Cardinal George blesses Wheeling parish center
As Cardinal Francis George pointed out Sunday, Wheeling is a very different community today than it was when St. Joseph the Worker was founded back in 1957.
“It’s a growing town and very much a multicultural town, a multilingual town,” he said. “It’s a rich population here, and the congregation that started decades ago as English-speaking parishioners now find themselves one part.”
To help accommodate the growing parish’s diversity and needs, St. Joseph’s constructed a $1.5 million multipurpose center. George led a liturgical blessing and attended a reception of about 200 people including Mayor Judy Abruscato and village officials.
Pastor Michael Bonner said that before the new facility opened, St. Joseph’s small parish hall connecting the church sanctuary and school hall was always in demand. The new space, located just south of the church at 181 W. Dundee Road, features high ceilings and chandeliers. It will hold up to 500 people for baptisms, funerals, weddings, overflow Masses and other functions.
Bonner is especially excited about the educational programs that will take place in the center. He said about 1,000 children are taking CCD classes offered in English, Spanish and Polish.
On hand to celebrate with George was Denny Stone, a Buffalo Grove resident who’s been attending a weekly Mass for the past 33 years. To help fund construction, he purchased a brick for the center’s garden in memory of his late wife. He said the building will be put to good use by appreciative parishioners.
“This is a family friendly church that accepts everybody,” said Stone, a 77-year-old retired Skokie firefighter who now works as a crossing guard. “It’s a lot different from when I first started coming here, but the new people that have moved in are lovely.”
George’s visit to St. Joseph’s wasn’t his first. He officiated a Mass there in 2007 to recognize the parish’s 50th anniversary.
During his remarks Sunday, George emphasized that in addition to the center’s functionality, parishioners should value what the facility represents.
“It’s to be a visible symbol of the whole community of faith,” he said.