HR0075 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0075 LRB094 05363 HSS 38999 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, In 1885 Fr. Charles Hahn from St. Michael's in Chicago established a mission in Libertyville, worshipping initially in the old Town Hall; in 1886 the first Catholic parish church, named for Ss. Peter and Paul, was built on North First Street with Fr. Thomas Kearney as Pastor; in 1897 Fr. Wm. J. Meehan led the parish, and he was followed by Fr. Patrick Scanlon in 1901; and

WHEREAS, Fr. Scanlon guided the rebuilding of this first church after a major fire in 1904, which included its relocation to the present site on Maple Avenue; following the completion of the new church, the parish name was changed to St. Joseph; on July 2, 1905, Auxiliary Bishop Peter J. Muldoon traveled to Libertyville to dedicate the new brick church; parish membership then numbered approximately 75 families and the new church had a capacity for 300 people; Fr. Wm. Kinsella became Pastor in 1910; and

WHEREAS, In 1912, Fr. Stephen Luttrel succeeded Fr. Kinsella, continuing as pastor until his death in 1923; he was followed by Fr. Martin Nealis, who oversaw the brick construction of the first parish school at 131 East Maple; soon after the house at 217 Park Place was purchased to serve as convent for the Sisters of Mercy who staffed the new school, with the students numbering 150; 1931 brought Fr. Edward Loughry to St. Joseph's, and despite the depression years of the early 1930's, he motivated the parishioners to retire the school debt; the Loughry meeting room was named in his honor; and

WHEREAS, In 1946, the Rev. Harry C. Koenig began to help Fr. Loughry serve the growing parish at Sunday worship services; the rapid growth shortly after WWII required the appointment of the church's first Assistant Pastor, Fr. Roger Jones; Fr. Koenig continued to help out until 1955, when he was appointed pastor for the Sacred Heart parish in Chicago; by this time, some 300 children were enrolled in St. Joseph's Parochial School, clearly pointing to the need for greater classroom space; Fr. Loughry launched a pledge drive with parishioners pledging $263,000 toward construction of a new school; later, in 1957, Fr. Loughry became ill and requested that former pastor and now Monsignor Koenig, be appointed administrator for St. Joseph's Church; he returned and administered the new school's construction, opening in 1959 for 498 students; and

WHEREAS, Early in the 1960's, St. Joseph's growth reached 1,000 families and created a pressing need for a larger church; under Msgr. Koenig's guidance, the current, beautiful and modernistic church was completed in 1966; upon the death of Fr. Loughry, Msgr. Koenig became pastor and remained until 1974, when he was appointed Director of the Cardinal Stritch Retreat House; the Koenig Center was named in his honor, and is the site of the congregation's special family Masses and other parish-wide activities; Mgr. Koenig and Rev. John Egan, Pastor of Presentation Parish, launched the first "Twinning Program" whereby St. Joseph's adopted Presentation as its sister parish; today, several outreach programs continue to support Presentation Parish on Chicago's west side; and

WHEREAS, Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Grady became pastor for a brief period until appointed Bishop of Orlando, Florida; Msgr. John P. O'Donnell served as pastor from 1975 until 1984; his successor, the Rev. James O'Connor, saw one of St. Joseph's fastest growth periods as the population of Libertyville expanded significantly; this raised the urgent need for more ministries and parish family activities, leading to the building of the new Koenig Parish Center; in July of 1991, Cardinal Bernardin named Fr. Ronald Anglim to succeed Fr. O'Connor as pastor of St. Joseph's; Fr. Anglim established the church's first "strategic plan" following the guidelines set forth by Vatican II; this plan introduced a major expansion in service activities and additional ministries that necessitated greater lay participation through an educated, paid staff and more trained volunteers; and

WHEREAS, Fr. Anglim's successor, Fr. John Hennessey came to the parish in 1997 and continues to serve the parish today; he serves a parish approaching 15,000 parishioners with a $4,000,000 budget; he leads the congregation with the help of Parish Staff Administrator Bob Blanke, Associate Pastors Fr. Ken Kiepura and Fr. Val Laini, Naval Captain (Ret.) Fr. Vic Ivers, three other Permanent Deacons, and several Pastoral Associates; and

WHEREAS, The members of St. Joseph's Parish have been celebrating the 100th Anniversary of their parish since May of 2004, and the celebration culminates in a final liturgy on May 14, 2005; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate St. Joseph Parish in Libertyville on the occasion of its 100th anniversary, and we thank the congregation for its faithful service to the spiritual needs of citizens of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to St. Joseph Parish in Libertyville as an expression of our respect and esteem and with best wishes for the continued success of the parish.