St. Patrick Catholic Church Lake Forest, IL

Lake Forest's, St. Patrick’s Church is one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in Lake County, Illinois.  The founding of our parish was the result of a terrible tragedy nearby on Lake Michigan in 1840.  Two ships collided creating a need to find a fitting burial place for a number of Catholic seamen.  Local Catholics, Michael Yore and Lawrence Fagan donated land for a cemetery on Telegraph Road.  A few years later, in 1844, the first church, a log cabin, 40' x 30', was built on the cemetery grounds.  Local Irish Catholics in the area then known as Meehan's settlement built the church as a mission of another log cabin church in Little Fort, now called Waukegan.  As the Catholic population grew in Lake County, the mission arrangement allowed for worship at a church closer to home while the priest traveled between locations.

 

At first, the church was called St. Michael's (possibly to honor Michael Yore's contribution), but by the 1860's it was known as St. Patrick and served both Meehan's settlement and Dwyer's settlement which was located in the area now served by St. Mary, Lake Forest.  The parish was founded in 1849.  In 1853 the cornerstone of a brick church was laid on the northeast corner of Waukegan Rd. and Rt. 60.  When the church was completed in 1855, it appears that it was still being served by the priests from the parish in Waukegan, now renamed Immaculate Conception.  In 1875, Rev. James McGovern was named pastor of St. Patrick.  St. Mary Church in Lake Forest was completed in 1875, and Fr. McGovern immediately started construction of a rectory next door.  He moved there in 1876,  making St. Patrick a mission of St. Mary Church.

 

As a result of a serious cracking problem, St. Patrick Church had to be rebuilt in 1883 re-using the original bricks.  Unfortunately, in July of 1895, lightning struck the building and it was destroyed.  A new church was built, but less than twenty years later on July 8, 1908, it was also destroyed by fire.

In 1909, the Rev. Thomas F. Quinn was appointed pastor of St. Patrick.  He also served as pastor for a congregation in Deerfield.  He directed the construction of Holy Cross Church in Deerfield which remained a mission of St. Patrick until 1929.  In 1910 our little church and the rectory were built and then dedicated by Archbishop Quiqley on October 16th.  That church remains a cherished space for our worship.   Today it’s warm, intimate setting is perfect for daily Mass.

 

 Our Pastors

Rev. Thomas Quinn	1909-1916
Rev. Ryan	1916-1928
Rev. J. K. Fielding	1928-1937
Rev. Lawrence Daly	1937-1951
Rev. Raymond T. McCarthy	1951-1964
Rev. Harold P. O’Gara	1964-1977
Msgr. Cornelius J. McGillicuddy	1977-1984
Msgr. John P. O’Donnell	1984 – died July 21, 1986
Rev. William J. McNulty	November 1986 – June 2004
Rev. Laurence Dunn	June 2004 to the present

 

In 1968, the Parish Center was built to provide classroom space for Religious Education, social space and an air-conditioned environment for worship during the summer.  As the parish grew, it was used as a second site for Mass, accommodating the large group that regularly attended the Mass at 10:00 am. 

 

In 1986, a renovation of the little church was completed.  The steps on the south side of church were enclosed in an addition which also added bathrooms and a source of water to the sacristy.  A walkway from the parking lot to the main doors of the church gradually ascended to a landing on the same level making it more accessible and elimating the hazard of icy steps in the winter.  A vestibule was created by removing a wall under the balcony and moving the confessional to the sacristy area.  A glass partition was built to protect the worshippers from draughts from the doors.  In addition, a sound system and new lighting were added.  New oak pews were installed and plum colored seat cushions and carpet were used to complement the dominant colors of the windows, reds and blues.

 

An overriding concern of the committee at that time was to retain the basic simplicity of the church.  The exterior brick had been painted white during a prior period.  It was sandblasted to remove the white paint and tuckpointed.  One of the two altars in the small sanctuary, a vestige of the time before Vatican II, was removed while retaining a solid walnut altar installed in 1964.  The Resurrection window over the altar was elongated to bring in more light and marble windowsills were installed throughout the church.  The final touch was the completion of new Stations of the Cross by a local artist and member of the parish, Franklin McMahon.  The renovation was completed in July 1986.  At that the time St. Patrick had 365 families.

As new homes were built in the area around St. Patrick, our congregation grew rapidly.  In 1995 ground was broken for a new church which would include additional space for meetings and for offices.  The design incorporated the existing Parish Center uniting what could have been three separate buildings; the Parish Center, the church and the office/meeting area.  The church, reflecting it's pivotal place in the life and worship of our parish is the center of the complex with the two other areas connected by means of two enclosed cloister walks.  They extend like arms welcoming and enclosing the congregation arriving for worship.  The new church remains close to its Irish roots by incorporating the Celtic cross and the Celtic symbolism of the spiral in its decorative elements.  Words from the the prayer of the Breastplate of St. Patrick are stenciled on the walls of the large Family Gathering Area.  Franklin McMahon's daughter was responsible for the design of these elements.   On December 13, 1997, the first liturgy was held in our new church.   On March 22, 1998, it was dedicated by Cardinal Francis George in a joyous celebration.  Today St. Patrick is central to the religious lives of about 1,780 families.