read our full Parish History

THE HISTORY OF
ST. NORBERT PARISH
In the Beginning
Northfield Township was a sparsely settled
farming community with fewer than 25 Catholic
families when the missionaries of the Society of the
Divine Word arrived in 1898. The local German
farmers welcomed the priests and brothers from
Steyl, Holland. Reverends John Peil and Joseph
Fischer and Brothers Michael, Wendelin, and
Homobonus had been sent by Father Arnold
Janssen, founder of the Society of the Divine
Word, to establish a religious foundation for the
promotion of the SVD (Societas-Verbi-Divini)
missionary work through publications printed in
both German and English.
of the land, all of which remained unincorporated
until 1988 when Northbrook annexed 778 acres of
the Divine Word properties.
The SVD religious moved into the Harland
home on Prairie Avenue (renamed Techny Road in
1905) near the railroad tracks and established St.
Joseph's Technical School, where the youngsters
could learn a trade as an artist, plumber, tin-smith,
cabinet-maker, carpenter, printer, machinist, or
electrician. When the SVDs were informed that
there were no Catholic churches along the route of
the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad,
they realized that Catholics in the area from
Mayfair north to Deerfield and from Hubbard
Woods west to Buffalo Grove did not have a place
for worship . Peter Beller the, owner of a harness
shop in Shermer and one of the Catholic pioneers
in the area, reportedly walked 12 miles to church
each Sunday.
The missionaries were determined to find a
place for Mass and Eucharist, so Father Peil set
aside one room as a chapel in a rented cheese
factory. Oral tradition holds that the cheese
factory was part of Matt Conrad's store, which
later became Happ's Grocery Store on
Shermer Avenue in Shermerville/Northbrook.
Rev. Jahn Peil, Brother Michael, and Rev. Joseph
Fischer were among the first members of the
Society of the Divine Ward who established the
Mission of the Holy Spirit, which later became the
parish of St. Norbert.
(Photo courtesy of the Society of the Divine Word)
Arriving in Chicago, the five SVDs were
asked by the Archdiocese to establish a trade
school for orphaned Catholic boys in Northfield
Township. On March 11, the Society was
incorporated in Illinois and on June 25, it
purchased the Russell Farm - 337 acres for
$41,000. The Russell family also donated some
The SVDS moved into the farmer Harland home an Prairie Avenue
next to the railroad tracks. The Harlands operated brickyards and
the property later purchased by the Anetsbergers.
Page 1 of 16
(Photo courtesy of the Society of the Divine Word)
First Mass Celebrated on
Pentecost
On Pentecost Sunday, May 21, 1899, the first
Mass was celebrated in the cheese factory. Soon,
a roomier but no less primitive chapel was opened
in a shed on Hansen's farm, property which later
became St. Ann's Home for the Aged (1903-1983)
. Later that year a still larger chapel was acquired.
Umbrellas kept the congregation and the celebrant
dry when the ceiling leaked.
The first child baptized in the new parish on
May 28, 1899, was Paul Michael Ries, son of
Nicholas and Maggie Regan Ries.
On June 25, 1899, the first marriage was
solemnized between James McCluskey and Bella
Larivier.
Early in 1900, Chicago Archbishop Patrick
Feehan authorized the formation of a parish for
the faithful residing between the Skokie lowlands on the east and the Des Plaines River on the
west. The parish was to include Shermer
(incorporated as Shermerville in 1901 and
Northbrook in 1923) on the north and extend as
far south as Winnetka Road.
On December 15, 1900, the first permanent
SVD building (now the Techny Post Office) on
Glenview Avenue was completed, and the Chapel
of the Holy Spirit at St. Mary's Mission was
opened for the members of the new mission
parish . Father Peil, SVD, became the first pastor.
The chapel was situated on what had been
Timber Road, renamed Glenview Avenue in May
1900. In 1921, the State of Illinois paved the road
and in 1924, it was rechristened Waukegan Road.
On January 16, 1901, the first requiem Mass was
offered for Henrietta Bellert. On September 24 of
the same year, eight children received their First
Communion and the following May 81 children
were confirmed.
