[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13082]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING ST. JOSEPH PARISH ON CHURCH BUILDING CENTENNIAL

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                           HON. JERRY WELLER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 2005

  Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor St. Joseph Parish on 
their Church Building Centennial. The official celebration will take 
place at St. Joseph Parish in Joliet, Illinois on October 16, 2005.
  St. Joseph Parish, Joliet's fifth Catholic church, was founded in 
1891 by Slovenian immigrants. The first pastor, Reverend Francis 
Sustersic, arrived from Slovenia on May 12, 1891. The original church, 
which was blessed on October 16, 1891, was born of the love, labor and 
sacrifice of Slovenians, whose men toiled in the local steel mills. 
They provided a house of worship for their families and for their 
descendants who would preserve their Catholic Slovenian heritage.
  The parish grew quickly and a second St. Joseph Church was 
consecrated on October 15, 1905, as an official place of worship under 
the Archdiocese of Chicago. The second church was built with Indiana 
Bedford limestone at a cost of $130,000. It was the first stone and 
steel structure and the largest and grandest church in Joliet. In 1949, 
St. Joseph Church became part of the newly established Diocese of 
Joliet.
  Architecture of the church is considered ``modern Roman''. Three 
bells from the original church continue to toll in the current bell 
towers. The bells were named to honor St. Joseph, St. George, and 
Sancta Maria. The high altar remains the focal point of the church 
interior. The nineteen stained glass windows, magnificent rose window, 
Marian Shrine, and the angel bedecked gold-leaf dome serve to inspire 
the faithful in prayer and adoration.
  Today, the Church is a tapestry of diverse cultures and ethnic 
backgrounds while maintaining strong familial ties to their Slovenian 
founders. 2005 marks the 100th Anniversary and the second year of a 
$1.5 million dollar restoration of St. Joseph Church.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge this body to identify and recognize other 
organizations in their own districts whose actions have so greatly 
benefitted and strengthened America's families and communities.

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