 600-seat church at one of two proposed locations — on land on the east edge of town or on the site of the present St. Anthony’s Church and Rectory just south of downtown, across Park Street from the school.

The proposed new church, designed by Duncan Stroik, a professor at the University of Notre Dame, would incorporate the altars from St. Anthony’s and St. Stephen’s churches, ten large stained-glass windows from St. Anthony’s Church and the rose windows from Immaculate Conception, and feature devotional altars to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Czestochowa, the latter acknowledging the Polish heritage of St. Casimir’s Church, where Masses were suspended in 2003.

Msgr. Prendergast called the proposed new church a “house of God . . . . that brings together the traditions of the churches we presently have.”

An informal vote called by one of the meeting’s participants indicated a majority of those attending Monday’s meeting were against building a new church.

“The bishop has never said it has to be a new church,” said Msgr. Prendergast. “The goal is to get to one church. But there are people in the community who want to see what the possibilities are, and we want to give them that chance.”

Asked to offer suggestions on moving forward, parishioners encouraged focusing on youth and young adults and keeping the lines of communication open.

Gallagher assured “this will not be the last time you’ll have a chance to ask questions.”

She suggested the first committee formed as the Catholic community moves forward should be a “communications committee.” Those involved are working hard on the process, she said, but if there is a lack of communication, confusion can result and “people start assessing motives.”

“I’m extremely grateful for your wonderful participation,” she told the group. “I appreciate your respect, your pain and loss, and I appreciate your Catholic identity.”

Throughout the evening, support for various points of view was shown by applause. The final round of applause acknowledged a statement by Gallagher that “a building is a building but Christ came to form a community of people who are witnessing to him.”

Msgr. Prendergast thanked Gallagher for her assistance, saying “we wouldn’t have been able to do this tonight without you.”

And he also encouraged participants to bring their joys and sorrows in prayer “to the Eucharistic table — that’s where our unity comes from.”

—–

BENEDICTIONS SET AT CHURCHES THIS WEEK; FINAL MASSES SEPT. 26

Solemn benediction services will be conducted at each of the four Streator Catholic churches this week to mark the parishes’ transition into St. Michael the Archangel Parish.

Each service starts at 7 p.m., and will include special prayers for all who were baptized, received first confession and first Communion, were confirmed or married in each church.

The schedule is as follows:

Monday, Sept. 20: Immaculate Conception Church

Tuesday, Sept. 21: St. Anthony of Padua Church

Wednesday, Sept. 22: St. Stephen the King Church

Thursday, Sept. 23: St. Casimir’s Church

The record books for the respective parishes will be officially closed at the service. The sacramental records will be retained by the St. Michael the Archangel Parish office for future reference.

The Mass schedule for the weekend of Sept. 25-26 is as follows: Saturday: 4 p.m. at St. Stephen’s, 5 p.m. at Immaculate Conception; Sunday, 7 and 10 a.m. at St. Stephen’s, 8:30 a.m. at Immaculate Conception, 9 a.m and 11:30 a.m. at St. Anthony’s, and a 1 p.m. bilingual Mass at St. Stephen’s.

All four existing parishes will be closed on Sept. 26 and the Streator Catholic faith community will consolidate into St. Michael the Archangel Parish, with all services held in the present St. Stephen’s Church.