Lake County's newest church ready
Confessionals won't be functional and the pastor isn't sure how many doughnuts are needed for fellowship, but Lake County's newest Catholic church is ready to host Mass.
St. Raphael the Archangel is the Archdiocese of Chicago's first new church in eight years. The Rev. John Jamnicky will welcome his first parishioners to the church, which is housed in a renovated barn near Antioch, on Saturday at 4 p.m.
"Like everything, no matter how much time you've put into it, there is always last minute stuff to get done," Jamnicky said.
The archdiocese has leased and refurbished the barn and its adjacent buildings on Route 173, just east of Route 45, to use as its new church. A new, larger church is to be built on adjacent land in five years. St. Raphael will serve an 8-square-mile territory bordered by the state line to the north, the Tri-State Tollway to the east, Grand Avenue to the south, and Deep Lake and Grass Lake roads to the west.
Jamnicky said the weekend services will be basic Catholic Mass. Two larger events are scheduled in September.
St. Raphael will seat only about 200 people, which is why there will be five Masses held every weekend.
Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago George J. Rassas will install Jamnicky as the St. Raphael pastor Sept. 9 and Cardinal Francis George will bless the church during the 6 p.m. Mass on Sept. 29, which is also the Feast of the Archangels.
Jamnicky said despite some construction details being incomplete, the church is beautiful.
"This weekend we've got enough to open and say Mass for the first time in the new facility, which is what we wanted," he said.
As far as attendance, Jamnicky doesn't know if he should expect, five, 50 or 500 people at Mass.
"I'm hoping for the 500," he joked. "Actually, if we could get 100 at each Mass, I would be very happy for the first weekend."
St. Raphael the Archangel's inaugural Mass schedule
4 p.m. (inaugural Mass), 6 p.m., Saturday
7 a.m., 9, a.m., 11 a.m., Sunday
Address: 2101 E. Route 173, Antioch
For information: (847) 395œ3474