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92_HR0109
LRB9208300RHrh
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to recognize milestone events in
4 the history of organizations in the State of Illinois; and
5 WHEREAS, St. Gertrude Parish is celebrating its
6 centennial anniversary of service to the residents of the
7 Franklin Park community; and
8 WHEREAS, As the Catholic community in Franklin Park began
9 to increase in size at the turn of the century, the decision
10 to form a new parish in the community was made; as a result,
11 on June 30, 1900, Reverend Patrick J. Scanlon was appointed
12 pastor of the new parish in Franklin Park; and
13 WHEREAS, The first Mass was offered at a store at the
14 corner of Franklin Ave. and Calwagner St.; Mass attendance
15 averaged to about 35 persons, and the total "plate offering"
16 was $1.25 each Sunday; many of the parishioners traveled via
17 horse and buggy or by foot; in July of 1900, Father Scanlon
18 started to take collections in order to build a new church
19 where he had the hearty cooperation of all people,
20 irrespective of creed or nationality; and
21 WHEREAS, The construction of St. Gertrude's church and
22 rectory fell to Reverend M.B. King; under his leadership, a
23 frame church was erected at the corner of Ruby Street and
24 Franklin Avenue with a rectory adjoining; St. Gertrude Church
25 was dedicated on December 1, 1901; and
26 WHEREAS, In the fall of 1911, St. Gertrude's Church
27 opened a parish school under the direction of the School
28 Sisters of St. Francis; by 1914 the cornerstone was laid for
29 the future construction of a combination church-school
30 building at the southeast corner of Schiller Boulevard and
31 Gustav Street; and
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1 WHEREAS, In 1914, St. Gertrude parish had a congregation
2 of 68 families; despite the small membership, the parish was
3 well organized and supported many religious and social
4 activities; and
5 WHEREAS, At the time of the parish's silver jubilee in
6 1925, St. Gertrude's parish served Catholics in Franklin
7 Park, River Grove, Bensenville, Itasca, and surrounding
8 areas; by this time, the Sisters of St. Joseph were in charge
9 of the parish school; and
10 WHEREAS, After World War II, the "suburban boom" that
11 followed had a profound effect on the St. Gertrude Parish; a
12 new church located at the southwest corner of Schiller Blvd
13 and Rose Street was considered one of the first modern
14 churches in the Archdiocese of Chicago; the new St. Gertrude
15 Church was dedicated on September 19, 1954, by Cardinal
16 Stritch; and
17 WHEREAS, The church quarters from the former combination
18 building were converted into classrooms, and by 1955, over
19 one thousand children were enrolled in the parish school;
20 however, by 1997 the parish school was closed due to
21 declining enrollment; and
22 WHEREAS, St. Gertrude is a very active parish; currently
23 there are over thirty active organizations of ministry
24 associated with the parish, and they include, the Parish
25 Pastoral Council, the Finance Council, Ushers, Eucharistic
26 Ministers, Music Ministry which includes the Adult Choir,
27 Spirit Choir, and Cantors, the Spanish Choir, the Spanish
28 Youth Choir, Spanish Liturgy, Children's Liturgy, Ministers
29 of Care, Consolation Ministry, Neo-Catechumenal Community,
30 Spanish Prayer, Bible Study, Religious Education, Inquiry
31 Class, Rite Christian Initiation for Adults, Baptismal
32 Preparation, Literacy Program, Centennial Committee, Saint
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1 Vincent DePaul, the Parish Nurse (wellness committee), Youth
2 United in Faith, Catholic Women's Organization, Italian
3 Catholic Federation, God's Way, Senior Citizens, Spanish
4 Youth, Brownie Troop 4458, Daisy Troop 4111, Cadette Girl
5 Scout Troop 4011, Senior Girl Scout Troop 4100, Boy Scout
6 Venturing Crew, and the Finance Committee; and
7 WHEREAS, For the last one hundred years, St. Gertrude
8 Parish has served the residents of Franklin Park and the
9 unincorporated area of Leyden Township; during this time,
10 many changes have come to the Franklin Park community
11 including the presence of differing nationalities; since
12 1988, the hispanic community has been actively involved in
13 the parish, and in 1998, the Polish community had an
14 increasing presence; to serve the needs of these
15 parishioners, St. Gertrude Parish instituted additional
16 programs; and
17 WHEREAS, St. Gertrude's Parish has endured many changes
18 during its first one hundred years, from its initial
19 congregation of 35 people to its construction of the St.
20 Gertrude Church to serve the rapidly growing population; the
21 existence of St. Gertrude's Parish has been a blessing to the
22 community of Franklin Park; therefore, be it
23 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
24 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
25 we congratulate St. Gertrude's Parish on the celebration of
26 its centennial anniversary of service to the residents of
27 Franklin Park; and be it further
28 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
29 presented to Father Alfred P. Corbo, the pastor of St.
30 Gertrude Parish.