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91_HR0866
LRB9114812ACksA
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives wish to congratulate the St. Procopius Parish
4 in Pilsen as it prepares to celebrate its 125th anniversary;
5 and
6 WHEREAS, Father William Coka helped to organize Pilsen
7 residents to raise funds for a new parish and school and, in
8 the summer of 1875, the residents had raised enough to
9 purchase 3 lots at the corner of 18th and Allport Streets for
10 that purpose; and
11 WHEREAS, St. Procopius was organized as a parish in 1875
12 with Father Coka as its first pastor; the first Mass was
13 celebrated in the parish on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1876
14 with Father Gerst officiating; and
15 WHEREAS, The rapid growth of the parish prompted Father
16 Coka to decide to build a new church and convert the old
17 building to school use; Archbishop Patrick A. Feehan blessed
18 the new church on September 23, 1883 at a celebration that
19 attracted many visitors, including Czech clergy from other
20 American cities; and
21 WHEREAS, The St. Procopius Parish is diverse; the parish
22 has always been an Archdiocesan parish, but in 1885, the
23 archabbot established a Benedictine community at the Parish,
24 with Father Jaeger as St. Procopius's first Benedictine
25 pastor, and in 1992 the Jesuits accepted the pastoral
26 ministry at St. Procopius, with Father James Schulz, SJ,
27 serving as the first Jesuit pastor; and
28 WHEREAS, Over the past 125 years, the parish has offered
29 a multitude of public services, including the Mexican Social
30 Club of St. Procopius, a summer-job program for young people,
31 the Resurrection Project, and Esperanza Familiar (Family
-2- LRB9114812ACksA
1 Hope); and
2 WHEREAS, St. Procopius Elementary School seeks to
3 preserve and develop the culture of the community and
4 encourage academic, social, and spiritual growth; it educates
5 its 250 students to be academically proficient in both
6 English and Spanish; it is the only dual language elementary
7 school in the Archdiocese; the parish began as a Czech
8 community, but is now a predominately Mexican community; and
9 WHEREAS, Father Timothy Howe, SJ, who became St.
10 Procopius's 19th pastor in 1999, brings into the new
11 millennium the parish's expansive history and its new
12 pastoral and educational programs; therefore, be it
13 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15 we congratulate St. Procopius Parish on its history, faith,
16 and traditions as it celebrates its 125th anniversary; may it
17 continue to provide guidance to the community for many years
18 to come; and be it further
19 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
20 presented to Father Timothy Howe, SJ, current pastor of the
21 St. Procopius Church.