After 60 years of anticipation, the parish of St. Peter the Apostle in Itasca prepares to open the doors to its new church facility. On June 25, the new church will be dedicated at a Mass with Bishop R. Daniel Conlon presiding over the rite and ceremony.
The construction of a permanent church has been the dream of St. Peter the Apostle parish from its earliest days. In 1957, ground was broken on the original worship space. At that time, it was envisioned and built as a temporary structure, to serve the needs of the then new parish until such time a permanent and more functional space could be constructed.
Sixty years later, the parish is a very different place. The community now consists of approximately 1,000 families and their needs for a functional and beautiful worship and gathering space was no longer being met by the original structure. After much prayer and discernment, the parish boldly embarked on a campaign titled “The Keys to Our New Home.”
The campaign provided the avenue to fulfill the vision that the founders of the parish had some 60 years ago to build a permanent church that fits the worship and gathering needs of present and future parishioners. The church will be the parish’s legacy for generations to come.
St. Peter the Apostle Parish was founded by Bishop Martin McNamara on June 11, 1956, assigning Father Sylvester Mulloy, also pastor of St. Joseph parish in Addison, the task of organizing it.
Fr. Mulloy used the gym of Peacock Junior High School (formerly, North School) for Sunday liturgy and the faith community of St. Peter the Apostle in Itasca was born. An assembly of 200 filled the gym to capacity when the first parish Eucharist was celebrated.
Plans for the original church building, intended to be a temporary one, were begun and ground was broken in 1957. A rectory was purchased and the school and convent were built so that, by 1963, Fr. Paul Bensen, the pastor, and the people had established a strong and growing Roman Catholic parish in Itasca.
Today, St. Peter the Apostle, a parish of approximately 1,000 families, forms a vibrant community of faith with expanding ministries by which parishioners can answer the call of Christ to serve each other and to live the Gospel message within the parish, as well as, within their wider communities.
For more information, please contact St. Peter’s Parish Center at 630.773.1272.
