We, the Catholic community of Ascension and St. Edmund parish, live, share, and bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus through welcoming inclusion and acceptance of all people, vibrant liturgies and music, and a commitment to social justice and service to others.

Welcoming Inclusion and Acceptance of All People - Jesus calls us to walk with our neighbor. At Ascension and St. Edmund, we work to ensure that everyone feels welcome at our table.

Vibrant Liturgies and Music - “How can I keep from singing!” Our liturgies and music reflect our joy in being in communion with the Lord.

A Commitment to Social Justice and Service to Others - We live in an unjust world. God calls us to hear the cries of those who suffer, and to work for justice and peace in the world.

We are further united by the values we share:

• Each person is a gift from God. We celebrate our DIVERSITY.
• We are called to SHARE THE GIFTS and TALENTS we have been given.
• COMMUNITY allows us to share our joys and lighten our loads.

The intent was to create a logo that is both beautiful and meaningful, blending elements of our two churches with our commitment to creating an enriched spiritual community as we move forward as one unified parish.

• The outer cross is found on the front of the St. Edmund altar and appears throughout the church. The inner cross is found on the painted arches of Ascension Church.
• The breaks in the design of the outer cross represent openness and welcome; we open our hearts to those in need, and all are welcome here!
• The point in the center of the inner cross represents the place we all come together, the heart of Jesus.
• The four colors of the outer cross represent the four main areas of our parish life:
• Worship & Pray – Purple
• Grow & Learn - Green
• Belong & Connect – Blue
• Serve & Support - Orange

Ascension Parish and St. Edmund Parish were united effective July 1, 2022 under the Archdiocese of Chicago Renew My Church effort to form Ascension and St. Edmund Parish in Oak Park.

Renew My Church began in Chicago in 2016 as the comprehensive effort by the Archdiocese to revitalize the church in order to make disciples, strengthen and build communities, and inspire witness to faith in Jesus Christ. As a multi-year effort, it engaged parishioners to participate in reshaping parish life to be more vibrant and sustainable in taking up the mission of Jesus. A significant investment of this effort was in parish vitality through the parish grouping process, the goal of which was to make sure that all parishes were properly resourced so that all parishioners could grow as disciples who experience a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, become more involved and responsible in building up their faith communities, and inspires witness in the world.

The decision by the Archdiocese of Chicago to combine Ascension and St. Edmund Churches was announced in January 2022.

> OAK PARK RENEW MY CHURCH DECISION AND ANNOUNCEMENT - JANUARY 2022
> UNIFICATION DECREE FROM THE ARCHDIOCESE OF CHICAGO - MARCH 2022

Ascension Church was founded in July 1907 by the Catholic families of South Oak Park led by Father Thomas McDevitt, the first pastor. The Masses were celebrated in our first church, a clubhouse on South Scoville Avenue. In 1912, ground was broken on the land that had been purchased at East and Van Buren and construction of the school and the rectory was completed. The first rectory sat at the corner, facing Van Buren.

The church, school and convent were combined in the school building when the school opened in fall of 1912. Four Ursuline sisters came to Oak Park to open the school; 240 students registered for classes. The church was on the second floor of the building and the convent was on the third floor, along with some classrooms.

In the 1920's, as the school population grew and required more classrooms, the convent moved to the original clubhouse. When that, too, did not suffice, two houses were purchased on the east side of East Avenue. The sisters lived in these two homes, with a bridge constructed between the second floors of the two buildings, until they were razed in 1939 for the construction of the convent. This work was completed under the direction of our second pastor, Msgr. William A. Cummings.

In the late 1920's, the rectory was raised from its foundation, turned 90 degrees clockwise, and repositioned 50 yards south of its original location. The church was built in its place facing East Avenue.

The lower level of the school was turned into the "Pine Room" in the 1940's during the pastorate of Father Francis "Packy" Ryan. The Pine Room soon became the center of parish life, and it has remained thus through several renovations.

The last of Ascension's buildings, the second school building was added to the south end of the existing school in the mid-1950's as the school population neared 1,000. Every available space was filled with students, with up to 50 students in a classroom.

Msgr. John D. Fitzgerald led Ascension through the 1950's and 1960's, a period of great growth and vibrancy at Ascension and a time of great change for the Catholic Church. With Vatican II, the laity was invited into greater participation in leading the church, and religious vocations declined. With the increased costs of running a parish school, tuition rose and enrollment fell.

The 1970's and 80's were a tumultuous time at Ascension. Pastor Bernard White led the parish during the 1970's as it experimented with different models of lay leadership and identity, and as the parish helped anchor the village as it weathered the changes of the Civil Rights era. Throughout the struggles, though, Ascension enjoyed its continued reputation as a strong community, and enjoyed the parish life rituals of shows, sports and social activities.