Corpus Christi Processions
By 1900, the name of St. Joseph's Technical
School had been abbreviated to "Techny" to
accommodate the post office and the Milwaukee
Road train station. That year, the first of many
annual religious traditions was instituted - the
Corpus Christi procession. These processions
were a favorite devotion of Father Arnold Janssen,
and he urged his communities to intro- duce them
whenever possible because they were "external
manifestations of love and reverence to God."
Meanwhile, train traffic continued to
increase, and in 1903, a regular stop was added
at Techny. In 1908, an extra Milwaukee Road
train consisting of 16 cars brought more than
2,000 visitors to Techny, and on June 6, 1920,
more than 5,000 Catholics assembled for the
Corpus Christi procession.
The Corpus Christi processions at St. Mary's Mission House drew thousands of pilgrims each year.
(Postcard courtesy of the Northbrook Historical Society)
Page 2 of 16
Mission Parish School
On May 11, 1901, five Holy Spirit Missionary
Sisters from Steyl, Holland, arrived to assist the
Divine Word missionaries.
Sisters Alexia, Clara, Foureria, Martina, and
Leonarda moved into a weather-beaten frame house, a
gift from kind neighbors. In August four more sisters
arrived. Although the sisters had planned to establish
an orphanage, Father Janssen, who had also founded
their order, directed them to establish a home for the
elderly.
While plans for St. Ann's Home for the Aged were
underway, two of the nuns began teaching at the little
brick schoolhouse, which opened on September 3,
1901. The bricks used for the schoolhouse were the
same as those incorporated in St. Mary's Mission
House across the road. The infant parish had collected
about $1,000 to help defray the cost of the school.
St. Joseph's Elementary School had two
classrooms, each serving four grades. Every morning
Sister Leonarda and Sister Alexia walked down
muddy Glenview Avenue to the schoolhouse. Sister
Alexia and Pauline Happ conducted classes while
Sister Leonarda taught piano and violin.
The Corpus Christi processions continued for many years, as
shown in this 1930s photo. Glenview Avenue had been paved in
1921 and renamed Waukegan Road in 1924.
Rev. Joseph Fischer, SVD, replaced Father
Peil as head of the congregation, and he was
succeeded by Rev. Francis DeLange, SVD, from
1901 to 1907.
On the Feast of Corpus Christi in 1 942, the Sisters of the Holy Spirit Convent and St. Norbert School
girls formed part of the procession which passed through the grounds of St. Mary's Seminary
Page 3 of 16
"On financial side, the records provide
some humorous notes. In 1906, to balance
the receipts and disbursements the Pastor's
salary seems to have been the 'swing'
figure, listed at $392.52 in 1906, and
$525.01 in 1914. The totals of the two
columns thereby resulted in an exact
balance.
11
Sister Leonarda Lentrup, SSpS, was
the first principal of St. Joseph's
Elementary school.
(Photo .courtesy of the Sisters of the
Holy Spirit))
Enrollment grew from 20 students in 1901 to
30 students in 1902 to 60 students in 1910.
Transportation to school was a problem because a
few of the students had to walk three or four
miles, sometimes without a road to follow.
The oldest available parish records from 1906
noted 23 families, and Sunday collections for the
year came to $529.52, a total of $868.51 in annual
income. By 1910 there were twice as many
families, but the total income for the year
decreased to $762.51. Population growth
continued in the area served by the parish, with 58
families registered in 1915 and annual receipts of
$2,333.99 reported.
The St. Norbert Bulletin celebrating the 75th
anniversary of the parish in 1974 read:
The clergy at Techny relied upon the sisters
for such basic needs as laundry, cooking, and
housekeeping. The sisters also darned socks,
sewed on buttons, and washed and mended the
clothes of the 40 boys who lived at the technical
school.
In addition to teaching at the elementary
school, the sisters staffed St. Ann's Home for the
Aged, which opened in 1903. In 1911, the sisters
bought 32 acres from the Society of the Divine
Word and opened a school for home economics.
Holy Spirit Academy was a boarding school for
young women from the Chicago area, and was
located at Waukegan and Willow Roads. According
to the Northbrook News, August 14, 1926, Holy
Spirit Academy was established "… to give its
pupils a practical training in preparation for a
thoroughly useful life”
The Academy closed in 1935.
SVD Missionary Program
In 1904, Father Peil received permission
from his superiors to open a seminary because
there was no missionary-training program in
the United States. The Divine Word Missionaries
pioneered recr uitment and expanded St. Joseph's
Technical School to include a seminary for
future priests and brothers.
