[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 174 (Friday, October 26, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE 185TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST. JAMES AT SAG BRIDGE CATHOLIC 
                            CHURCH IN LEMONT

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 26, 2018

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor St. 
James at Sag Bridge Catholic Church on the parish's 185th anniversary. 
The oldest functioning church in northern Illinois serves almost 500 
families who ``bear witness to Jesus Christ by loving and serving one 
another to bring about the Kingdom of God.''
  St. James at Sag Bridge Church in Lemont is the sole country parish 
of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. In 1833 a rough log cabin 
served as the church building where Chicago's first resident priest 
John Mary Irenaeus St. Cyr held mass for both Irish immigrants and 300 
local Potawatomi Native Americans. Twenty years later in 1853, with the 
congregation growing in size, Bishop James Oliver Van de Velde laid the 
cornerstone of a new building built with limestone from a nearby 
quarry. From there, St. James at Sag Bridge operated as a mission 
church until 1882, when Reverend Joseph A. Bollman became the first 
permanent pastor. Numerous additions have been made to the church and 
the parish grounds over the years, but the 1853 stone church building 
stands proud and tall today, a testament to the faith of all the 
parishioners who have worshipped here for all these years.
  The church has survived numerous dangers, including not only harsh 
winters but also dynamite blasting of the nearby canal and a 1991 
tornado that did serious damage to the church building. In doing so, 
the parish has established itself as a symbol of endurance and the 
church stands as an important heritage site. St. James at Sag Bridge 
and its neighboring cemetery are registered as parts of the Illinois 
and Michigan Canal Heritage Corridor, and in 1984, were listed on the 
National Register of Historic Places.
  St. James' current pastor, Fr. Thomas Koys, maintains not only 
strong, faithful leadership of the parish, but has also founded the St. 
James Historical Society to celebrate the history of the church as well 
as the American history that the church has lived through. In July 
2014, I had the honor of welcoming Fr. Koys as the Guest Chaplain in 
the House of Representatives where he delivered the day's opening 
prayer.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring St. James at 
Sag Bridge Church and its parishioners on the 185th anniversary of the 
parish's establishment. I look forward to joining in the celebration.

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