In the early 1980's, Fr. Jerry Broccolo became pastor and brought with him a zeal for training Lay Leadership. He participated in interfaith Lectionary Study and encouraged evangelization efforts. Fr. Robert Cross followed Fr. Broccolo and continued the interfaith study. Fr. Cross also promoted involvement of Ascension in the Community of Congregations of Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park. He was active in social justice and peace initiatives and with leadership from the parish, formed a peace and justice committee.

Years of deferred maintenance caught up with Ascension and it became clear that the buildings were in need of restoration. With Pastor Frank Jenks, the huge project of restoring church and school began. In 2003, under Pastor Larry McNally, the Pine Room was gutted and completely remodeled; three years later the interior of the church was painted in preparation for the year-long celebration of the parish centennial. For months, Mass was said in front of the scaffolding constructed to reach the interior of the dome. Parishioners sat on folding chairs while the pews were being refinished. The church was restored to a new, bright normal just in time for Christmas liturgies. In August 2006, Ascension purchased the small home at 821 S. East as a "parsonage" and moved all parish offices to the former convent. The lovely but no-longer-safe rectory was demolished. With that move, we truly entered our second century!

Ascension Church Pastors and Years of Service

• Fr. Thomas J. McDevitt - 1907-1936
• Msgr. William A. Cummings - 1937-1944
• Fr. Francis "Packy" Ryan - 1944-1951
• Msgr. John D. Fitzgerald - 1951-1973
• Fr. Bernard White - 1973-1980
• Fr. Gerard Broccolo - 1980-1982
• Fr. Robert Cross - 1982-1988
• Fr. Francis C. Jenks - 1988-2003
• Fr. Lawrence McNally - 2003-2015
• Fr. James Hurlbert - 2015-2020
• Fr. Carl Morello (administrator) - 2020-2022
• Fr. Rex Pillai - 2022-2023 following merger with St. Edmund Church
• Fr. Carl Morello - 2023 - present

St. Edmund, the first Catholic parish in Oak Park, was founded by Archbishop James Quigley in June of 1907 with the Reverend John Code as pastor. For want of a more suitable site, the first mass was celebrated in the barn of the Scoville Estate (now Scoville Park) on Lake Street and Oak Park Avenue. For the next three years Mass was said in a rented hall on Lake Street, east of Oak Park Avenue.

The beautiful 14th century English Gothic church and rectory designed by Henry Schlacks were dedicated in May of 1910. The priceless art glass windows were executed by the Zettler Studios in Munich. Prior to its 2000 restoration and renovation, the church had been decorated three times. John Mallin designed the 1943 and 1951 decorations. The ceiling and paintings in the church were his design, executed by graduate students of art in Vienna. In the late 1940’s, and until he died in 1956, Monsignor Code made many changes to the interior the church including replacing the Henry Schlacks altar, pulpit, and baptismal font with new marble ones designed by DaPrato Rigali. In 1954, the original red tiles of the church roof and steeple were replaced by slate on the roof and stainless steel on the steeple.

St. Edmund School, a 15th century French Gothic structure, also designed by Henry Schlacks, is a replica of the Palace of Justice in Rouen, France. The school was opened in the fall of 1917 and staffed by the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, MI. An annex to the school was completed in 1948. A modern addition to the south of the building was opened in 1959. The parish school closed in June, 2016. In 1929 the parish purchased the home of W.G. Lloyd at the southwest corned of Euclid and Pleasant Avenues to be used as a convent. Architecturally significant, the building is thought to be designed by George Maher, the architect who designed “Pleasant Home” in Mills Park. The convent was sold in the 1980’s.

St. Edmund Church has been a work in progress. The 2000 restoration and renovation of the church began after approximately 200 parishioners gathered to formulate a concept statement defining treasures, needs and values of the parish. As a result, the windows and ceiling were cleaned and restored. The interior is barrier - free and has improved state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems. The ambo and altar, along with the sanctuary, were reconfigured to best express how liturgy is celebrated today. The original floors were uncovered and cleaned, and the wainscotting refinished. Henry Zimach of HPZA was the architect of this renovation. John Buscemi, the liturgical consultant, redesigned the altar and ambo.

St. Edmund Pastors and Years of Service

• Msgr. John H. Code - 1907-1956
• Msgr. Donald Carroll - 1956-1967
• Msgr. John J. Murphy - 1967-1975
• Fr. William J. Kelly - 1975-1987
• Fr. Robert Festle - 1987-1992
• Fr. Joseph Ruiz - 1992-2004
• Fr. John McGivern - 2004-2022
• Fr. Rex Pillai - 2022-2023 following merger with Ascension Church
• Fr. Carl Morello - 2023 - present