CELEBRATING 100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF OUR LADY OF MERCY PARISH
WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Parish is celebrating a century of spiritual guidance to the diverse residents in the port-of-entry neighborhood of Albany Park; and
WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mercy's carefully kept written records weave a fascinating and unimpeded history of this uniquely Chicago community The oldest registries in the parish are the Baptism registries, which extend back to June 1911 with the first Baptism in the parish. This series is important because for each person baptized in the parish it also records the person's Confirmation, their marriage or entrance into religious congregation or order. Currently there are 26 baptism registries containing records of 28,746 Baptisms from June 1911 to May 2010 in Our Lady of Mercy. The parish has seven marriage registries, the first beginning in 1915. Between April 1915 and May 2010 there have been 5,551 marriages; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the years, Our Lady of Mercy's congregants have developed an Oral History Project that has conducted over 40 interviews with the current parishioners as well as others who grew up in the parish. These interviews record the facts of lives and the presence of faith, giving a glimpse how the parish becomes part of someone's life and is an extension of a family's home; and
WHEREAS, For the 50th and 75th anniversary of the Church, the parish produced two short stories. The history for the golden jubilee included photographs of the Sisters of Providence who taught in the school and ofthe first two churches, as well as lists of people from this parish who entered religious congregations or orders; and
WHEREAS, The parish bulletins are another a rich source of data and trends. They have been published sincel952. The bulletins from 1962 to 1993 record evidence ofthe effects that Vatican II had on Our Lady of Mercy in terms of liturgical renewal, sacramental formation, and changes in religious education; and
WHEREAS, To...
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