St. James the Apostle celebrating 50 years

GLEN ELLYN – St. James the Apostle Parish is marking 50 years of service to the Glen Ellyn community with a full slate of activities to celebrate the milestone.

Since last summer, the church has hosted several events honoring the anniversary, including an ice cream social, days of service and a dinner dance.

The festivities will culminate with two upcoming events.

The parish will host an anniversary concert with members of the St. James Music Ministry at 4 p.m. May 17 at the church, 480 S. Park Blvd.

A 50th anniversary Mass with Bishop R. Daniel Conlon of the Diocese of Joliet will cap off the celebrations at 11:30 a.m. May 31, with a reception to follow.

Longtime St. James member Lisa Gilligan, who edits the parish bulletin, believes the church provides an opportunity for parishioners to form a bond with each other.

“What's cool about this parish is it's kind of like it started where people here were taking care of each other," she said. "It was about becoming family to one another [and] making a difference in Glen Ellyn.”

The church has a long history since being officially appointed a parish June 1, 1965. It held its first official mass June 4, 1965, at Maryknoll Church while St. James was being completed. The church and accompanying school were finished in 1967.

According to Gilligan, the idea for the parish grew rapidly after the Diocese of Joliet saw a need for another Catholic church in the Glen Ellyn area, and began collecting from various parishes every Sunday to help purchase the land where St. James now stands.

They asked churchgoers to give 10 percent of their income to God so they could finance building the church and school. The diocese also appointed the Rev. Thomas Fleming to the church.

Many of the original members of the church were part of an increase in families and workers moving to the suburbs, and an influx of residents on the south side of Roosevelt Road and other parts of town farther from a designated church.

Right away, the parish provided a sense of community and an opportunity for new locals to practice their faith and meet other members, Gilligan said.

She believes one of the qualities that has attracted people to the church is the parish's emphasis on outreach and its connection to faith.

“The people here just love to give,” she said. “They don't serve just to serve, it's definitely connected to their faith. That's the source of why they give, they are trying to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that's why they do it, to serve the Gospel.

The Rev. David Hankus came to the church two years ago, having already served at a church that celebrated 50 years – St. Anne Parish in Oswego. Hankus helped start plans for the 50th anniversary in 2014.

“I think it's the people that really make up the church,” he said. “Anytime that I've asked for help with anything, people came forward almost immediately. This parish, I discovered that people know what it means to be Christian. Church is not just a one-hour-a-week activity, it's your whole life”

In terms of growth, the parish hopes that with demographics changing, the church will continue to prosper in its religious education, service and strong ties to the community.

“I think we're going to basically continue what we've always been doing,” Hankus said. “Listen to the Lord speak to us and just try to live out the Gospel in our daily lives. That never changes.”