CAPTION: Seated are Rev. Terry Cassidy, pastor at St. Ann Catholic Church in Peoria and Elizabeth Carrigan Bigger, coordinator of the St. Ann Memory Garden.
Changes in life are a challenging part of the human condition. Initially they can be uncomfortable, but they can also gift those possessing an open spirit with opportunities. Families, friends, and the communities we look to for inspiration and guidance also incur changes. Even schools and church buildings, those bastions of permanence, reverence and knowledge, typically lasting decades, can have their permanence modified or eradicated. But if change is accepted and embraced as an impetus for growth, the yielding results can be beautiful.
Sometimes change combines facets of the former, the familiar, and the new, providing memories and inspiration for the future. The history of four Catholic Churches in the Peoria area tell a story of change, sometimes accompanied by disappointment or sadness, but one which continues to result in a history of faith, prayer, and the ongoing challenge to live one’s beliefs.
At 1010 S. Louisa Street in Peoria stands St. Ann Catholic Church whose roots can be traced to 1881 when it began as a small frame church on Louisa and Antoinette Streets. 26 German-speaking families living on the far South Side of Peoria were the founding families of the church named St. Boniface. In 13 years, the young parish outgrew the original building and in 1894, the cornerstone was laid for a new church. In 1966 a fire destroyed the church interior, but not the parish. Less than three years later, the church was rededicated with a new and modern interior.
Just four blocks away, on the corner of Antoinette and Blaine, another Catholic Church, St. John’s, was completed in 1892, serving the area for 103 years until merging in 1994 with St. Boniface. The combined communities were served in the former St. Boniface Church, later named St. Ann Church.
St. Patrick’s Church, at the corner of McBean and Saratoga, began in 1862, merging in 1975 with St. Martin De Porres, originally St. Joseph Church. St. Patrick’s closed in 1976.
St. Joseph Church was started in 1852 and is the oldest Catholic Church in Peoria. In 1879 a new church was built and remains today. Located at 103 S. Richard Pryor Place, formerly Sheridan Road, the church was renamed St. Martin De Porres in 1975. Thirty years later, the church returned to its original name.
The South Side Catholic Community was established in 1975 with St. Boniface, St. John, and St. Martin de Porres Parishes. Each parish kept their own records but everything else was shared.
Today the churches of St. Ann and St. Joseph continue serving the community.
In 2005 the building which once was St. John’s Catholic Church was torn down. “The company that demolished the church save the church bell for us,” explains Elizabeth Carrigan Bigger, coordinator of the St. Ann Memory Garden project. “This project will preserve and display the bell which was removed from St. John’s. To fund the Memory Garden, engraved bricks are being sold for $60 each. These engraved bricks will surround the monument to the history of the parishes of the South Side: St. Patrick, St. Boniface, St. John, and St. Martin De Porres.” She adds, “The campaign sort of evolved in July and the actual brick selling started in mid-September.”
Elizabeth explains the Memory Garden is to “honor the rich history of Catholicism in the South Side of Peoria.” While St. John’s building is gone, the other three buildings remain.
“The garden area will be 11 feet by 27 feet in size. Centered in that area will be a concrete foundation piece, and atop the foundation will be the bell from St. John’s. On top of the bell will be a cross from one of the spires of St. John’s. Embedded in the foundation will be the actual cornerstone from St. John’s and engraved panels representing the other three churches. These parishes reflect the merging and melding of the southside Catholic community of Peoria. Surrounding the monument will be a patio area comprised of clay pavers.” The first order of bricks is going to the engraver on October 15th. Each brick may contain up to three lines, 16 characters per line.
“So many people throughout the Peoria area grew up in the South Side and have ties to this area,” says Elizabeth, who has been a member of St. John’s, St. Patrick’s, and now St. Ann’s. “We’re also encouraging businesses with ties to the South Side area to purchase a brick.”
Reverend Terry Cassidy, pastor of St. Ann Church since 1999, says, “The Memory Garden will be a visible sign to the faith, prayers, and love of the Catholic community that started here in the South Side and grew throughout the city.”
For additional information or to request a brick order form, please call Elizabeth at 309-712-1357.