St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Evergreen Park will hold its final Mass June 30, before OSF Little Company of Mary Medical Center, seen at top left, acquires the property. St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church in Evergreen Park will hold its last Mass June 30, and close its doors for good.
“The two-year transition time I asked the cardinal for were very helpful, in that it allowed people time to accept this very difficult decision for the cardinal to close St. Bernadette’s and merge with Queen of Martyrs,” Pazden said. “Actually, it helped tremendously unite the parish community in a physical way.”
The church’s leadership also will perform a ceremony to transfers the space from a holy, sacred site into regular piece of real estate. “They’re interested in acquiring the property and keeping it for a different purpose than for a church, but there’s not talk of taking it down, but nothing is confirmed, so I don’t know how much I can say,” Padzen said.
O’Brien bought the land from the hospital, so for it to return to its original owners would be poetic, and he said it’s a needed space as the hospital looks to expand services.