Archdiocese to announce possible parish mergers in Jefferson-Portage-Old Irving Park on Dec. 18
by BRIAN NADIG
The Archdiocese of Chicago will announce “Renew My Church” consolidation plans for seven Catholic parishes in the Jefferson-Portage-Old Irving Park area at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18.
The announcement will be made during a virtual meeting, and information on how to access the meeting is available at www.renewmychurch.org/announcements. The affected parishes are Our Lady of Victory, Saint Robert Bellarmine, Saint Constance, Saint Pascal, Saint Viator, Saint Bartholomew and Saint Wenceslaus.
It is not clear if the archdiocese plans to close any of the churches at the seven parishes, but a recent update on the process by the archdiocese indicated that the schools at Saint Constance, Saint Robert Bellarmine and Saint Viator appear likely to remain open under initial recommendations. Pope Francis Global Academy, which is located on the Saint Pascal campus, also would remain open.
Saint Bartholomew, which holds a Spanish Mass, reportedly could be merging with Our Lady of Victory and/or Saint Pascal parishes in an effort to maintain or expand the archdiocese’s reach to the Hispanic communities on the Far Northwest Side. Also under consideration were the merging of Saint Constance and Saint Robert Bellarmine and the consolidation of Saint Viator and Saint Wenceslaus.
Earlier this year the parishes of Saint Tarcissus, Saint Cornelius and Saint Thecla were merged into the Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity Parish, with the Saint Thecla and Saint Cornelius parish campuses closing.
