A Place to Belong

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The History of Holy Spirit
Catholic Community

Recognizing that south Lake County was growing rapidly, Bishop Melczek, Bishop of the Diocese of Gary, Indiana, decided to establish a new parish in Winfield Township in Lake County to address present and future needs of this area. The Diocese purchased thirteen acres of land on 109th Avenue. The Bishop asked Father Joseph Murphy to be the pastor of the new parish.

Father Murphy arrived on July 1, 1996, and saw the site of his new parish for the first time. Instead of thirteen acres of corn, Father Murphy envisioned a thriving, enthusiastic community of faith, whose mission would be "to make Christ real in the world" by the way they lived their faith in everyday life. Until the new parish was formed, Father Murphy was also assigned as associate pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, which was to be our mother parish. It was there that Father Murphy began to communicate his vision. The staff of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton along with Father Murphy hosted a meeting in September of 1996, inviting all who were interested in learning more about the new parish. Father Murphy presented the idea of gathering in small groups that would meet in homes to pray and to discuss the new parish. Ten small groups formed and met at regular intervals. These meetings proved to be the tie that would bind us together as a new community of faith.

On Sunday, December 8, 1996, one hundred families gathered at the Polish National Alliance Hall (P.N.A.) on Grand Boulevard to celebrate our first Mass. We continued to grow in numbers and enthusiasm, and on Pentecost Sunday, May 18, 1997, at our parish Eucharistic celebration, Bishop Melczek announced that our parish would be named in honor of the Holy Spirit. In the following months, Father Murphy guided us and helped us realize that even though we did not have a building of our own, we were indeed a "church", a community of faith dedicated to living the gospel values here in Winfield Township. As we grew, we added a 4:00 p.m. Saturday Mass celebrated at the Christ Presbyterian Church on 109th Avenue, thanks to the hospitality of Reverend Cherie Isaakson and the Presbyterian community.

On March 14, 1998, members of the parish gathered to work on a mission statement that would define and clarify our unique mission. Focusing on worship, community, formation, and service, our mission statement echoed Father Murphy’s vision of making "Christ real in the world". By now, many ministries had been formed that were committed to supporting our mission. These ministries have been nourished by small faith communities and parish retreats, such as Christ Renews His Parish. On June 14, 1998, Pentecost Sunday, Bishop Melczek came to celebrate Mass with us, and announced that, as of July 1, 1998, we would be an official canonical parish, not just a parish-in-formation.

Having grown to over 340 families, we were beginning to outgrow the temporary worship and office spaces. We began to dream of a permanent home for our church family. Bannon Associates, Inc. of Chicago was hired in April, 1998, to serve as consultants for a fund raising drive. On June 27th, Father Murphy announced that Schmidt and Associates of Indianapolis was selected as the architectural firm to develop a master plan for our new home. Through the overwhelmingly generous response of our people to the fundraiser, enough money was raised to initiate the first phase of this master plan. On June 13, 1999, the rain could not dampen our spirits, as we joined Bishop Melczek to bless the ground and initiate the construction of our new home.

Since our modest beginnings, our faith community has increased to nearly 600 families, with rapid growth anticipated in the near future. We have remained consistent in both attendance and enthusiasm. As we continue to grow, more ministries have formed to serve both our faith community and the wider local community as well. On June 11, 2000, the feast of Pentecost, the day that celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus Christ, we joyfully gather as a community of faith with the Bishop in our newly completed home to seek our Lord’s blessing and to recommit ourselves to the work of discipleship. We have only just begun!