HR1154 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1154 LRB094 20209 HSS 58058 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, After 21 years of service at St. Ignatius Church in Antioch and nearly 40 years in the ministry, Father Vince Eckholm is retiring; and

WHEREAS, He was born in Chicago on January 12, 1942; his interest in becoming a priest began at the young age of five; when he was about seven years old, his family joined St. Gertrude, where he was an acolyte; he also attended Catholic school at St. Gertrude until entering Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago; from Quigley, he went to the University of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein for his priestly education; he received his Masters in Dogmatic Theology and was ordained a priest on April 27, 1967; and

WHEREAS, He did social work and eventually became a chaplain at the Cathedral Shelter on Madison St. in Chicago; this shelter happened to be run by the Episcopal Church; at the shelter, Father Eckholm ministered to the homeless, the unemployed, and others, who for various reasons, were down on their luck; he also spent time at the "skid row" courthouse in Chicago, where he counseled people who were arrested for being drunk; and

WHEREAS, During this time, Father Eckholm got to know the Episcopal Church; after much personal reflection and deliberation, he decided to join the Episcopal Church; he completed the process of being received in the Episcopal Church in 1975; and

WHEREAS, His first parish was in Shenandoah, Iowa, and then he returned to Chicago, where he became the chaplain at Lawrence Hall Youth Services, ministering to boys who were abused, neglected, and in some cases, had minor scrapes with the law; he also spent some time supporting a colleague at a church in Oak Park; and

WHEREAS, In the fall of 1984, the Bishop approached Father Eckholm and asked him to become the interim priest for St. Ignatius Church in Antioch; after a very long courtship and recruiting effort by both the parish and the bishop, Father Eckholm formally became the rector of the parish of St. Ignatius in December of 1985; over the years, he not only presided over the parish, but he also touched many people in the community; he and his wife, Cynthia, will remain active members of the Antioch community; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Father Vince Eckholm on the occasion of his retirement; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Father Eckholm as an expression of our esteem.