Bishop Pates - all Church services, beginning with weekend Masses, daily Mass, Stations of the Cross, etc., in the parishes and institutions in the Diocese of Joliet will discontinue immediately. The ceremonies of Holy Week beginning with Palm Sunday Celebration on April 4th through Easter are canceled in the parishes and institutions of the Diocese of Joliet
Read more

Welcome to St. Patrick's Catholic Church

The First Parish of the Joliet Diocese (Established 1838)

Important message

from Fr. Arty

Mensaje importante

de Fr. Arty

Because of the rapid spread of the virus and in accord with the actions taken by the neighboring dioceses, all Church services, beginning with weekend Masses, daily Mass, Stations of the Cross, etc., in the parishes and institutions in the Diocese of Joliet will discontinue immediately.

The ceremonies of Holy Week beginning with Palm Sunday Celebration on April 4th through Easter are canceled in the parishes and institutions of the Diocese of Joliet. Due to the shelter in place order given by the Governor, all prayer spaces (chapel and church) will be closed for the time being.

Debido a la rápida propagación del virus y de acuerdo con las acciones tomadas por las diócesis vecinas, todos los servicios de la Iglesia, comenzando con las Misas del fin de semana, las misas diarias, las Estaciones de la Cruz, etc., realizados en las parroquias e instituciones de la Diócesis de Joliet están inmediatamente discontinuadas. Las ceremonias de la Semana Santa que comienzan con la celebración del Domingo de Ramos del 4 de abril hasta la Pascua se cancelan en las parroquias e instituciones de la Diócesis de Joliet. Debido al orden de refugio establecido por el Gobernador, todos los espacios de oración (capilla e iglesia) estarán cerrados por el momento.

Bishop Pates announcement about Masses

Anuncio del obispo Pates sobre misas

Due to the recent concerns regarding Corona Virus, our Irish dinner originally scheduled for 3/14/20 wil be rescheduled at a later day. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The Patron Saints of Ireland:

St. Columba of Iona (Feast - June 9th)

St. Brigid of Kildare (Feast - February 1st)

St. Patrick of Ireland (Feast - March 17th)

The History of St. Patrick's Church dates back to 1838 with the arrival of the Rev. John Francis Plunkett, an Irish immigrant who came in answer to the call of the dying canal workers during the malaria epidemic of 1838. Father Plunkett was appointed the first pastor of St. Patrick's Church by Bishop Gabriel Simon Bruté of Vincennes (now Indianapolis), Indiana.

With the building of the I&M Canal, many immigrant families had come to the area, most of whom were Catholic and came from the Emerald Isle. As the community grew, Fr. Plunkett began construction of a new church on Broadway Street just west of the Canal and south of Jefferson Street. Thus was born St. Patrick Church, the oldest Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Joliet and the second oldest in the Metropolitan Chicago area. It is now considered a landmark of Joliet.

During the next 177 years and seventeen pastors later, St. Patrick Church has flourished and experienced many changes. Our longest serving pastor came from Tipperary, Ireland in 1917, Rt. Msgr. Philip L. Kennedy. Upon his arrival, Msgr. Kennedy erected a new St. Patrick’s Church, School and Rectory. The first Mass was offered in the new church on Sunday, March 2, 1919. Msgr. Kennedy served St. Patrick’s from 1917 until the time of his passing in 1961.

St. Patrick's has refocused itself back on its immigrant roots, not only serving those long-established parishioners who can trace their lineage back to the early years of the parish's history but those new to the area from foreign countries who wish to receive spiritual assistance while providing for their families. To quote Pope Francis, St. Patrick's Church of 2014 truly is “The Church of the Poor” in both flesh and the spirit, made up of a immigrant population from throughout the world. It truly is our pleasure and honor to serve all of them, namely all of us, pillars and neophytes to the parish, in the name of the Lord.