Priest who served in Des Plaines, Buffalo Grove and Wauconda dies at 64

Catholic parishes across Cook and Lake counties are mourning the loss of a beloved pastor, the Rev. Patrick Cecil, who died Monday.

He served the Archdiocese of Chicago as a priest for 38 years, including at St. Zachary Church in Des Plaines - where he started its Augustfest - St. Mary Parish in Buffalo Grove and at St. Patrick Church in Wadsworth, in his first assignment as pastor.

At the time of his death, Cecil was pastor of St. Mary of the Woods Parish in the Edgebrook neighborhood of Chicago. He was 64.

Nearly all of the parishes where Cecil served had a Catholic school, and he played a vibrant role in each.

At St. Patrick School in Wadsworth, Cecil carried on a tradition during the 14 years he served there of "commissioning" each grade with their new responsibilities at the end of the school year.

"At the end of the year Mass, Fr. Pat would call each grade up, one by one," says Lucianne DeMarco of Lindenhurst. "He told them what their new responsibilities would be as they headed into the next grade and then he blessed them. It was always very emotional."

At St. Zachary School, former teacher Maureen Raftery recalls that Cecil often visited classrooms, including her fourth grade room each week to teach students about parts of the Mass.

"Father Pat was loved by all the children of St. Zachary," Raftery said.

It was in his first year at the parish as a young associate pastor that he put St. Zachary Church on the map. What started out as a parish picnic became Augustfest and grew to include live bands, carnival rides, food and an outdoor Mass. The festival celebrated its 32nd installment in August.

The Rev. Edward Fialkowski, pastor of Our Lady of the Wayside Church in Arlington Heights, had known Cecil since childhood, and they were classmates in the seminary.

"Pat was always a kind, generous, upbeat and sincere priest," Fialkowski said. "He was a guy who preached about what he truly believed.

"He was very dedicated to the priesthood and to parish life. He was well respected by his classmates - and loved by his parishioners."

His dedication to his ministry came across in a 2008 interview he gave to the Chicago New World, in which he described his approach to ministry.

"The work of a priest is to point out the movement of God in people's lives," Cecil said. "That's what I try to do."

A wake for Cecil will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, and a funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, both at St. Mary of the Woods Parish, 7033 N. Moselle Ave., Chicago. A second memorial Mass will take place at 1 p.m. Dec. 10 at St. Zachary Church, 567 W. Algonquin Road in Des Plaines.