About our Parish

Our Mission

Since 1883, as Catholic Christians, we continue the tradition to educate, reach out and provide spiritual growth.

We grow in wisdom, love and holiness when we learn to recognize our own giftedness and that of others. As we seek God we find Him in each other and in all creation, and we serve Christ when we serve each other. As we grow we begin to realize that God has already given us everything we need to live abundantly and to meet the challenges of our own lives and those of the parish.

The gift of faith that we share tells us that we are here to support one another in times of joy and in times of trial. Those who minister in the areas of education and spiritual growth walk with others on their spiritual journey. Our ministries range from baptismal preparation, our parish school, children’s religious education, to year round ongoing adult renewal opportunities.

Our parish strives to embrace the gift of many cultures with which God has blessed us. St. Mary’s vibrant liturgies are enriched by this gift. We are instructed to go forth from the Liturgy to love and serve the Lord and one another. When participation in the Eucharistic celebration ignites a spark of faith, St. Mary’s formation programs are there to fan it into a flame. As the fire is tended the whole parish community is ignited with a renewal of faith.

The fruits of a renewed faith are the good works of care to the least among us.  The Heart of Mary outreach ministry provides help to those in difficulty on a daily basis.  Crisis assistance, the PADS homeless shelter, holiday food collections, senior support, pastoral care to the homebound and the sharing program with St. Anselm are supported wholeheartedly.

While there has been growth in the number of parishioners participating in the life of the church, by taking a more active role, we would like to see that growth continue. We hope that by creating a sense of belonging, parishioners will be encouraged to become more involved in the life of the parish. We believe that, before someone can feel they truly belong, they must first feel accepted and genuinely welcomed.

Recognizing that faith formation is a lifelong spiritual journey, we are committed to providing ongoing opportunities to fulfill the mission of educating, reaching out and providing spiritual growth.   It is in this spirit that we go forth and carry the good news to the world.

OUR SPIRIT helps all parishioners grow in holiness.

Be holy, for I am holy. (Leviticus 11:44)

Our History

Following his ordination on July 25, 1897, Rev. John Linden was assigned to St. Mary's Training School (now Maryville) with concurrent duties as priest for the Mission Territory extending from Arlington Heights to Edison Park. The first funeral in the church in November 1898, was that of Jacob Walter. Walter helped transport the frame church to its new site. The first wedding solemnized by Fr. Linden in the Parish church was that of John Woolfe and Anna Collet on June 21, 1899. The second was that of James Meehan and Elizabeth Collet, sister of the first bride, on May 1, 1901. Their descendents continued an association with St. Mary Church.

In 1906, Archbishop James Quigley established the permanent parish of St. Mary in Des Plaines, IL with Father Linden as first resident pastor. A larger church building at Pearson street and Prairie Avenue was completed in 1907 and dedicated in September 1908 at a Solemn High Mass celebrated by Fr. Linden. The parish purchased land for a school and convent in 1920. On September 1, 1924, five sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate arrived from Joliet to staff the new St. Mary's School with an initial enrollment of 162 pupils. (Sister Ruth Yirku, the original first-grade teacher, celebrated her 60th anniversary as a nun in 1983). The class of 1925 was the first to graduate from St. Mary's School. There were eight members in that class.
In 1913, Fr. Anthony Lauer assumed the position of Choir Director, marking the beginning of a long association between St. Mary and the Lauer family. The Lauers donated St. Mary's first pipe organ in 1925. Rev. Wilfred Lauer, S. J., was the first priest ordained from the parish in 1932. Antoinette Lauer retired after serving as church organist for 61 years.

Mass was celebrated in a new church on Christmas Day 1936. This third building for St. Mary was a remodeled bowling alley, located directly across the street from the existing church. The existing, second church became the present rectory. Vigorous parish growth in the early 1930's made an expanded Mass schedule a necessity. Fr. Theodore Schmitt, an Augustinian priest, came regularly from Racine, WI to assist Fr. Linden on weekends. Rev. Peter Fuessel, the first Assistant Pastor, began his assignment at St. Mary in 1939. Fr. Linden served as Pastor until his death. He died on November 6, 1947.

Fr. Patrick Bird, appointed in 1948, was the second pastor of St. Mary. His pastorate saw 20 years of expansion and development in Des Plaines and the parish. This growth included a school addition as well as preparation and provision for a new church building. Fr. Bird continued to serve as Pastor Emeritus after the appointment of Fr. Martin Farrell as third Pastor in 1968. Fr. Bird celebrated his Golden Jubilee as a priest in 1970. He died on December 7, 1978.

 On Christmas Day 1970, Fr. Farrell celebrated the first Mass in the fourth and present St. Mary Church. Soon after completion of the new church, the parish began a remodeling project for the present rectory and the adjacent house, which was the original rectory. Upon his retirement in 1981, Fr. Farrell became Pastor Emeritus as Fr. Paul Rosemeyer began his assignment as the fourth pastor at St. Mary Church that same year.
After serving fifteen years, Fr. Rosemeyer retired in April of 1996 and is now Pastor Emeritus. Fr. Gene Dyer became St. Mary's fifth Pastor with his appointment in June of 1996. Our current Pastor, Fr. Lawrence Collins, began his assignment on July 1, 2010.