Holy Cross Catholic Church

Project Name
Holy Cross Catholic Church

Location
Deerfield, Illinois

Project Status
Torn down in 2004; replaced by a new building.

Project Date/s
1939

In 1909, Catholics in Deerfield, Illinois, a North Shore suburb of Chicago, met to form a parish in the home of John Ender. The new church was named Holy Cross at the suggestion of Mr. Ender. A frame church was constructed on Waukegan Road and was dedicated on Oct. 28, 1909. Holy Cross was a mission of a larger church, St Patrick, in Lake Forest until June of 1929 when Rev. Charles L. McDonough became its first pastor. The church was redecorated at this time. Father McDonough was named pastor of another church in 1931, and Rev. Joseph E. Savage, became the new pastor of Holy Cross parish from 1931 to 1936 when he retired.

In December of 1936, Rev. James V. Murphy was named the new pastor of Holy Cross. Rev. Murphy hired John Mallin to redecorate the church, most likely in 1939. Mallin’s bank records indicated two payments of $300 each in December of 1939 from Holy Cross. Father Murphy served as pastor at Holy Cross until 1950. His successor, Rev. John J. O’Mara, raised funds for a new church and school, as the Catholic population in Deerfield had increased. The old church was subsequently torn down. The new church was also built on Waukegan Road and mass was first celebrated there in December of 1957. This church remained until a new church was built in 2004.

References

A History of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago Volume 1. Msgr. Harry C. Koenig, S.T.D., editor. The Archdiocese of Chicago, Chicago, 1980.

Holy Cross Catholic Church, Deerfield, Illinois. Parish History. http://www.holycrossparish.net/Our-Parish