Support and Concern: St. Edmund Faith Community Oak Park, IL

We are encouraged by this petition which more closely reflects our faith and the community where we have called home for the last 20 years. The joyful, charitable, egalitarian nature of the St Edmund community is very different than the current dogmatic, ‘top-down’ situation; we hope & pray a more community-led approach will ultimately find purchase & take root as opposed to chucking out the vital supports that have blessed not only the local Catholic community, but of all walks of life & leanings. Serving & embracing families in the greater area through the beautiful Children’s School (our sons attended there many years), outreach efforts to the homeless, service & environment projects, not to mention the historic achievement of revitalizing the old Rectory- now the beautiful McGivern Faith Center.

I must add that as a member of the Unification Team (although I resigned in protest), I believe the people of Ascension and St. Edmund have worked in good faith to join our campuses when allowed to do so, but have been thwarted in our attempts to unify by the negative influence of the AOC consultant at every turn. His assertion that he represents the Cardinal, knows his mind, and is therefore allowed to denigrate parishioners and staff, refuse to allow staff and the Unification Team to collaborate in the support of our collective parishioners, and make a mockery of our Naming Process has been frustrating, maddening, and intolerable. Currently, he stands as a wall between our pastor and his people at St. Edmund campus. I have pleaded for his removal and believe doing so will help our combined parish the freedom to move forward under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to "Renew My Church." Thank you.

Please consider this petition in the spirit of Christian charity and the parishioners’ commitment to the stewardship of their church.

I agree on all points of this petition

Please listen to the people of the St. Edmund community!

Since St. Edmund’s has been closed for a month our church’s monthly breakfasts, our “coffee ands” and other hospitality functions have ground to a halt. Our fund-raising dinners have ceased. Especially for elderly and handicapped St. Edmunders and those who lack transportation it is difficult to get to Mass and confession at our sister church Ascension. The parking at Ascension is a problem. At Ascension people must often park blocks away, difficult for the handicapped. St. Edmund’s needs the McGivern Center to maintain its community financially and socially. Yes, those who did not pay for the McGivern Center may claim it for their own uses. Sort of like Russia claiming Ukraine.

I feel welcomed & blessed when I come to church.

Repairs to St. Edmund Parish should involve MEMBERS of the St. Edmund Community, along with the Pastor and Director of Operations. An EQUAL voice must be given to parishioners of St. Edmund's Parish in light of their diligence support and allegiance to the Parish throughout these years. As MEMBERS of the Ascension/St Edmund combined parish-I fully believe that MEMBERS of both parishes could be working together to resolve the repair issues. In addition because the Children's School has been a major support both through income, repair to the school building and vison to St. Edmund Parish-St. Edmund Parishioners should also be Included in the decisions made to renew or conclude a contract of rental. The results of the changes at St. Edmund Parish have come as 'directives' from some who are not and have not been directly involved in the life of the Parish. Further- input from parishioners who have been involved in the workings of the Parish have not (in my estimation) been fully consulted.

3 years ago Featured

I am saddened with what is happening to our beloved St. Edmund Campus. I have donated many hours of my time, talent and even products to rebuild the McGivern Parish Center. I don't understand how this can happen to St. Edmunds most generous and caring people.

The people and buildings of St. Edmund's are gifts to our community. BOTH should be attended to,.

Transparency is important to keep parishioners informed and part of the process

I’m sickened by what you’ve done to the Children’s School and to the school I grew up in. Repairs are part of the cost of doing business, and they should be done quickly and sustainably, switching to electric heating and cooling. From what I understand, the church also recently bought a gas boiler, which flies in the face of Laudato Si, without consulting with St. Edmund parishioners or the unified Green Team. I have stayed loyal to the Catholic Church longer than any of my friends, but I see the parish that provided a true sense of community and love and inclusion being subsumed by those doing more harm than good and hurting good people, and I have lost sight of any reason to stay. I urge you to do an immediate about-face on the Children’s School to begin to turn this around. We don’t need your excuses; we need you to change these outcomes. I’m so sad and disheartened at what you’ve done to our wonderful, loving, inclusive parish.

Need the church to be open for the community of St. Edmund

I have seen two of my family members go through parish consolidation in Maine and Connecticut, my father and my sister, resp., and I have been supportive of the process here. In neither of those cases, though, was any congregation treated as 2nd-class or their assets seized for use outside their control, as is happening in this case. I would urge the Roman Catholic leadership to read and mediate on Acts 6:1-6, because this situation is not very much unlike that one. It is our spiritual duty to speak up about this injustice, and it is their apostolic and pastoral duty to resolve this situation so that all parishioners are treated as having equal value and voice, regardless of which church they attend.

It seems that the concern about an order vs a recommendation to close the church was more likely, and is why nothing could be found under a FOIA request. But I do agree that it seems that these items are not a priority, and should be.

Thank you Mari!!!!

Of the four churches in Oak Park, St. Edmund's is the most easily heated, cooled, and cleaned. To disregard this property is not wise.

Inclusivity and unification of all talents and resources creates a foundation for living a life of FAITH and spread the Good News by the lives we lead! Thank you for expressing these valid concerns as a means towards greater understanding and community.

We are saddened about the changes and how it has effected the church community we love being a part of for so many years and where our son was baptized. We pray that St Edmund can be restored to the thriving parish it once was and, on the meantime, we now attend St Luke in River Forest.

Well written document. This is a new process for all parishes and transparency will help parishioners feel they are informed and understand how decisions are being made. God bless to all.