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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the members of St. Joseph
4Catholic Church in Stringtown on the occasion of the 175th
5anniversary of its founding; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Parish of St. Joseph in Stringtown was
7officially established on November 5, 1841 when the first Mass
8was said in the home of Casmer Klepher; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The first church, a log building was finished on
10February 15, 1842 and was located eight miles northeast of
11Olney; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The church was dedicated to St. Joseph and gave
13the people a place to gather and worship; and
 
14    WHEREAS, By 1879, the parish grew in size and saw the need
15for a parish school, which was constructed one-half mile south
16of the present church; in 1907, a second school was built; a
17third school was built to replace the first two in 1951; and
 
18    WHEREAS, In 1887, St. Joseph Catholic Church became a part
19of the Belleville Diocese; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 1899, a new church - Gothic style with brick
2foundation- was started and dedicated in 1901; the parishioners
3donated their time to cut the logs and hauled them to the saw
4mill for lumber to build the new church; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The new church was heated by wood stoves; in 1949,
6wood stoves were replaced by coal furnaces; coal furnaces were
7replaced by LP gas furnaces in 1956, and in 1973, another LP
8gas furnace was installed for central heating and air
9conditioning; the church was wired for electricity in 1939; and
 
10    WHEREAS, A parish hall was started and completed in 1936;
11through the years, parishioners generously donated materials
12and labor for the buildings; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In 1988, a Parish Council was formed to establish
14goals and objectives for the parish; and
 
15    WHEREAS, In 2010, a new parish Hall was constructed by
16Kocher Bros. Construction, Inc. to meet the growing needs of
17the parish; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Through the years, the parish has practiced old
19and new traditions, including the first parish picnic that was
20held in 1888 to help maintain parish expenses while providing
21community socialization; St. Joseph picnics are now

 

 

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1consistently held on the third Sunday of July each year; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The Maintenance Committee maintains upkeep on
3parish grounds and buildings; the Education Committee provides
4opportunities for children to attend religious education
5classes and supports children attending catholic school in
6Olney; the Social and Service Committee provides opportunities
7for parishioners to gather in community; the Finance Committee
8helps budget income and expenses; and the Liturgy Committee was
9formed to help give spiritual direction to parishioners and
10participate in the hospital, assisted living, and nursing home
11ministries; and
 
12    WHEREAS, St. Joseph parish had a traveling pastor until
131901, when Rev. Henry Keuth was assigned resident pastor; he
14was followed by 11 other resident pastors until 1977 when there
15became a shortage of priests, which resulted in St. Joseph
16parish in Olney sharing their resident pastor and associate
17pastor with St. Joseph in Stringtown; this continued until 1997
18when the Belleville Diocese decided to restructure parishes; at
19that time, the pastor of Holy Cross in Wendelin, Fr. David
20Braun, was asked to minister at both Stringtown and Wendelin;
21and
 
22    WHEREAS, In 2010, Fr. Mark Stec was appointed as the new
23pastor of St. Joseph in Stringtown and Holy Cross in Wendelin;

 

 

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1Fr. Mark Stec continues to lead the parish family today; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The parish community celebrated the 25th Jubilee
3of Ordained Ministry in honor of Fr. Mark Stec on June 2, 2013;
4and
 
5    WHEREAS, St. Joseph Catholic Church is registered as the
6second oldest church organization in Richland County; and
 
7    WHEREAS, There have been 27 young ladies and two young men
8from St. Joseph Parish that have dedicated their lives to the
9service of God in religious ministry; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The parishioners of St. Joseph Catholic Church
11grow and live their faith during this quartoseptcentennial with
12this theme, "Living Our Faith as a Parish Family: Mericiful
13Like the Father"; and
 
14    WHEREAS, St. Joseph Parish in Stringtown will celebrate the
15175th anniversary of its founding on November 5, 2016 with a
16special Mass celebrated by Bishop Edward K. Braxton from the
17Belleville Diocese; following the Mass, a reception will be
18held in the parish center to conclude the activities of the
19quartoseptcentennial; therefore, be it
 
20    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

 

 

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1NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
2congratulate the members of the St. Joseph Parish on the 175th
3anniversary of its founding, we commend their dedication and
4selfless service, and extend our best wishes to them for
5continued success in the future; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7presented to the congregation of St. Joseph Parish as an
8expression of our esteem and respect.