2 Northwest Side churches to unite and form one parish in latest archdiocese consolidation

Two Catholic churches on the Northwest Side are consolidating into one parish this summer, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced Wednesday.

Effective July 1, the Our Lady of Grace parish and school, 2450 N. Ridgeway Ave., will merge with St. Sylvester, 2157 N. Humboldt Blvd., to form a new parish, with two worship sites, the archdiocese said.

Both churches will continue to have mass, though the schedule may differ from the current one. The name of the new parish will be decided “at a later date.”

Meanwhile, the archdiocese decided that St. Hyacinth, 3636 W. Wolfram St., will remain in its current structure and continue under the leadership of the Resurrectionist Fathers.

The archdiocese said it will provide support for the communities of Our Lady of Grace and St. Sylvester as they begin the transition over the next few months.

“All parishes will embark on the next phase of renewal to become stronger, more sustainable and capable of reaching more people in their work of making disciples of Jesus Christ, building communities and inspiring witness,” the archdiocese said.

The 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.

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