Officials make farewell plans for St. Bernadette Church

St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Evergreen Park will celebrate its last Mass on June 30 and close its doors forever.

Founded in 1947, the small church fell victim two years ago to Renew My Church, a Catholic consolidation process aimed at shrinking churches with declining membership rolls.

When the church announced the merger in 2022, many of St. Bernadette’s parishioners were disappointed. Some had grown up going to that church, but despite pleas to stay open and a petition to save the neighborhood church, the move went forward.

Now, after the final Mass at 10:30 a.m. on June 30, 9343 S. Francisco Ave, those parishioners will say goodbye to their family altar and the church cross and its leaders will migrate to the Queen of the Church building. Martyrs in the newly formed St. Juana Parish.

Father Benedykt Pazden said the last two years have been difficult for some members, but tempers have calmed even among those who didn’t get what they wanted.

“The two-year transition time I asked the cardinal for was very helpful, as it gave people time to accept this very difficult decision by the cardinal to close Santa Bernadette and merge with Queen of Martyrs,” Pazden said. “It actually helped enormously to bring the parish community together physically.”

Pazden said the Queen of Martyrs community has been hospitable and, because it is only five minutes away, he has seen parishioners test the waters and get used to a new spiritual home. But, of course, any move can be bittersweet, so on June 30 the community will also have the opportunity to say goodbye to the old place.

“We’re preparing for it and we’re going to give people some way to say goodbye to the church,” he said. “Maybe you can kiss the altar or say goodbye to the worship space.”

Church leadership will also hold a ceremony to transfer the space from a holy and sacred place to common property.

“We are inviting parishioners and former parishioners and the deacons and priests who have ministered to us, we will have a relegation to transfer it to civil use,” Pazden said.

It’s unclear what will become of the church and its parking lot, but OSF HealthCare, the Catholic group that operates the Little Company of Mary Medical Center next door, will likely buy the property. If that happens, Pazden seemed optimistic the land would be put to good use.

“They are interested in acquiring the property and preserving it for a purpose other than a church, but there is no talk of tearing it down, but nothing is confirmed, so I don’t know how much I can say,” Padzen said. .

He’s heard the space could be used as a community center or for some other need, but he’s hoping parishioners who are long-time members will be able to see the old, familiar space and visit. She said the sale of the property to a Catholic hospital is, in its own way, poetic. From there the land emerged decades ago.

“You know, when Father Morgan O’Brien, who was the founding pastor, asked the cardinal at the time to start a new parish, he lived in a hospital room,” Pazden said.

O’Brien purchased the land from the hospital, so it would be poetic for it to return to its original owners, and he said it’s a necessary space as the hospital looks to expand its services.

In any case, parking won’t change much. Last month, the Evergreen Park Village Board voted to ban multi-story parking lots, so neighbors need not worry about increased traffic.

Pazden said he is hopeful and looking forward to it. Now that two years have passed since the initial announcement, all that remains is the big move, which will be a production of sorts with local firefighters and police vehicles overseeing the transfer of the cross to Queen of Martyr. Pazden said he hopes people will follow suit and he is optimistic in this regard as well.

“We hope and pray that everything goes well and we want to build community and bring more people into our church and a relationship with Jesus, and not lose sight of what’s important,” Pazden said.

Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.