Four Catholic Parishes Launch Mission Monday Night

Four Roman Catholic parishes in the Northwest Suburbs will launch what may be one of the largest “multi-parish Missions” ever held in the area on Monday, January 14, in Arlington Heights.

The parishes – Our Lady of the Wayside, St. James and St. Edna in Arlington Heights, and St. Mary in Buffalo Grove – frequently work with each other but the large scale of the upcoming mission is unusual, in part because of the population growth in the area.

The four parishes average about 3,000 families each. Three of the four – Our Lady of the Wayside, St. James and St. Mary – have elementary schools.

St. Mary, which will celebrate it’s 150th Anniversary this year, is the oldest of the four parishes. St. James was established as a “mission church” in 1902 and St. Edna and Our Lady of the Wayside sprang from St. James as the population of the area grew. Our Lady of the Wayside was established in 1952 and St. Edna in 1966.

All of the formal mission sessions will be held at Our Lady of the Wayside, at 434 West Park Street, in Arlington Heights. Monday through Thursday, January 14-17. The mission sessions are open to the public. They begin at 7 p.m.

“Together at the Cross” will be conducted by Rev. Peter Schavitz, a native of Mount Prospect. He is described as a “dynamic mission preacher” who grew up in Mount Prospect. He is “one of us,” a promotional flyer states, adding that he is a “big fan of the Chicago Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks and Cubs.”

Father Schavitz is a member of the Redemptorist order of priests and is based in Liguori, Missouri.