‘It’s a shame:’ Parishioners bemoan consolidation of St. Thecla in Norwood Park

St. Thecla has always been part of Frank Herbig’s life.

Herbig’s parents joined the congregation when they moved to Norwood Park in the 1940s, and he’s been attending Mass there since he was born. After graduating from the adjacent St. Thecla Catholic School in 1955, he was even married at the parish’s old church.

But now, as the Archdiocese of Chicago moves to close the church and school as part of its latest consolidation efforts, Herbig will have to find a new place to worship.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Herbig told the Sun-Times as he was leaving mass Sunday morning.

The archdiocese announced a new round of consolidations Friday that will impact St. Thecla and 18 other Catholic parishes and schools in coming months.

St. Thecla, St. Cornelius and St. Tarcissus will combine to form a new parish July 1 that will be housed at the latter church at 6020 W. Ardmore, the archdiocese said. St. Thecla’s elementary school will also merge with Pope Francis Global Academy’s North Campus to form a new parish school for the upcoming school year.

“I don’t know if I want to really go to St. Tarcissus,” said Herbig, who noted that St. Thecla’s congregation had actually been “cut out” of St. Tarcissus in the 1920s.

“This whole area was Polish, and they had a hard time… traveling to St. Tarcissus,” he noted.

Slawek Magiera, another longtime parishioner at St. Thecla, said the planned consolidation has left him with a spiritual dilemma: Stop going to church or join a new parish.

“A lot of people are so upset. It’s a shame what they’re doing,” said Magiera, who is considering joining the congregation at St. Paul of the Cross Church in Park Ridge.

Noting that St. Thecla’s property takes up an entire block, Magiera claimed the decision to close the church and school is “all business.”

“It’s all the land,” Magiera said. “They want to make the money.”