Infant Jesus of Prague Parish History

Mia Carina ("My beloved one") was the Italian phrase used by His Eminence, the late Samuel Cardinal Stritch, in referring to the Infant Church to be constructed in Flossmoor, Illinois.

In 1952, at the instigation of the late Monsignor Walter Croarkin, pastor of St. Agnes Church in Chicago Heights, the one hundred and fifty Catholic families in the village of Flossmoor and its surrounding areas asked permission of Cardinal Stritch to build a church of their own. At that time they were worshipping either at St. Agnes church or at St. Joseph in Homewood.

At first the Cardinal was reluctant to give his assent. But early in 1954, under the leadership of Father Joseph Burke, pastor of St. Joseph and later to be temporary administrator of the Flossmoor church, permission was granted. Cardinal Stritch became immediately and enthusiastically interested in the church's architecture and its appointments, and approved the plans. The estimated cost was not to exceed $350,000. Cardinal Stritch said its construction must be "a thing of beauty," as we now know it is. He then commissioned the name of the church: Infant Jesus of Prague.

The brick building of the church is in the Lombard style, with a tile roof, and is complete with a campanella, or campanile-a bell tower. The interior of the church is wood paneled of combed white oak, all from one South American tree. The late Vincent Trabucco, who at that time owned and operated the Steger Piano Company, personally obtained the tree from which the paneling was constructed.

The upper tier of stained glass windows is in an abstract motif, while the lower tier at eye level features phrases from the litany of the Infant Jesus. The Statues are of Carrara marble. The figure of the Infant Jesus above the presidential chair is beautifully decorated with gold leaf. Above the choir is a dazzling rose window with the Infant at its center. The Stations of the Cross, made of wood in Bavaria, were donated by individual families, whose names are inscribed on them.

The parishioners did not wait for the completion of the church to hold their first Mass, celebrated at Christmas in 1954. The exterior of the church had been finished, but the inside was completely barren, even to the extent of having a mud floor, with a canvas cloth stretched over most of the subflooring. There was only a make-shift altar, but it was banked with fresh pine trees. Lighting came from swaying unshaded bulbs. Scaffolding was still standing; heat was sparse. Yet the parishioners who attended that first Eucharistic celebration found it a beautiful reminder of the stable of Bethlehem.

On Sunday, July 24,1955, His Eminence, Cardinal Stritch, dedicated the practically completed church. But once again, the parishioners had anticipated the official date. On May 8,1955, newly ordained Father William Gubbins, a young man from the parish, had celebrated his first Solemn Mass in the new church. It was also the occasion for the reception of First Holy Communion for the youngsters of the parish.

During the next two years two Sunday Masses were celebrated by Father Burke or by one of his assistants. An Augustinian priest, Father William O'Rourke, who taught at Mendel high school, also offered his services for the Sunday liturgies.

On August 16,1957, Father Richard L. Hills was assigned by His Eminence to establish the parish- heretofore a mission-of Infant Jesus of Prague. He was canonically appointed as the first pastor on September 10, 1957.

Attention was focused immediately on the construction of a school. While the school was being built, the Sisters of St. Dominic from Adrian, Michigan, were engaged to teach the children of the parish. A ground breaking ceremony was held on a bitter cold day, January 26,1958. The corner-stone was laid by Monsignor Croarkin on April 27, 1958. The school opened its doors for the first time on September 10, 1958, with the first four grades in operation. During the next two years the school enrollment increased so much that by September 1960 all eight grades were offered to all children of the parish. His Eminence, the late Albert Cardinal Meyer, blessed the school on Sunday, April 19, 1959.

A convent for the Sisters of St. Dominic was completed in May of 1961. The rectory was finished in September of 1963. The Father Hills Parish Center, which connected with the school, was dedicated and blessed in June of 1970. All four buildings were designed to harmonize with the Lombard architecture of the church.  More history about our new Parish Life Center to follow.