The first church building.
The new brick church, c. 1910.
Boys choir of St. Mary's School, 1952.
Sanctuary view.
When the Great Chicago Fire ravaged the city back in 1871, many Chicagoans moved north to the suburbs, causing an influx of Catholic families. The only Catholic church in Lake Forest at the time was St. Patrick, west of town, but this could be difficult for east-side families to reach, especially in the bad Chicago winters. In 1875, thirty families got together and created the parish; services were held in their small white church that had been built by both Catholics and Protestant workers on the corner of Illinois and Green Bay roads. Pastors traveled between St. Patrick’s church and St. Mary’s church every Sunday and every Holy Day, and made visits to the sick, and with St. Pat’s being west of the Skokie Marsh and on the Corduroy Road, the journey was difficult and sometimes took several hours, if weather conditions were poor.
Rev. James McGovern of St. Patrick’s led the construction of the church, and eventually took a post as the pastor of St. Mary’s, thus making St. Patrick a mission of St. Mary. In 1909, St. Patrick hired its own pastor, and was no longer a mission church. The two congregations, however, have maintained close ties.
The little old church was deemed “in danger of collapse” in 1908, and a new stone one was built in its place. The stone church, which still stands today, was built in a Romanesque style with a large, ornate tower and stained glass. In 1917, construction began on a new school next to the church, and was completed in time for the 1917-18 school year. Enrollment that first year was 125 students, and today, including the students of the Primary Grade center, the school boasts an enrollment of around 400 students, grades K-8.
The Church of St. Mary has received recognition for its architecture, history, and ministry. The church itself is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.