[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24153]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS PARISH OF WESTERN SPRINGS, ILLINOIS, 
          AS THEY CELEBRATE THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PARISH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 26, 2005

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Catholic 
Community of Saint John of the Cross of Western Springs, Illinois on 
celebrating their 45th Anniversary of the parish.
  St. John of the Cross was created in May 1960 with the appointment of 
Rev. William J. Bennett. In September of 1961 the one million dollar 
building was completed, which included the living quarters for the 
parish priests, the worship space, and the classroom space for 600 
students. The parish was built on 5.5 acres of land but over the years 
through fundraising, the parish doubled to the present size of 11 
acres.
  In 1980, Father Bennett retired, and Rev. Joseph McDonnell became the 
second pastor of the parish. The parish began to expand through various 
programs such as religious education, liturgical ministries, and other 
social organizations. Additional space was then needed to accommodate 
for the growing number of organizations within the parish, so in 1988, 
Father McDonnell and the Parish Council agreed to construct a Parish 
Center. This Parish Center included space for daily worship, private 
prayer, the day school, religious education, parish meetings, staff 
offices, choir rehearsal and many more activities.
  After 16 years as pastor, Father McDonnell retired in August of 1996 
from the parish. Reverend Richard Hynes, the current pastor, was 
appointed by Cardinal Bernardin to succeed Father McDonnell. Father 
Hynes has been committed to spreading the awareness of the Catholic 
tradition to the parish community.
  It is quite obvious that over the 45 years of Saint John of the 
Cross, the parish community has grown stronger through their worship, 
formation, and charity.
  It is my honor to recognize Saint John of the Cross of Western 
Springs, Illinois on celebrating 45 years of service to spreading the 
Catholic faith throughout the community.

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