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The History of St. Germaine Parish
This family had
its beginning when one of the
 assistants from St. Philip Neri
Parish, Father Walter J. Sheridan was called to the Chancery Office
by his Eminence Albert Cardinal Meyer on June 6, 1962.
Cardinal Meyer appointed him to found a new parish in the vicinity
of 95th and Kildare in Oak Lawn. The impetuous new pastor
hurried out to the site of his new parish and started immediately to
lay the groundwork for what was later to become "The Family of St.
Germaine."
There is a certain
charm and enthusiasm that is found only in beginnings. A place
had to be found for our pioneer congregation to celebrate its
Masses. A visit to Brother Bates at Brother Rice High School
solved this problem. Brother Bates graciously offered the
facilities of the high school for the needs of the new parish.
With this problem solved, the next
hurdle to clear was that of establishing boundaries with the
neighboring parishes. Until this understanding could be
reached, the new parish could not be canonically erected, nor could
it be given a name. Neighboring pastors Monsignor John Vitha
of Queen of Martyrs, Monsignor William McNichols of St. Gerald, and
Father Bernard Burns of St. Linus were consulted about the
boundaries, since the new parish was to be made up of parts of their
parishes. They cooperated in forming "the perfect parish in
the perfect square mile" which was to become the new parish of Saint
Germaine. Monsignor Vitha extended Father Sheridan an
invitation to reside at Queen of Martyrs' rectory until the new
parish could provide a rectory.
Hand bills were
distributed door to door in the area by high school boys from St.
Philip Neri parish. These hand bills explained the boundaries
of the new parish and invited all to Holy Mass at Brother Rice High
School starting Sunday, July 1, 1962. Masses were held at 7,
9, and 11 o'clock with 1,100 people in attendance.
Father Sheridan
then returned to the chancery office to notify Cardinal Meyer that
boundaries were now set, to petition the Cardinal for canonical
erection and to offer suggestions as to the name under whose
patronage the spiritual and material growth would begin.
The catalogue of
names in "The Lives of the Saints" was checked and re-checked.
Priests and lay friends offered many names. In January, a
convert had given Father Sheridan a brief history of a Saint whose
life made a lasting impression on her. After reading it, that
name burned in Father Sheridan's mind. Here was the Saint for
the parish; a Saint whose history read like a fairy tale; the Saint
who was known as the "Cinderella Saint." This name was
submitted to Cardinal Meyer, who gave ready acquiescence, and the
Patron Saint became Saint Germaine.
By coincidence,
the July, 1962 issue of Extension Magazine featured the life story
of the "Cinderella Saint." Extension Magazine supplied Father
Sheridan with 600 copies of that issue which were distributed to the
loyal pioneer families who had been attending masses in the gym at
Brother Rice High School.
On July 23, 1962
the Parish of St. Germaine was canonically (officially) erected and
Father Sheridan took the required Profession of Faith establishing
him as Pastor on July 27th, 1962.
The next important
visit Father Sheridan made was to Reverend Martin Collins, Superior
of the Columban Fathers. His purpose was to seek the help of
one of the priests of this order to offer Mass for the people of St.
Germaine each Sunday. Over the course of time, every Columban
Father residing at that mission headquarters has offered Mass at St.
Germaine.
In late September,
1962, a house was acquired at 99th and Kenton to serve as a
temporary rectory. Since it was also to become the convent
when the Sisters arrived, a beautiful Chapel was constructed through
the "moonlighting" of the parish men with an assist from the ladies.
It was called the Shrine Chapel and the first Mass was said there on
November 19, 1962 at seven o'clock. Daily masses were offered,
confessions were heard and Baptism was administered there until the
church was opened.
With no facilities
of their own, the parishioners were fortunate to have such kindly
and zealous friends as Blake-Lamb Funeral Home and Kilty's
Restaurant. These places were the scene of Parish meetings and
of Parish events. The first Parish meeting was held at
Blake-Lamb and after discussion, representatives of about
three-hundred families agreed that every effort should be made to
plan only permanent buildings and to borrow as much as possibly
could be obtained from the Archdiocese to achieve these goals.
The weeks that
followed saw the beginnings of the Women's Club and the Holy Name
Society. The Parish, comprising segments of three separate
parishes, needed to be welded together. These two
organizations set up offices on the basis of a President from each
section. This began the period of rule by "Troika" - a three
headed organization. How well this system worked is evident in
the vigorous status of these organizations today.
The first Campaign
Fund Raising Drive was started in March, 1963. The
Groundbreaking Ceremony was held August 4, 1963. Monsignor
James Hardiman and Mother Estelle turned the first spadesful of
earth, followed by men, women and children picked at random.
Construction began soon after, and the cornerstone was laid in
November of the same year.
As the buildings
were close to being completed, news came from His Eminence, Cardinal
Meyer, assigning Reverend Anthony J. Clair as our first Assistant.
He received a hearty welcome and set to work immediately. In
accordance with the new liturgy, Fr. Clair initiated the training
program for readers and commentators, urged parishioners to
participate in the singing at Mass, and generally availed himself to
be of service to all. The first Mass offered in the new
church was on July 26th, 1964.
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