St. James Maywood parish will close Sept. 1

Demographic shifts have resulted in the planned closure of St. James Parish, Maywood, and the boundary realignment of two nearby parishes.

Bishop Thomas Paprocki, episcopal vicar of Vicariate IV which includes these near-west suburbs, said the closing was announced following two years of consultation with the pastors and parishioners of St. James and St. Eulalia parishes in Maywood and neighboring St. Simeon parish, Bellwood, about better use of financial and ministerial resources.

Effective Sept. 1, St. James will close and the parish facilities sold to the Knanaya Catholic Community, which is part of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese. This group of Catholics originated in the Archdiocese of Kottayam, India. Bishop Paprocki said he was “very pleased that it was a Catholic community that’s purchasing the church building and that it will remain a place of Catholic worship.”

St. Eulalia Parish will cover all of Maywood and the northern part of Broadview while St. Simeon will serve parishioners from all of Bellwood. The pastor of St. James, Father Harold Meyr has retired.

Bishop Paprocki met with St. James parishioners June 28. “They expressed their pain,” he said. “I acknowledged it and talked about the grieving process—the steps of grief—to get to the point of acceptance. Change is difficult and painful,” “but a fact of life.” The bishop said plans were being confirmed to have representatives from both neighboring parishes, St. Eulalia and St. Simeon, speak at Masses at St. James. “We want to have them extend an invitation to join and feel welcome,” Bishop Paprocki said.

In a letter to local municipal officials, the bishop said that despite the changes there is an effort to develop a “vision for the future to provide a viable … Catholic presence in this area for years to come.”

Catholic Charities’ Early Childhood Center will continue to operate from the former St. James school building while operation of the parish’s food pantry will move to another nearby parish. St. Eulalia already operates a community food pantry.

Cardinal George reviewed and accepted the recommendations for the parish closing and after consultation with the Presbyteral Council.

St. James’ Hispanic parishioners will find Spanish-language Masses at St. Simon. St. Eulalia plans to offer Masses in Spanish soon, the bishop said. He said that some Hispanics travel to the parish from the Melrose Park area and will also find a welcome at parishes there.

St. James was founded in 1908 and the Catholic population of the area grew rapidly, especially following World War II as population shifts westward began. By the 1970s the parish had become widely multiracial and multicultural. However, in more recent decades the Catholic population has dwindled, according to information from the archdiocesan Office for Research and Planning.