St Joseph's Elementary School opened in 1901 and was staffed by the Sisters of the Holy Spirit. The two-room schoolhouse
accommodated all eight grades and was located on the west side of Glenview Avenue (Waukegan Road). It was torn down in 1986.
Page 4 of 16
St. Mary's Mission House at Techny became
the first American Catholic religious community
to train religious priests and brothers for over seas
missionary work. On January 2, 1909, just 13 days
before his death, Father Arnold Janssen formally
approved St. Mary's Mission House as a seminary.
There were 12 students in the seminary, and
Archbishop James Quigley officiated at the
dedication.
The SVDs developed a self-sustaining
community at Techny. The priests were
educated according to the traditional European
system of higher education, and the brothers
concentrated on learning the manual skills
necessary in the mission fields. They raised
dairy cattle for milk, beef cattle for meat,
poultry for eggs and for
Word Missionaries was relocated to the Catholic
Theological Union in Chicago.
St. Norbert Parish
In 1917, George Cardinal Mundelein
authorized the construction of a combination
church and school on the east side of Glenview
Avenue (Waukegan Road), about one-tenth of a
mile north of the seminary. The cornerstone of
this building was laid on May 13, 1917, and the
new building was dedicated on September 29,
1917. There were two classrooms on the first floor
and a chapel on the second floor. At the same
time, the name of the parish was changed from the
Mission of the Holy Spirit to St. Norbert. The
The combination school and church, completed in 1917, was the first building of St. Norbert Parish. The
building now houses the National Mission Offices of the Society of the Divine Word.
slaughter. They harvested wheat for flour for their
bakery and tended vegetable gardens and fruit
trees. Tailors and shoemakers kept the
missionaries clothed. The Techny community
generated its own electricity, dug wells for water,
and in 1906 opened a post office.
The fourth pastor of the mission parish was
Rev. Adolph Burgmer, SVD, who was succeeded by
Rev. Frederick Reichelt, SVD, in 1914.
By 1917, the seminary program had
expanded and replaced St. Joseph's Technical
School, which closed in 1920. In 1918
construction of the main buildings, including the
present chapel was begun. The print shop, The
Mission Press, continued to produce religious
publications until it was destroyed by fire in 1960.
In 1970 the major seminary of the Divine
building now houses the National Mission Center
of the Society of the Divine Word at 1835
Waukegan Road.
The World War I years took a toll on both the
number of families and the finances of St. Norbert
church. In 1917, 65 families donated $8,541 to the
annual parish income. In 1920, only 55 families
contributed $7,005. Income had dwindled to
$2,128.60 in 1921.
The pastor's salary reflected the modest
income of the parish. In earlier years salaries were
noted as $800 per year and remained steady until
1929 when a modest increase of $200 was
reported. In 1935, Rev. Peter Stoll, SVD,
received an annual salary of only $500.
Salaries continued to be listed at $1,000 until
1942 when the priest's stipend jumped to
$1,200.
Page 5 of 16
The original two-room school on the west
side of Waukegan road was converted into a
kindergarten in 1941, while upper grades met in
the building on the east side of Waukegan Road.
Enrollment continued to increase to 117
students by 1942. The four nuns who staffed the
school earned $40 per month.
When the need arose for another Catholic
church in the area, St. Philip the Apostle was
established in Northfield.
St. Norbert Parish Activities
A "1500 Club" was organized for adults
living in the neighborhood, and they planned
annual events to benefit the parish.
The sanctuary of St. Norbert Church was remodeled
several times in the 1930s and 1940s as shown in later
photographs.
In 1930, two Sisters taught 46 pupils in
eight grades, and each received an annual salary
of $425. School registration increased, and by
1932 a third teacher was hired for $300. By
1940, the parish had grown to 110 families with
67 students in the school. Weekly Sunday
collections averaged $56, and annual receipts
totaled $8,591, with expenses listed at $8,848--a
deficit of $257.
Rev. Joseph Holken, SVD, served as the seventh
pastor of St. Norbert Parish from 1931 to 1935.
The Catholic Women's Society met monthly
in the auditorium, holding card and bunco
parties, style shows, and rummage sales.
Sunday afternoon bingo drew both Catholic and
non-Catholic members of the community.
