2 Schiller Park parishes merging in latest archdiocese consolidation

Two Catholic churches in west suburban Schiller Park are consolidating into one parish this fall, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced Saturday.

Effective Oct. 1, the St. Maria Goretti parish, 10050 Ivanhoe Ave., will merge with St. Beatrice, 4157 Atlantic Ave.

The decision to combine the two parishes was made after a two-month “discernment process,” according to a statement from the archdiocese.

“The united parish community will embark on the next phase of the renewal process to become a stronger, more sustainable presence for the future, capable of reaching more people in their work of making disciples of Jesus Christ, building communities and inspiring witness in the world around us,” the archdiocese said.

After the consolidation happens, St. Beatrice, located about a mile northeast of St. Maria Goretti, will be designated as the parish church, where the business office and sacramental records are kept, the archdiocese said.

The name of the new parish will be decided “at a later date.”

The suburban merger is the latest under the archdiocese’s “Renew My Church” initiative, which has focused on churches with shrinking congregations and school enrollments among its 97 parish groupings.

In February, the archdiocese announced a reshuffling plan that impacted 20 parishes across the city. Those mergers went into effect July 1.