Pilsen Catholic Church Slated For Consolidation Seeking To Stay A Full-Time Parish
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Parishioners of a Catholic church visited by Pope John Paul II in 1979 are trying to convince Archbishop Blase Cupich their church should remain open as a full-time parish.
Earlier this week, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago announced plans consolidate six churches in Pilsen into three, because of changing demographics, lower Mass attendance and the decline in the number of priests.
St. Adalbert will close. St. Pius V, St. Paul, and St. Procopius will remain open. St. Ann will become a worship site of St. Paul, and Providence of God will become a worship site of St. Procopius.
Providence of God, at 717 W. 18th St., just west of the Dan Ryan Expressway, will continue to celebrate masses, but it will be up to the pastor of St. Procopius to determine if any other sacraments or services will be held there.
Parishioners of Providence of God Church don't like the planned changes, and planned to Holy Name Cathedral on Saturday, and stage an overnight vigil outside.
"This is where they taught us to be a church, and it is a pillar in our community," said Julie Contreras, who graduated from Providence of God School.
Lifelong parishioner Melva Aparicio, said she remembers when Pope John Paul II visited Providence of God in 1979.
"When the pope came, it has a historical value, too, and it's just a shame. It's shame that our voices are not being heard by the Archdiocese," she said.
Contreras said an effort has begun to gather 10,000 signatures on petitions that will be sent to Pope Francis seeking to save Providence of God.
"This is the year that the Pope and the church has called for as a year of mercy. We're asking, as people of faith, for mercy on this church," she said.
Aparicio, who met her husband when they were students at the church's school when they were 5-years old, said she believes the Archdiocese's decision has to do with the gentrification of Pilsen, and how valuable the land is upon which Providence of God sits.
"It's all about the money, to see who could be sold to the highest bidder, eventually," she said.
Aparicio said she was told by Auxiliary Bishop Alberto Rojas that, sometime in the future, Providence of God will be closed altogether.
The changes for the six Catholic churches in Pilsen were set to take place June 30, 2016.