Young people gathered at the Techny Theater
for plays and musicals, and social life
blossomed for young adults, like Louise
Nielsen and Joe Kartman who met at Techny
and married in 1919.
The Holy Name Society staged annual
minstrel and talent shows.
Rev. Mathias Braun, SVD, was the
sixth pastor of St. Norbert from
1929 to 1931.
3
Page 6 of 16
In 1941 Rev. William Benz, SVD, became
pastor, and he organized the Don Bosco club
which sponsored activities for teenagers, such as
baseball, dances, and picnics at Barrenscheen's
Grove (now the Village Green). Father Benz took
the club members for ice cream, to Riverview,
and to Chicago Cubs and White Sox baseball
games.
Relocation to Northbrook
Rev. Peter Stoll, SVD, became the
ninth pastor of St. Norbert, serving
from 1936 to 1941.
When Rev. Peter Stoll, SVD, was appointed
pastor in 1936, he brought a sense of humor to the
parish. He asked the men of the parish to join the
Holy Name Society, which sponsored card parties
and old-time dances. In encouraging participation
in parish events, Father Stoll wrote in the St.
Norbert's Chronicle that... "the younger element of
the parish who are ignorant of the intricacies of the
square dance will have their education completed
by attending."
In asking for additional financial support in
1941, he remarked that the treasury was just short
of $1 million. He appealed to the men of the
parish by adding that ..."we must make some
money on our Hard Times Dance."
The combination church and school on
Waukegan Road remained spacious enough for
the parishioners and school children until the
1940s. Homes sprung up in the once rural
Northfield Township countryside. Population
doubled and redoubled. The pastoral farmland of
the early settlers was transformed into a bustling
suburban community. St. Norbert needed to
expand its facilities to keep up with the population
explosion.
His Eminence Samuel Cardinal Stritch
decided that St. Norbert Parish should be
relocated from Techny to Northbrook. Plans for
a new school and church were drawn up.
Father Haefner
In 1945, Rev. Charles Haefner, SVD,
became the pastor of St. Norbert parish. He made
a down payment of $500 towards a purchase
price of $20,000 for land on Walters Avenue.
Despite the shortage of materials in the years
following World War II, the building of a chapel,
school, and auditorium began.
Financial records of St. Norbert, dated April
19, 1948 show:
Amount allowed for new
building………………………………….. $175,000
Cost of land…............................. $20,000
Cost of construction…................ 250,000
Architect fees…….......................
16 ,000
Contractors Bonds……….............
2,500
Cost of land and building…
$288,500
Money on Hand:
Building Fund............................. $36,000
C.B. of C. Note............................
15,000
Equity in Present Building......... 40,000
Total on hand ........................... $91,000
Projected Deficit
Rev. William Benz, SVD, succeeded Father Stoll as
pastor from 1941 to 1944.
Page 7 of 16
$197,500
In 1945 when Rev. Charles Haefner, SVD, was named
the 11th pastor of St. Norbert, he faced an
overwhelming task of relocating the church and school.
Financing the new parish facility was a
challenge for Father Haefner. Preliminary
building costs exceeded all estimates, and he
explained the need for financial help in a letter to all
parishioners dated April 20, 1948:
Father Haefner's letter read:
"Three years ago today we made our first
down payment on our Northbrook property.
Since then the Building Fund has grown to
the magnificent sum of Fifty Thousand
Dollars, truly a grand achievement that any
parish might well be proud of. This past
week actual construction of our modern
school and church has definitely begun;
however, owing to increased building costs,
our present funds are entirely inadequate
and I am appealing to every member of the
parish to meet our present deficit. This year
the entire proceeds of our Summer Festival
will go to the Building Fund."
Ground was broken on April 22, 1948, for
the first of the buildings, which today form the
St. Norbert parish campus.
Father Haefner might have continued to live
at St. Mary 's Mission House at Techny had it not
been for a parishioner, George Balmes, who
volunteered to donate and install a heating system
for a rectory (parish house), and Jules Urbain,
who donated his services for a building plan.
