4 Of 5 North Shore Parishes Consolidating In Wilmette, Winnetka

WINNETKA, IL — Four of five North Shore Catholic parishes are combining to create a pair of new parishes, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced this week. One existing Winnetka parish will remain independent, and two Lake County parishes will also merge. The moves are part of the archdiocese's "Renew My Church" initiative.

The archdiocese said church leaders from parishes in its North Shore and Lakes Region groupings have been meeting to discuss the future church, parish and school structures for their areas. They provided feedback and the archdiocese has approved the final structures, according to a news release.

St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Northfield and Sacred Heart Parish in Winnetka are combining to form a single parish, starting July 1. Both churches will be retained as active worship sites of the new parish, according to the release.

In Wilmette, St. Francis Xavier Parish and St. Joseph Parish will merge and become a single parish the following year, effective July 1, 2019. Both sites will also remain active.

Winnetka's Saints Faith, Hope and Charity Parish and School will remain independent with its current parish structure and a full-time resident pastor, according to the release.

Parishioners and the archdiocese will work over the coming months to transition to the new parish structure, it said. The priest placement board will work to identify a pastor to lead each newly formed parish.

The archdiocese also announced the consolidation of two of the parishes in its Lakes Region Grouping. Saint Bede Parish in Ingleside and Saint Peter Parish in Antioch will unite to form a single parish in July.

And last week, the archdiocese officially broke the news of several school closings, including Holy Cross School in Deerfield.

More than 3,000 families will be affected by the merger of the two Wilmette congregations. Members of the parishes were notified last Saturday, as about 400 members of the five North Shore parishes attended a meeting, Pioneer Press reported.

The consolidation comes amid a multi-year renovation project at St. Francis, according to Pioneer Press. The archdiocese has not yet approved a project to add additional classrooms and renovate the gym, although the church has received zoning approval for project.

The pastor of St. Francis told Wilmette Life his congregation appeared to reflect a mix of hopefulness and anxiety about the changes. He said he did not know why the merger is taking place a year later in Wilmette than in Winnetka.

St. Joseph's pastor told the paper there was no consensus following a year-long discussion between the five North Shore parishes.

"Some are happy, some aren't," he told the paper. "Some are anxious to get started."

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