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St. Joe's celebrates 50 years in Wheeling

Hundreds of people packed a Wheeling church Sunday morning to celebrate its 50th year in existence.

And as an anniversary present, Cardinal Francis George was there to officiate the Mass.

As he walked down the aisle of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, parishioners grinned and cameras started flashing.

Starting off the service was a bit of humor, the cardinal pointed out that his face was bruised because he stumbled the day before at a church on the South Side of Chicago.

"I fell forward on my nose," he said. "Sorry your photos aren't going to be as beautiful."

He quickly pointed out that at certain times, everyone falls along the way.

Through the homily, George focused on making sure the church passes on the message of its beliefs to younger generations.

"On the 50th anniversary, we stop for a moment to thank God for what has been passed on," he said. "I thank all of those who have passed on the message for 50 years."

The church, at 181 W. Dundee Road, has been at the same location, next to the Wheeling village hall, for decades.

Most recently, the church sold 20 acres of land, including baseball fields, to the Wheeling Park District.

Services are in English, Polish and Spanish, and the church draws people from many cultures, races and languages.

Sharon Sylvester of Wheeling has been a member for 40 years. She was friends with some of the founders, who went door-to-door trying to form the church.

"We're more of a needy church," she said. "We're a helping parish, and we never have excess funds."

All three of Sylvester's children went to school at St. Joseph's. She said many are hoping to get a Latin Mass started at the church but will need a petition drive to do so.

It was founded by the Rev. George Mulcahey, a young priest who along with a small number of Catholics formed the church, also known as St. Joe's.

The initial Sunday Masses took place at Chevy Chase Country Club on Milwaukee Avenue where use of those facilities was donated to the church each week.

"This parish, however, is not in its building or organizations, but rather in the spiritual life of our people and community," the Rev. Michael Bonner wrote in a letter for the anniversary celebration.

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