Members of the Building Committee and Father Haefner turned over the first spadeful of earth on April 22, 1948
for the new church on Walters Avenue . The committee members were O. Nelson, Jules Urbain, Father Haefner, George
Balmes, Samuel Marotta, and Samuel A. Rinella
Page 8 of 16
In praising the volunteerism, which made
construction possible, Father Haefner said:
"M r. George Balmes inspired others, and so
in July 1948, Mr. Peter Pierre began
excavation, and from that time on until the
present Mr. Balmes devoted a part of every
day to further the completion of the Rectory,
Church and School. Mr. John Dunne
undertook the task of adequately wiring the
Parish House, with five thousand feet of
wiring. Hundreds of hours of labor were
required, and Mr. Dunne was ably assisted by
Mr. Edward Mathein. Mr. Albin Ostman
furnished all the labor for the plumbing
installations. Mr. Bernard Schildgen nailed
thousands of feet of plasterboard, assisted by
many volunteer helpers. Mr. Henry Therrien
accepted the task of puttying all the windows.
George Krinninger did all the carpentry
work. The men from the Mission Gardens did
the landscaping around the parish house.
Mrs. Bernard Schildgen and Mrs. George
Balmes cut and sewed the draperies and Mrs.
John Dunne supplied the material. The
marriage parlor was furnished by Mr. and
Mrs. Samuel Rinella, and the office was
furnished by M r. and Mrs. Samuel Marotta.
Carpeting was donated by Miss Anuita
Harms of Techny Fields."
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Boundaries of St. Norbert Parish - 1945,
including all of the Village Limits:
North ------ County Line
West ------- Milwaukee Avenue
South ------ East on Willow to Waukegan;
north on Waukegan to Voltz;
East -------- East on Voltz to Sunset Ridge;
north on Sunset Ridge to County Line
School children joined Father Haefner at the ground breaking for the new church and school in 1948. The boy with the
shovel was Jerry Schmitz.
Page 9 of 16
In addition to the rectory, there was a
school with seven classrooms, an all-purpose
room, and a small chapel accommodating 200. At
that time, the chapel was intended as a future
convent for the Missionary Sisters of the Holy
Spirit who staffed the school.
On Memorial Day, May 30, 1949, Samuel
Cardinal Stritch dedicated the new school,
chapel, and rectory, and St. Norbert celebrated its
golden jubilee.
By 1950, the Catholic population of
Northbrook had increased to 250 families, with a
school enrollment of 250. The seven Sisters of the
Holy Spirit who taught at the school received a
monthly allowance of $50.
On May 30, 1949, Samuel Cardinal Stritch dedicated the new
school, chapel, and rectory.
This view of St. Norbert School (upper left) was taken in December 1950 prior to building the gymnasium. The silos in the center of the photo
were used by Culligan for storage of their Zeolite and for water. The trees on the left are oak trees in the park. The Lorenz home and several
businesses along Shermer Avenue were torn down or relocated in 1957 when Meadow Lane was constructed.
(Photo courtesy of C.C. Oleson)
Page 10 of 16
The annual income of St. Norbert grew to
$49,820, and weekly Sunday collections averaged
$250.
The building boom hit Northbrook in the
1950s with the village population exploding to
5,100 in 1953. School enrollment continued to
expand,
and
six
classrooms
and
a
gymnasium/auditorium were added in 1952.
The new gymnasium/auditorium was an
outstanding achievement of the parish, except for
the concrete floor. Father Haefner appealed for
funds for hardwood flooring. Once again,
parishioners responded, this time with $25
pledges from each of the 500 families and a few
larger donations from other individuals. The
magnificent sum of $13, 700 was received and the
entire gymnasium hardwood floor was installed.
In addition to Sister Florence, SSpS,
principal, 14 Missionary Sisters of the Holy Spirit
staffed the school.
St. Norbert Named a
Diocesan Parish
Recognizing that St. Norbert was no longer a
mission, the Society of the Divine Word in 1953
requested Samuel Cardinal Stritch to transfer the
parish to diocesan jurisdiction.
Rev. Vincent P. Casey, a former professor at
Quigley Preparatory Seminary, became the first
diocesan pastor in June 1953, with Rev. Hugh T.
O'Reilly as his assistant.
School enrollment grew from 525 in 1953
to 640 in 1954.
When St. Norbert was transferred to diocesan
jurisdiction, Rev. Vincent P. Casey became the 12th
pastor of St. Norbert.
