HR0428 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0428 LRB099 12133 MST 34844 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate St. James the Apostle Parish on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its founding; and

WHEREAS, St. James, based in Glen Ellyn, was established in June of 1965 by Bishop Martin D. McNamara; Father Thomas Fleming was appointed the first Pastor and the first Mass was celebrated in the chapel of the Maryknoll Seminary on July 4, 1965; and

WHEREAS, Ground was broken for the church and school on March 29, 1966; in September of 1966, St. James School opened in temporary quarters, and, in 1967, the school and the church were completed; the first Mass celebrated at the new church took place on Easter Sunday, March 29, 1967; and

WHEREAS, Throughout the years, St. James has been under the direction of Father James Lennon starting in 1971, Father Edwin Joyce starting in 1978, and Father John Sebahar starting in 1990; and

WHEREAS, It was under Father Sebahar's leadership that on May 30, 1999, construction began for a new building, which was dedicated in October of 2000; and

WHEREAS, Father John Ouper was appointed Pastor in 2001 and Father David Hankus was appointed the current Pastor in 2013; and

WHEREAS, The congregation has grown to over 1,800 families; and

WHEREAS, An anniversary concert featuring members of the St. James Music Ministry will be held at the church on May 17, 2015, and on May 31, a celebration Mass and reception will be held with Bishop R. Daniel Conlon of the Joliet Archdiocese; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate St. James the Apostle Parish on its 50th anniversary and we wish them many more wonderful years; and be it further

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