HR1288 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1288 LRB099 21969 MST 49009 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the members of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Stringtown on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of its founding; and

WHEREAS, The Parish of St. Joseph in Stringtown was officially established on November 5, 1841 when the first Mass was said in the home of Casmer Klepher; and

WHEREAS, The first church, a log building was finished on February 15, 1842 and was located eight miles northeast of Olney; and

WHEREAS, The church was dedicated to St. Joseph and gave the people a place to gather and worship; and

WHEREAS, By 1879, the parish grew in size and saw the need for a parish school, which was constructed one-half mile south of the present church; in 1907, a second school was built; a third school was built to replace the first two in 1951; and

WHEREAS, In 1887, St. Joseph Catholic Church became a part of the Belleville Diocese; and

WHEREAS, In 1899, a new church - Gothic style with brick foundation- was started and dedicated in 1901; the parishioners donated their time to cut the logs and hauled them to the saw mill for lumber to build the new church; and

WHEREAS, The new church was heated by wood stoves; in 1949, wood stoves were replaced by coal furnaces; coal furnaces were replaced by LP gas furnaces in 1956, and in 1973, another LP gas furnace was installed for central heating and air conditioning; the church was wired for electricity in 1939; and

WHEREAS, A parish hall was started and completed in 1936; through the years, parishioners generously donated materials and labor for the buildings; and

WHEREAS, In 1988, a Parish Council was formed to establish goals and objectives for the parish; and

WHEREAS, In 2010, a new parish Hall was constructed by Kocher Bros. Construction, Inc. to meet the growing needs of the parish; and

WHEREAS, Through the years, the parish has practiced old and new traditions, including the first parish picnic that was held in 1888 to help maintain parish expenses while providing community socialization; St. Joseph picnics are now consistently held on the third Sunday of July each year; and

WHEREAS, The Maintenance Committee maintains upkeep on parish grounds and buildings; the Education Committee provides opportunities for children to attend religious education classes and supports children attending catholic school in Olney; the Social and Service Committee provides opportunities for parishioners to gather in community; the Finance Committee helps budget income and expenses; and the Liturgy Committee was formed to help give spiritual direction to parishioners and participate in the hospital, assisted living, and nursing home ministries; and

WHEREAS, St. Joseph parish had a traveling pastor until 1901, when Rev. Henry Keuth was assigned resident pastor; he was followed by 11 other resident pastors until 1977 when there became a shortage of priests, which resulted in St. Joseph parish in Olney sharing their resident pastor and associate pastor with St. Joseph in Stringtown; this continued until 1997 when the Belleville Diocese decided to restructure parishes; at that time, the pastor of Holy Cross in Wendelin, Fr. David Braun, was asked to minister at both Stringtown and Wendelin; and

WHEREAS, In 2010, Fr. Mark Stec was appointed as the new pastor of St. Joseph in Stringtown and Holy Cross in Wendelin; Fr. Mark Stec continues to lead the parish family today; and

WHEREAS, The parish community celebrated the 25th Jubilee of Ordained Ministry in honor of Fr. Mark Stec on June 2, 2013; and

WHEREAS, St. Joseph Catholic Church is registered as the second oldest church organization in Richland County; and

WHEREAS, There have been 27 young ladies and two young men from St. Joseph Parish that have dedicated their lives to the service of God in religious ministry; and

WHEREAS, The parishioners of St. Joseph Catholic Church grow and live their faith during this quartoseptcentennial with this theme, "Living Our Faith as a Parish Family: Mericiful Like the Father"; and

WHEREAS, St. Joseph Parish in Stringtown will celebrate the 175th anniversary of its founding on November 5, 2016 with a special Mass celebrated by Bishop Edward K. Braxton from the Belleville Diocese; following the Mass, a reception will be held in the parish center to conclude the activities of the quartoseptcentennial; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the members of the St. Joseph Parish on the 175th anniversary of its founding, we commend their dedication and selfless service, and extend our best wishes to them for continued success in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the congregation of St. Joseph Parish as an expression of our esteem and respect.