The tiny church could no longer
accommodate all the parishioners, and the
gymnasium was converted into a temporary
church. In May 1954, in just one week, a
temporary altar was set up. Carpenters from the
parish worked well into the night to add extra
pews and prepare the gymnasium/chapel for
Confirmation to be conferred by Cardinal
Stritch.
Three new classrooms were added to the
school, and on September 22, 1954, Father
Casey offered Mass in celebration of the 25th
anniversary of his ordination. The former
church was used as a meeting hall for two years
and then divided into four more classrooms. The
gymnasium served as a parish church for 10 years.
The new colonial
style church, school,
and rectory were
completed in 1949.
The chapel was
later converted into
classrooms.
Page 11 of 16
The Most Rev. Vincent Brizgys, a Lithuanian bishop residing
in the archdiocese, broke ground for the new convent on Elm
Street on May 23, 1956. He was assisted by Father Casey
During 1954 and 1955, St. Norbert
registered as many as 10 to 12 new families
each week, with a total of 850 families enrolled
in the church. The Missionary Sisters of the Holy
Spirit had been living at their Motherhouse at
Willow and Waukegan Roads, commuting to St.
Norbert t each day. Increased financial support
of the parish enabled the building committee to
erect a convent, and ground was broken in the
spring of 1956.
giving the school 24 classrooms. Sister Mary
Emma, SSC, became principal, and was
succeeded in 1960 by Sister Mary Scholastica,
SSC.
The village of Northbrook and the parish
continued growing. By 1960, Northbrook's
population reached 11,000 and St. Norbert Parish
consisted of 1,300 families. School enrollment hit
capacity of 1,158 students. Thirteen Sisters of St.
Casimir and nine lay teachers drew salaries
totaling $45,000 that year.
Tuition was $3 per child, and families with
more than two children in school paid only half
tuition for the third child and subsequent
children. Income from tuition came to only
$23,000, but the generosity of parishioners
boosted the treasury through bazaars, bake sales,
fashion shows and sales of Christmas trees.
The Sunday Mass schedule was also expanded
to six services to meet the increased demand. The
parish welcomed Rev. Thomas F. Sullivan in 1956,
and Rev. John J. Quinn and Rev. Robert A. Carroll
in 1964. In 1968, Rev. Thomas Powers joined the
staff and Father Sullivan returned as an associate
pastor at St. Norbert.
From 1962 to 1966, Sister Mary Vianney, SSC,
served as principal, and Sister Paul Marie (Sister
Julie), SSC, followed from 1966-1969.
Father O'Reilly
Father Casey died suddenly on August 20,
1956, the victim of a hear t attack. The realization
of his dream of a permanent church fell to his
assistant, Father O'Reilly, who administered the
affairs of the parish for several months before
being named pastor.
Rev. Hugh T.
O'Reilly succeeded
Father Casey as
the 13th pastor
of St. Norbert
Church in 1958.
Sisters of St. Casimir
Like the SVD priests, the Missionary Sisters
of the Holy Spirit returned to missionary work. In
1956, the Sisters of St. Casimir agreed to staff the
school, assisted part-time by the Sisters of the
Holy Spirit to ease the transition. Sister Mary
Corinthia, SSC, the new principal, and nine
teaching sisters moved into the new convent at
1808 Elm Street. The building was dedicated on
May 26, 1957.
Kindergarten classes had been discontinued in
1955 because of space limitations. However, in
1958 four new classrooms were added to the
school to keep pace with the growing enrollment,
Plans for a New Church
Construction of a permanent church remained
a high priority for Father O'Reilly. In February
1961, he approached Albert Cardinal Meyer and a
group of archdiocesan consultants to obtain a loan
for the building of a church and a rectory at an
estimated cost of $1 million.
Page 12 of 16
Despite objections due to the magnitude of
the undertaking, the Archdiocese agreed to a
loan of $450,000 if the parishioners of St.
Norbert would match that sum. The favorable
outcome of a parish fund drive convinced the
Cardinal to approve the construction.
The architectural firm of Holmes and Fox
was retained, and it spent a considerable time
working to accommodate the restrictions of land
and funds. The original plans called for only a
partial church basement, though that would limit
the badly needed meeting space for the parish.
After plans were agreed on, separate bids were
obtained from contractors to allow for flexibility.
The prime concern was for quality construction.
The Most Reverend Cletus F. O'Donnell
broke ground on September 23, 1963, and
construction began on October 3.
