[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 21]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 30250-30251]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 6, 2007

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the St. Joseph's 
Church in Olney, Illinois as they celebrate their 150-year anniversary.
  The St. Joseph's Church in Olney, was established in 1857 by Father 
Laughren and celebrated its 150-year anniversary on October 7, 2007. It 
was Bishop Junken, who was appointed as the first Bishop of the Alton 
Diocese by His Holiness Pope Pius IX in 1857, who selected Father 
Laughren as the founding Pastor of St. Joseph's Church. The first 
church was built in 1861 on property that was

[[Page 30251]]

donated by Thomas Lily at the corner of Fair and Butler Streets. The 
church was then moved on rollers to its present location to Elliot and 
Chestnut Streets.
  A prominent family of the time, that of Dr. George Weber, was very 
influential in establishing St. Joseph's school do to the fact he 
wanted to provide his own children with a Catholic education close to 
home. When the school was completed in 1907, Weber strove to bring the 
Ursuline Sisters of Paola, Kansas, who taught from 1907-1914, to the 
school. It grew to 70 students by the fall of 1908.
  Construction of the present day church began in 1937 and was 
dedicated on Thanksgiving Day in 1938. The exterior of the church 
remains basically unchanged to this day, and the parish is presently 
serving about 700 families. The first and smaller parish house was 
purchased from the estate of C.P. Porter in 1953 and originally served 
as the sister' covenant. A larger and more modern structure was then 
built and became known as the Parish House but was then demolished in 
1997 to make room for a more spacious building to enhance the parish 
facilities.
  I salute St. Joseph's Church as it is an icon in the city of Olney 
and has provided a sense of stability and constancy as it has endured 
many tests during the course of the last 150 years. Members of the 
church and community equally have had this pillar of strength given to 
them by the church, which is something that will expectantly remain 
important for the city of Olney for at least an additional 150 years.

                          ____________________