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St.
Edmund, the first Catholic parish in Oak Park, was
founded by Archbishop James Quigley in June of 1907 with the
Rev. John J. 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. It has priceless
art glass windows executed by the Zeittler 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 40's, and until he died in 1956, Msgr. Code made many
changes to the interior of 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 removed. Grey slate
tiles were added to the church and the steeple was encased in
stainless steel.
St.
Edmund School, of 15th century French Gothic design, a
copy of the Palace of Justice in Rouen, France, was also
designed by Henry Schlacks. This was opened in the Fall of 1917
and staffed by the Dominican Sisters from Adrian, Michigan. An
annex to the school was completed in 1948. A modern addition to
the south of the building was opened in 1959.
In 1929 the parish bought the home of
W.G. Lloyd at the SW comer of Euclid and Pleasant 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.
Murphy
Hall, adjoining the north side of the church, was added
in 1970. At this time the church was renovated to provide more
seating and to conform with Vatican II.
 St.
Edmund Church has been a work in progress.
The recently completed restoration and renovation of the church
(see below) was begun after some 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 the liturgy is celebrated today. The original floors were
uncovered and cleaned and original pews and wainscoting were
refinished. Henry Zimach of HPZS was the architect of this
renovation. John Buscemi, the liturgical consultant, redesigned
the altar and ambo, and designed the new baptismal font.
Pastors of
Saint Edmund Parish
-
Rev. Msgr. John J.
Code- June 1907 - October 1956
-
Rev. Msgr. Donald
Carroll- December 1956 - February 1967
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Rev. Msgr. John J.
Murphy- February 1967 - March 1975
-
Rev. William J. Kelly-
June 1975 - June 1987
-
Rev. Robert H. Festle-
July 1987 - January 1992
-
Rev. Joseph B. Ruiz-
March 1992 - March 2004
-
Rev. John
McGivern - July 2004-Present
Rededication of St. Edmund
Church, November 2000
For
five years
in the late 1990's, St. Edmund Parish was engaged in a highly
consultative process to restore and renovate the church, school,
social hall and rectory buildings in accord with the expressed
values and preferences of parish members and the policies
and procedures of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The
Rededication Mass, celebrating the restoration and
renovation work and marking a new chapted in parish
history, was celebrated on Sunday, November 19, 2000,. Bishop Thad Jakubowski, Episcopal Vicar of
Vicariate IV, presided.
The
restoration and renovation
of St. Edmund Church resulted in civic recognition with the
announcement that it was a 2001 winner of the Historic
Preservation Award presented by the Oak Park Historic
Preservation Commission. The award was presented May 21, 2001
in the Council Chambers of the Oak Park Village Hall by Village
President Joanne Trapani.
In
mid-year, 2004, the parish erected what is thought to be
the very first outdoor signage identifying St. Edmund Parish.
The sign was donated in loving memory of Helen and Leroy McGuff
by Mary Lynn Dietsche; in loving memory of Suzanne C. Guerin by
the Suzanne Guerin Memorial Fund; and by its former pastor, the
Reverend Joseph B. Ruiz. In November 2004, the sign won
the prestigious Oak Park Cavalcade of Pride Award.
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