After Cathy suffered several strokes confining her to a wheelchair and impairing her speech, we had to look for a new home to meet her needs. We found an adult community in Woodstock, Illinois called Serenity Creek.

We moved in August of 2006 and immediately started looking for a new parish. We were active in a variety of ministries over the years in a large north suburban Chicago parish.

We located the parish nearest our new home but found it to be unable to accommodate Cathy’s handicapped needs. Continuing our search, we discovered Resurrection Catholic Church on Country Club Road while out for an afternoon drive. The church stands alone in a beautiful forest setting. When we entered, we were greeted by a woman parishioner, who after hearing our story, offered to lead a communion service for us in the chapel. So began our love affair with Resurrection Catholic Church.

The following Saturday we decided to attend the 5:00 PM mass and misjudging the time and distance, we entered the church several minutes late. Father Glen Baptiste was beginning to process to the altar when he spotted us discretely trying to find a pew. He stopped, turned and smiling at us, offered his hand and a warm welcome. He then invited the congregation to come and meet the Halls. To our astonishment many, if not all, came to greet us. That day we knew the Holy Spirit had led us to a very special place.

The following Sunday we officially became new members of Resurrection Parish. The first Sunday of every month, with my assistance, Cathy serves Holy Communion at the 10:30 AM mass. Being a Eucharistic minister was something she dearly missed and through the inclusiveness of the parish it has been restored to her.

We have found a deeper spirituality and many good friends at Resurrection Catholic Church. It is a very special place in which to serve our risen Christ.

– Jim and Cathy Hall

Parish Without Boundaries

Almost 50 years ago, the Congregation of the Resurrection purchased land at 2710 S. Country Club Road in McHenry County and built St. Joseph Novitiate, dedicated to the formation of future Resurrectionist priests and brothers.  When the number of religious vocations in the United States declined in the late sixties, the building was left unused for a time.  In 1976, two Resurrectionist priests and a layman, Mr. Jim Ivers, SR., began a retreat ministry at the newly named Resurrection Retreat Center, a ministry that would continue for more than 30 years.

In 1978, with the support and encouragement of Bishop Arthur O’Neil, then Bishop of the Diocese of Rockford, the Congregation of the Resurrection assigned Father Michael Mas, C.R. to establish Resurrection Parish, which used the chapel at Resurrection Center as its first worship space.  The parish was part of the Diocese of Rockford, but served by the Congregation of the Resurrection for its pastors.  Although the parish was assigned a specific territory, the unique brand of spirituality and style found there began to draw Catholics from throughout the county and beyond, Catholics who found at Resurrection Parish something special that responded to their spiritual needs.  Attention focused on the overwhelming and unconditional love of God, the possibility of being raised to new life, and a commitment to the Gospel values of justice, truth, and love.  All of these values, fundamental to the spirituality of the Resurrectionist, became core values of the parish as well.  From the beginning, it was the unique brand of spirituality, not the location that inspired families to join Resurrection Parish.  When land was purchased at 2918 S. Country Club Road, to build a church for the parish, one of the primary considerations was that the new church would be erected near Resurrection Center, thereby preserving the bond between the parish and the religious community which shared this spirituality in common.

Most Catholic parishes are assigned a territory with geographical boundaries. The parish pastor bears the responsibility for the spritual needs of the people within his parish territory.

Resurrection Parish is different. In November 2010 Bishop Thomas Doran officially assigned our church Personal Parish Status. It is non-territorial, serving the spiritual needs of people who share a specific sprituality, rather than a specific locale. All families are enrolled in a lay association entitled Friends of the Congregation of the Ressurection, and recognize their participation in the charism of this religious community.

Resurrection is home to parishioners of 16 different zip codes.

Since its inception, the Congregation of the Resurrection has always emphasized its collaboration with the laity.  The founder of our religious community, Bogdan Janski, was himself a layman who was never ordained to the priesthood.  An early rule for the ‘External Brethren’ is just one example of the many attempts that have been made to give expression to the relationship of those lay people who share the spiritually and mission of the religious community without formally taking the vows of religious life.  The Friends of the Congregation is the latest expression of this relationship.  By becoming a member of the Friends, a person publicly expressed his/her spiritual bond to the spiritually of Resurrection Parish and the religious community which serves it.

We are embarking on an exciting new chapter in the history of Resurrection Parish.  This year the property owned by the Congregation of the Resurrection where our first worship space was located was sold to Loyola University.  Loyola will use the property as a retreat and ecology center.

If you have questions that you would like addressed about the Friends of the Congregation of the Resurrection or our Personal Parish status, please feel free to contact our pastor, Fr. Stephen Glab, any member of the Parish Pastoral Council, of Sara Cook, liaison for the Lay association for the Friends of the Congregation.