Our "New" Church Building at 50 Years
By Jim Wright
Except where
noted, photos courtesy Parish of Saint Joseph archives
Click on any of the photos for a larger version
Turning back the hands of time 50 years, we find Homewood was a literal boomtown. The village was in the midst of the decade of its greatest growth. Houses were popping up all over town on fields that had recently sprouted stalks of corn. Families were flocking to Homewood to get their piece of the American dream, buying homes in subdivisions like Southgate, Downey Manor and Governors Park. In 1950, the village’s population was 5853, by 1960 that number had exploded to 13,371. This tremendous growth placed great demands on all village institutions and St. Joseph’s was no exception.
Built
in 1912, the original St. Joseph Church building was a small wood frame
structure located where the rectory now stands. At the time this church
was constructed, the parish had a membership of 60 families. By 1950,
this small “country” church was bulging at the seams with
over 1400 parishioners, from Homewood and surrounding communities, attending
Mass each Sunday. Father Stephen Sullivan, St. Joseph’s pastor since
1925 and the only parish priest at the time, was being assisted on Sundays
by several visiting priests from Chicago. The strain on the building and
pastor was great and something had to be done.
Many parishioners had realized the inadequacies of their church building as early as 1942, when a fund drive was started to upgrade parish facilities. The outbreak of World War II, however, focused their thoughts and funds on more pressing needs to help the war effort and a new church would have to wait. It was not until 1953 when the first associate pastor, Reverend Joseph F. Burke, was assigned to the parish that plans started to progress in earnest. After his appointment, Father Burke assisted Father Sullivan in executing an ambitious building program that included the construction of a new church, convent and rectory plus the addition of new classrooms and a gymnasium to the school building, which was originally constructed in 1926.
Construction began on the current church building, in the summer of 1954. Plans were completed by the architectural firm of Fox and Fox in Chicago and Norman Hobson and Company of Harvey served as the general contractor. The Hobson firm was rather ecumenical. They were also contracted to build the St. Paul Community and Salem Lutheran Churches in Homewood, both of which were completed in 1956.
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Work on St. Joseph Church progressed rapidly. Nearing completion, the 10’ tall, 6100-pound statute of St. Joseph was installed above the church entrance just before Thanksgiving. One of the final elements to exterior of the church, this statue has silently stood vigil over our parish and Dixie Highway for over 50 years. A little over a week later, the first Mass was held in the new church on December 8, 1954, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The edifice was formally dedicated on April 24, 1955 in ceremonies officiated by Samuel Cardinal Stritch.
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Once the new structure was completed, the original church was demolished to make way for construction of the rectory, which was ready for occupancy by the end of the year. With the building projects largely completed, Father Sullivan retired as pastor of St. Joseph’s in June 1955. After 30 years of dedicated service to our parish and community, his mission to provide the Catholics of Homewood with the most modern worship and educational facilities was complete.
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Over the years, the
church has been renovated and remodeled to not only reflect liturgical
changes but also changes in the styles and tastes of the time. Gone are
the communion rail, votive prayer candles and rear facing altar. 
Block
walls have been replaced by painted drywall and tile floors replaced by
carpeting. In fact, for a few years in the 1970’s and 1980’s,
carpeting even covered the walls of the sanctuary behind the altar. Perhaps
the most striking change came in 1983, under the pastorate of Rev. James
M. Sayers, when the plain glass windows in the church were replaced by
the beautiful stained glass windows we see today. Recently, funds raised
through the Millennium Campaign financed the installation of new lighting
and other improvements are planned in the church.
For the last 50 years the church has served as the centerpiece of our parish. Hallowed ground, the building holds memories of the most special events in many of our parishioner’s lives. Well-tended and cared for by a faithful and loving congregation, the church should serve our parish well for the next 50 years and beyond.
(This is the second in a series of articles looking back at the history of The Parish of Saint Joseph.)