St. Patrick Among More Church Closings, Mergers For Diocese Of Joliet

MANHATTAN, IL — The Diocese of Joliet on Thursday announced additional Catholic church closings or mergers, set to take effect July 1.

The latest round impacts southern Will County, Grundy County and DuPage County parishes. The list indicates churches in Manhattan, Wilton Center, and Monee will be impacted.

The "Phase 3 Targeted Restructuring" process affected 22 sites, said Bishop Ronald A. Hicks, which included 20 parishes and two additional worship sites. As of July 1 those 22 sites are being consolidated into 11 parishes and 6 worship sites.

In Wilton Center and Manhattan, St. Patrick will amalgamate into St. Joseph's, and the St. Patrick's church will close.

St. Boniface in Monee and St. Mary in Park Forest will amalgamate into St. Liborious in Steger, and St. Mary's church and buildings will close. St. Boniface facilities will remain open, to be used at the discretion of St. Liborious, Hicks said. St. Boniface will be a designated worship site.

In Peotone, St. Paul the Apostle will remain open as an independent parish.

A full list of changes can be found in the press release.

"Significant changes, as the ones I am announcing today, will also necessitate some reassignments of priests within our Diocese," Hicks said in the announcement. "Those decisions have not yet been made. Priest assignments require additional discernment, discussion and decisions by our priests, the priest personnel board, and me. Changes in assignments and responsibilities will be announced by June 1."

As a result of all changes, the following eight amalgamated parishes will exist as of July 1, 2025:

• St. Liborius in Steger
• St. Rose of Lima in Wilmington
• Assumption in Coal City
• St. Lawrence in South Wilmington
• St. Alexander in Villa Park
• Corpus Christi in Carol Stream
• St. Michael in Wheaton
• St. Joseph in Manhattan

Two parishes will continue to exist as independent parishes:

• St. Paul the Apostle in Peotone
• Christ the Servant in Woodridge

Six former parishes will now become worship sites as of July 1:

• St. Boniface in Monee
• Immaculate Conception in Braidwood
• Sacred Heart in Kinsman
• St. Mary in Reddick
• St. Mark in Wheaton
• Ascension of our Lord in Oakbrook Terrace

Finally, these four parish churches and one chapel will close effective July 1:

• St. Mary in Park Forest
• St. Patrick (Wilton Center) in Manhattan
• St. Luke in Carol Stream
• St. John the Apostle in Villa Park
• St. Lawrence O’Toole Chapel in Essex