Cupich to lead end of Transfiguration's 175th anniversary celebration
A yearlong 175th anniversary celebration at Transfiguration Parish in Wauconda reaches a crescendo this weekend with Archbishop Blase J. Cupich presiding at the last in a series of special Masses to mark the milestone.
Beginning with the 1841 arrival of missionary Pere Jean Gueguen who answered the call from brothers John and Michael Murray, the congregation has endured and grown to an ethnic mix of about 2,600 families.
Part of what the archbishop will hear at 5 p.m. Saturday in the spacious “new” church at 348 W. Mill St. will be a collection of voices representing what this community parish is about.
“We will actually be singing one of our songs in Polish, Spanish and English simultaneously,” said Judy Vuich, director of music and liturgy.
“Barka” translates to “Pescador de Hombres” and “Lord, When You Came” as about 30 of the blended choir members join for the special occasion.
“It's a trilingual parish and we do throughout the year have trilingual celebrations, but we haven't put us all singing together for several years,” said Vuich, who is among those preparing for the big event.
Another Saturday highlight is installation of the Rev. Juan Pablo Avila Ibarra as the new pastor of the congregation that predates the Archdiocese of Chicago. After the ceremony, up to 600 well-wishers are expected to mingle at the adjoining Parish Life Center.
“Getting him (Archbishop Cupich) down here is like the piece de resistance,” said Dave Jakubek, anniversary committee chairman. “The bigger part of the picture was the yearlong celebration we did prior to that.”
That has included special Masses at the general site of the original log cabin church, now Transfiguration Cemetery; “Old White,” a still-used frame church with steeple and spire built in 1877 on land purchased from early settler Justus Bangs; what is now the parish office, which replaced Old White in 1953; and the current church dedicated in 1985 and built largely due to a gift from a parishioner.
Several other events were held during the year, and a huge float resembling a birthday cake was built and presented during the Wauconda Memorial Day parade and the Fourth of July parade in Island Lake.
“It's kind of nice to spread it out over a year so you can enjoy all the aspects of church life,” said Mark Abernathy, a 30-year Wauconda resident and longtime parish leader.
And in memory of the long tradition, owners of the private Phil's Beach on Bangs Lake will let the church host a final celebratory picnic Sunday, as might have been done years ago.
“We made an impact on the community. I wanted people to say, ‘I'm proud. This is my church,'” Jakubek said. “We're focusing on the anniversary of the church, but it's also the community. We're nothing without the community.”
Members met in each other's houses until 1844 when St. John's Mission Chapel, a log cabin, was built on land donated by the Murray brothers. Part of the Vincennes diocese, the church was absorbed the next year when the diocese of Chicago was established.
One special Mass was held this past July 10 at the Transfiguration Cemetery, where the 1st Illinois Battery L, a group of re-enactors, re-created a Civil War-era field Mass.
Because of the number of troops, worshippers at that time couldn't hear the bells for the consecration of the host, explained Rob Hauff, a sergeant in Battery L. A cannon was fired to focus attention.
For the special Transfiguration Mass, two cannon shots — one for the host and one for the chalice — were fired.
“This was an extremely rare situation,” Hauff said.
The exact date of the first service has been lost to history, but Aug. 6 as become the accepted birth date to coincide with completion of Old White and renaming to Transfiguration.
After Wauconda became a resort area, the old chapel became too small to hold everyone, according to Abernathy.
“On Sunday morning, Masses would get so busy and packed that people would stand outside and listen to what was going on with the windows open,” he said.
Transfiguration became a parish in 1903 and remained a country church for much of the 20th century, according to information provided by the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Masses have been said in English, Spanish and Polish for the last 20 years.
During the past few years, about $1.3 million has been raised to pay for various improvements, including a stamped concrete floor to replace old carpet in the church, which still features rows of stained glass windows telling the story of the church in the U.S. and in the Wauconda area.
“It's basically, knowing people were strong enough and had enough foresight and gave of their time and talent and treasure to give us 175 years,” Abernathy said of the culmination of events.