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92_HR0875
LRB9216768RHrh
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are honored to recognize the 50th Anniversary
4 of Our Lady of the Wayside Parish in Arlington Heights; and
5 WHEREAS, Our Lady of the Wayside Parish was founded in
6 1952 when the Reverend Harold T. O'Hara was assigned by
7 Archbishop Samuel Cardinal Strich to establish a second
8 parish in Arlington Heights; with 250 families under his
9 guidance and a large tract of land on the corner of Mitchell
10 and Park, the newly appointed Pastor O'Hara wisely chose to
11 link his fledgling parish to the antique past by naming it
12 Our Lady of the Wayside; and
13 WHEREAS, The devotion to Our Lady under this title dates
14 back to about the 5th century; Mary's image was frescoed on a
15 piece of stone taken from an ancient Roman building; the
16 stone was moved from one road to another road, hence the
17 name, Our Lady of the Wayside; and
18 WHEREAS, Anchored deeply in the history and devotions of
19 the Roman Catholic Church, the physical development of Our
20 Lady of the Wayside Parish reflects the history and social
21 development of the post-World War II Catholic Church in the
22 American suburbs; and
23 WHEREAS, Mass was first celebrated in July 1952 in the
24 small gym of the old South Junior High School; May 24, 1953,
25 the feast of Our Lady of the Wayside, was appropriately
26 chosen to break ground for the new parish building that was
27 to be a combination school, church, convent, and meeting
28 hall; on September 10, 1954 the school opened with 300
29 students; by 1956, 1000 students filled the school to
30 capacity; and
31 WHEREAS, The parish celebrated its first Mass in the
-2- LRB9216768RHrh
1 permanent church on Sunday, September 29, 1957; the new
2 church was built in a modified Romanesque style with an
3 exterior of Indiana limestone to conform with the school and
4 the convent; and
5 WHEREAS, Our Lady of the Wayside Parish has been an
6 invaluable member of the Arlington Heights community for the
7 past 50 years; it continues to provide many outreach programs
8 that benefit the community, including a weekly homeless
9 shelter, senior ministries, St. Vincent DePaul Society, and
10 many youth activities; currently, more than 3,000 families
11 are registered to the parish with more than 750 students
12 educated at the school; and
13 WHEREAS, To commemorate the golden anniversary of Our
14 Lady of the Wayside, the parish will host a year-long
15 celebration under the theme, "Remember, Celebrate, and
16 Believe"; the parish's anniversary year will kick-off on June
17 30, 2002, which marks the 50th anniversary of the date Father
18 O'Hara was assigned to start Our Lady of the Wayside; it will
19 be a year-long celebration culminating in the closing
20 celebration Mass with Cardinal Francis George on May 24,
21 2003, the Feast of Our Lady of the Wayside; therefore, be it
22 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-
23 SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
24 congratulate Our Lady of the Wayside Parish on the
25 celebration of its 50th anniversary of service and
26 contribution to the residents of Arlington Heights; and be it
27 further
28 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
29 presented to the Reverend Vincent Costello, Pastor of Our
30 Lady of the Wayside Parish, as an expression of our esteem.