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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Our Lady of Mercy Parish
4in Albany Park on the occasion of its first annual gala; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In 1911, a group of lay people petitioned
6Archbishop Quigley to locate a Catholic church in Albany Park;
7Archbishop Quigley asked Reverend H.P. Coughlin to consider
8the territory that would later become Our Lady of Mercy Parish
9on May 18, 1911; Reverend Coughlin then became the pastor of
10Our Lady of Mercy Parish on June 1, 1911; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mercy Parish held its first Eucharist
12at Patrick Henry School on Pentecost Sunday, June 4, 1911; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mercy Parish baptized Esther Traynor
14on June 13, 1911, and her baptism served as a testament to the
15parish's livelihood as it was celebrated at the Traynor home
16due to there being no physical church built at the time; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mercy Parish celebrated its first
18Mass in its new church on December 3, 1911; since that time,
19the parish has had three churches erected to reflect the
20growth of the congregation; in addition, the parish
21constructed a rectory, a convent, and other buildings to

 

 

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1fulfill the increasing needs of the church community; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mercy Parish experienced a pivotal
3moment in its history when Father Coughlin asked the Sisters
4of Providence of St. Mary of the Woods in Indiana to send
5sisters to the parish; three sisters responded to the call and
6established Our Lady of Mercy School in 1912, which later
7closed in 2003; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mercy Parish celebrated its 100th
9anniversary in 2011; to commemorate its history in 2015, the
10parish published a book of essays titled From Everywhere to
11Our Lady of Mercy Parish: 100 Years of Faith; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mercy Parish, from its location at
134432 N. Troy in Albany Park, acts as the heart of a
14residential, commercial, and bilingual community, serving the
15areas of Albany Park, Irving Park, and Avondale; while the
16church has seen the community change over its history, from
17German, Swedish, Irish, and Polish parishioners in its early
18years to Latino, Filipino, African American, and Anglo
19parishioners today, the church remains committed to serving
20everyone and is represented by approximately 60 nations and 46
21languages; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mercy Parish has dedicated itself to

 

 

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1improving the lives of people in its community through
2offering a number of services, including multilingual sermons,
3weekly bulletins in English and Spanish, financial assistance
4to families in need, and recommendations for jobs, schools, or
5immigration paperwork; the parish also has volunteer outreach
6ministries that donate more than 45,000 service hours to its
7community each year; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mercy Parish will host its first
9annual gala at the Elmcrest Banquets in Elmwood Park on
10September 23, 2022; therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
12HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
13we congratulate Our Lady of Mercy Parish on its first annual
14gala and wish the parish continued success.