St. Bernadette in Evergreen Park should remain open

I am a graduate of St. Bernadette Parish School, along with two brothers and a sister. My parents were founding members of St. Bernadette, attending Mass in the famous Quonset hut before the beautiful church was built and Father Morgan O’Brien was named pastor.

My sister got married at St. Bernadette. My father’s funeral Mass was at St. Bernadette. Reunions and St. Patrick’s/St. Joseph Day were celebrated at St. Bernadette. It should not be closed. There is a petition circulating to appeal to the archdiocese to save St. Bernadette. My siblings, along with over 800 other present and past parishioners have signed on.

Although the school is closed, St. Bernadette remains the only Catholic worship site in the northeast quadrant of Evergreen Park, and has been a stabilizing factor in that area which has experienced significant change in the past 20 years. Queen of Martyrs, the parish with which St. Bernadette is supposed to merge, is located in the southwest section of Evergreen Park and is barely a mile away from the village’s other Catholic parish, Holy Redeemer, which will remain open.

Queen of Martyrs and St. Bernadette do not have contiguous boundaries, a requirement of Catholic Church Canon Laws 1773-1739 when it comes to parish mergers. Also it’s important to note the financial status of both parishes. St. Bernadette is solvent. Queen of Martyrs is not. To be blunt, OSF Little Company of Mary have had their eyes on that property for as long as I can remember. And now the archdiocese can’t wait to sell St. Bernadette.

An appeal will be made. It’s not over yet.

Donna L Murphy-Buckley St. Bernadette Class of 1968