Pastors’ Statement

Dear Parishioners,

Christ’s peace to you!

As part of Renew My Church, Cardinal Cupich announced this past Friday, January 22, 2021, his decision for our grouping of Saint Andrew, Saint Benedict, Saint Mary of the Lake, and Our Lady of Lourdes parishes.

In these decisions, Saint Andrew and Saint Benedict will remain separate parishes while establishing a covenant for ministry between them, with particular emphasis on evangelization and spiritual renewal. This decision builds upon the activities that these parishes have already co-sponsored over the last several years and asks them to more deliberately plan on ways that two Catholic parishes can support one another.

The Cardinal’s announcement also included his decision to unite Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Mary of the Lake as a new parish called Saint Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish with one pastor and pastoral team. This change will take effect July 1, 2021, with both Saint Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes Churches used for Masses. In the coming months parish leadership will discuss the Mass schedule at each church to begin after July 1. The future of Our Lady of Lourdes Church and campus will be reviewed on an annual basis, with a particular focus on supporting the pastoral presence and importance of the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, balanced with what is financially sustainable.

The changes being asked of Saint Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes will be hard on the members of these faith communities. The parishioners of Saint Andrew and Saint Benedict want to reassure the parishioners of Saint Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes, that they are in their prayers and they offer their support.

We would also draw your attention to the other announcements that the Cardinal has made which united several other parishes. All over the archdiocese, faithful Catholics are mourning the loss of things the way they once knew them. We would ask that you keep the Church and all her members in your prayers.

As Catholics we believe in the imagery that Saint Paul writes about in his Letter to the Corinthians. He points out that we are all part of one body, the Body of Christ. When one part of the body suffers, we all suffer. These decisions are painful, but we also believe that Christ always walks with us, offering us healing, peace, and new life.

We want to thank all of our Renew My Church Discernment Teams who spent many hours over the past several months meeting with representatives from the archdiocese. In the coming weeks we will have more information about next steps. We want to emphasize that what is being asked of us is to partake in a journey of spiritual renewal. We invite you to join us on this journey that, with God’s help, will lead us to a more vibrant Church.

God bless,

Fr. Stephen Kanonik | Saint Benedict Parish

Fr. Sergio Romo | Saint Andrew Parish

Fr. Manuel Dorantes | Saint Mary of the Lake Parish

Fr. Michael Shanahan | Our Lady of Lourdes Parish

Discernment Process

St. Andrew, St. Benedict, St. Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes Parishes engaged in the Renew My Church (RMC) discernment process through the fall of 2020. The Grouping Feedback and Discernment team (GFDT), which was made up of members from each parish community, met to review and discern the future parish structure for the area. Our deepest appreciation goes to the GFDT who prayerfully discerned the parish grouping structure during this challenging time.

Based on their meetings and feedback gathered from the larger parish communities, they submitted feedback to the archdiocese. The Archdiocesan Standards and Recommendations Commission, which includes representatives from across the Archdiocese of Chicago, reviewed the feedback and other information, including financial summaries, capital needs and parish trends.

Cardinal Cupich and Bishop Bartosic are grateful to Fr. Romo, Fr. Kanonik, Fr. Dorantes, Fr. Shanahan and the Grouping Teams who gathered throughout the past few months, and all parishioners who offered feedback through the recent discernment process.

Outcome

In the past few weeks, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, the archdiocese’s auxiliary bishops, and the archdiocese’s Presbyteral Council met to discuss the Commission’s recommendation. Based upon those discussions and prayerful consideration, Cardinal Cupich made the following decisions regarding the parish structure in the Wrigley Field grouping.

Effective July 1, 2021, St. Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes will unite to form a new parish called St. Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish with one pastor and pastoral team. Fr. Dorantes will serve as pastor of the united parish.

• St. Mary of the Lake will serve as the main ministry center of the parish.

• As the new parish begins on July 1, both St. Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes Churches will be used for Masses. The specific schedule of Masses at each campus after July 1 will be discussed by parish leadership in the coming months.

• The future of Our Lady of Lourdes Church and campus will be reviewed on an annual basis, with a particular focus on supporting the pastoral presence and importance of the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, while also balancing what is financially sustainable.

• The Our Lady of Lourdes school building on the east side of Ashland will be listed for sale as soon as possible, to generate proceeds to enhance ministry in the new parish.

St. Andrew and St. Benedict will remain separate parishes while establishing a covenant for ministry between the two parishes, with particular emphasis on spiritual renewal and the Five Strategies of Building the New Reality, namely:

1. Creating and promoting new entry points into parish life for those seeking answers, a sense of belonging and an initial encounter with God and the joy of our community.

2. Committing to create a culture of radical hospitality within a spiritual family that will be powerful for us as believers and encouraging to those who are seeking, lost or alone.

3. Ensuring Eucharistic liturgies are vibrant and transformative to lift up our hearts and souls to celebrate the Good News and keep our eyes focused on Christ present among us.

4. Reimagining faith formation to become readiness-based, rather than simply age-based, with programs and family catechesis that are holistic and oriented on unifying families in faith.

5. Committing to new avenues of pastoral care that focuses outward in love to share our faith and serve those in need both near and far.

An annual review of the relationship and sustainability of the individual parishes will take place between parish leadership and the Episcopal Vicar of Vicariate II.

Parish Structure Rationale

• Uniting St. Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes connects the two parishes with Hispanic ministry, enabling future planning to serve the needs of Hispanic ministry in the area.

• Annual evaluation of Our Lady of Lourdes Church and campus, within the context of what a united parish will need for ministry and facilities, will help evaluate how best to steward parish resources, including proceeds from the sale of the Our Lady of Lourdes school building.

• Maintaining St. Andrew and St. Benedict as separate parishes avoids overwhelming a pastor with two large school communities while they are continuing with the hard work of Building the New Reality.

• Establishing a covenant and an annual review process ensures the communities continue to make disciples, build communities and inspire witness.

Next Steps

The united parish community of St. Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes, as well as St. Andrew and St. Benedict, will embark upon the next phase of renewal, focusing on strong evangelization to the world around us. The renewal process calls us to become a stronger, more sustainable presence for the future, capable of reaching more people in their work of making disciples of Jesus Christ, building communities with one another and inspiring witness in the world around us.