More than 8,000 cubic yards of earth were
excavated, and 2,100 cubic yards of concrete,
reinforced by 90 tons of reinforcing bars, were
used in the construction. A hundred and twenty
tons of structural steel were used to support the
upper part of the building.
Mechanical systems for heating and cooling,
handling 90,000 cubic feet of air per minute,
were installed; and air conditioning, considered an
unnecessary luxury at the time, has since been
deeply appreciated by all members of the parish,
especially brides.
A five-handled shovel was used to break ground for the new church and rectory on September 23, 1963. Bishop Cletus F. O'Donnell
(center) officiated at the ceremonies. Kenneth Holmes, architect, is on the far left, followed by Monsignor George Cas1y, Vicar General
of the Archdiocese; Rev. Hugh T O'Reilly, pastor; and Richard Fox, architect.
(Photo courtesy of the New World Publications)
Page 13 of 16
The corpus of the crucifix above the
main altar and the 14 Stations of the Cross
were hand-carved in Oberammergau,
Germany. The statues were carved of Italian
Carrara marble, highlighted by the rich
colors of the stained glass windows.
The church was placed at a 45-degree angle,
setting it aside from the other parish buildings.
Construction materials were of the highest
quality: brick, stone, glass, and copper for the
exterior; plaster, marble, bronze, wood, and
terrazzo for the interior.
The main altar and side altars of Loredo
Chiaro marble were carved in Italy and
assembled in the sanctuary (a process which
saved $5,000). The mensa (table top) of the main
altar is one solid piece of marble weighing more
than two tons.
Page 14 of 16
The problem of financing the church
furnishings was solved by a generous
response in memorial donations. Every item
- from the main altar and the organ down
to the holy water fonts - was provided by
generous parishioners. A gift of $17,000
completed the large meeting room in the
basement and provided for the Irish green
carpeting.
Further plans were developed for the
permanent rectory, with adequate office
space and living quarters for our clergy.
.
The first Mass was celebrated in the new
church on June 28, 1964. On May 2, 1965,
Bishop Cletus F. O'Donnell presided over the
solemn dedication of St. Norbert Church. Parish
membership had increased to 1,600 families.
Our Lady of the Brook
When the decision was made by the
Archdiocese to establish a second parish in
Northbrook, land was purchased on Dundee Road
in 1957 - eleven acres for $2,200 per acre. In
1968, Our Lady of the Brook was established for
families living on the west side of Northbrook.
However, many parishioners remained at St.
Norbert where their children were enrolled in
school. Building plans for Our Lady of the Brook
did not include a school. The new parish held
services in Glenbrook South High School until
the new Worship Center on Dundee Road opened
in 1972. Parish registrations at Our Lady of the
Brook grew from 350 families in 1968 to 1,221
families in 1999.
On May 2, 1965, Bishop Cletus F. O'Donnell, Vicar General of the
Archdiocese, led the procession during the dedication of St. Norbert
Church. With Bishop O'Donnell were: (left) Rev. Thomas Sullivan,
former assistant pas - tor, (right) Rev. Raymond Nugent of St.
Joseph Church in Wheeling, and Father O'Reilly
St. Norbert children attended the dedication ceremonies of our new church on May 2, 1965.
(Photo courtesy of the New World Publications)
Page 15 of 16
Earliest Records of the Parish
FIRST PUBLIC MASS
Pentecost Sunday, May 21, 1899
Mission of the Holy Spirit Chapel
FIRST BAPTISM
May 28, 1899
Paul Michael Ries
Son of Nicholas and Maggie Regan Ries
Godfather: Michael Nanner
Godmother: Maggie Lellinger
Baptized by Father Joseph Fischer
FIRST MARRIAGE
June 25, 1899
James McCluskey and Bella Larivier
Witnesses: Sidney Keate and Margaret Dunne
FIRST COMMUNION CLASS
September 24, 1899
August Delories
Julia Mccloskey
Rosie Fisher
Emma Tero
Albert Fisher
Joseph Therrien
Martin Levernier
FIRST FUNERAL
January 16, 1901
Henrietta Bellert
FIRST CONFIRMATION CLASS
May 19, 1902
81 children
Administered by Most Rev. Peter J. Muldoon
Page 16 of 16