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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, St. Francis Xavier Church has been described as
3standing majestically as the focal point for people entering
4Jerseyville; and
 
5    WHEREAS, On July 4, 2021, the parish celebrated 150 years
6with their sesquicentennial jubilee; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The first Catholic Mass in Jerseyville was held
8in the William Shepherd home in the fall of 1841; Fathers
9Carroll and Hamilton of the Alton Diocese, which included
10Jersey County, occasionally visited Jerseyville and held
11Masses in private homes and the courthouse; and
 
12    WHEREAS, In 1849, it was decided there was a need for a
13Catholic church in Jerseyville; it was not until 1857 that a
14small frame church was erected, which was dedicated by Bishop
15Henry Damian Junker of the Alton Diocese; and
 
16    WHEREAS, In the 1860s, a rectory was built, which later
17became the home for the Dominican Sisters who staffed the
18school for over 100 years, and ground was also purchased for a
19parish cemetery; and
 
20    WHEREAS, In 1868, a cornerstone was laid for a larger

 

 

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1church, which is the current St. Francis Xavier Church; the
2main body of the church was to be 55 by 100 feet; the inside
3height of the ceiling in the center of the nave is 43 feet and
4the side aisles are 25 feet; William Embly and Sons were the
5architects of the Gothic style church; the body was made of
6brick made in Jerseyville, and the stone trimmings came from
7the Grafton quarries; the roof was covered with slate
8shingles; the cost to build the church was $25,000 and took
9three years to complete; and
 
10    WHEREAS, On July 4, 1871, the church was dedicated by
11Bishop Peter J. Baltes of the Alton Diocese; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Father Thomas Mangan became the first resident
13priest of St. Francis Xavier Church, and he remained until
141860; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The celebratory 150th anniversary Mass was held
16on July 4, 2021 and included a keepsake program with pictures,
17history, and holy cards; the Vatican also sent an Apostolic
18Blessing from Pope Francis; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
20HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
21we congratulate St. Francis Xavier Church of Jerseyville on
22its 150th anniversary; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the parish as an expression of our esteem and
3respect.