HR0760 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0760 LRB103 40571 ECR 73155 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate St. Joseph Church in Island Grove on the occasion of its 150th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, In 1864, the first Catholic family arrived in Island Grove, and they were joined by 12 more Catholic families by the start of the new decade; during this time, the nearest Catholic church was in Teutopolis, a journey which became a hardship for Island Grove parishioners during cold and wet months; and

WHEREAS, The local Catholic families expressed interest in building a church in the Island Grove area; in the fall of 1870, Landelin Koebele, the head of one of the Catholic families, donated four acres of land to be used for church property; and

WHEREAS, Father Mauritius Klosterman deemed the land appropriate and suitable for the church site, and construction of St. Joseph Church was started in the spring of 1872; under the guidance of experienced carpenter and fellow parishioner Brother Camillus, the exterior of the church was completed in the fall of 1873; and

WHEREAS, In the spring of 1874, St. Joseph Church was furnished by Dr. Eversman, who donated an altar and 16 benches to accommodate 80 people; the building was fully furnished and ready for services on March 25, 1874, giving parishioners the opportunity to celebrate the Feast of Annunciation and the first Mass in the new church; and

WHEREAS, St. Joseph Church grew to accommodate a parochial school, attended by 14 children, in 1880; the church continued to grow and, with the help of parishioners who volunteered their time and building skills, more additions were completed in 1884, further expanding the church's communal nature; and

WHEREAS, On December 29, 1917, St. Joseph Church was destroyed in a fire; Father Joseph Meyer, the church's pastor at that time, was able to save the Blessed Sacrament from the Tabernacle mere moments before a ball of fire fell from the ceiling to the foot of the altar; outside, the church community gathered, helplessly watching their beloved house of worship burn; that night, a few men from the church made the rough trip to Teutopolis to retrieve an altar stone so services could resume as soon as possible the following Sunday; and

WHEREAS, St. Joseph Church was rebuilt and rededicated in December 1918, again with the help of parishioners who donated time and money to restore the building; and

WHEREAS, St. Joseph Church remains a staple of Island Grove and serves as a testament to the fortitude, dedication, and perseverance of the previous generations of parishioners and the legacy of their faith moving forward; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate St. Joseph Church in Island Grove on its sesquicentennial anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to representatives of St. Joseph Church as an expression of our esteem and respect.