RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
OF ST. DOROTHY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
WHEREAS, On Sunday, June 19, 2016, Chicago Archbishop Blase Ciipich will be the main celebrant of a Jubilee Mass in honor of the centennial year of St. Dorothy's Roman Catholic Church, an historic and iconic pillar of the spiritual community in the Chatham-Grand Crossing neighborhood of this city; and
WHEREAS, For the past 100 years, St. Dorothy's Catholic Church has proclaimed its faith on the Southside Chicago in service of the people of Chatham-Grand Crossing; and
WHEREAS, Even as dramatic changes have occurred and ethnic change altered the look of the community, countless families and individuals have found a home and a quality education at St. Dorothy's. Many have moved on in their lives to other environs. Many others have stayed to become part of the fabric of parish life; and
WHEREAS, Regardless of the circumstances, St. Dorothy's has always been there to serve the people, to nourish the faith, to educate the young and to fight against injustice. The history of St. Dorothy's memorializes the story of the endurance, perseveration and salvation of the South Side Catholic community; and
WHEREAS, In 1916, the recently appointed Chicago Archbishop, George William Mundelein, appointed Reverend John Scanlan to organize a new Catholic Parish in the Chatham-Grand Crossing area in Chicago dedicated to Saint Dorothy of Caesarea. Father Scanlon purchased 24 city lots at 78th Street between Vernon and Eberhart, and celebrated the first Mass there on July 16, 1916, held at 811 East 75th Street in a hall leased to the new church; and
WHEREAS, in May of 1917 a combination church & school was completed and first Mass was celebrated on Nov. 18, 1917. The school contained 8 classrooms, with 298 children enrolled, and was staffed by six nuns from the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Dubuque Iowa. At first, only two Sunday Masses were held but only half of the parishioners could be acco...
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