St. Isidore welcomes its new pastor

There was an upbeat energy permeating St. Isidore Catholic Church Sunday afternoon.

In the vestibule, the Bloomingdale church's new pastor, Rev. Gerald Simonelli, was hamming it up with parishioners, greeting well-wishers and getting ready to preside over his first Mass as the leader of one of DuPage County's largest Catholic congregations.

"Remember to always be ... a wise teacher of people so you can lead them to Christ," the Rev. Gerald Riva told Simonelli at the outset of the Mass.

Riva, a Joliet Diocese dean charged with installing new pastors, reminded both Simonelli and the congregation Sunday of the challenges present in both retaining and returning parishioners to the church. Roughly 6,500 families are registered at St. Isidore, yet Riva reminded his congregation of the empty seats at Sunday's service.

"You are surrounded by shopping malls; The closest family lives a mile away, and nobody can walk to church here," Riva said, addressing some of the particular challenges of the parish, located on a busy intersection of Gary Avenue and Army Trail Road. "The challenge is to fill this place to the brim."

DuPage County is familiar territory for Simonelli, a Bensenville native who spent most of his 18 years as a priest working in parishes throughout the area. Before joining the parish at St. Isidore, Simonelli served as pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Addison and St. Andrew the Apostle in Romeoville.

"This is a wonderful parish," Simonelli said of his new congregation. "It's exciting to lead such a diverse parish. I think the energy here is contagious."

Sunday's Mass had Scripture readings in both Spanish and Tagalog.

Terry Cummiskey, a deacon at St. Isidore, said the parish has also been home to Polish parishioners and serves a deaf community.

"It's a big church, but it doesn't mean we're more well-attended than anybody else," Cummiskey said. "I hope he brings people back to the local parish community."