St. Mary of Vernon Catholic Church

Parish History: Our Vision Has Developed Over the Years

In the summer of 1978, Father John Finnegan was sent by John Cardinal Cody to the Vernon Hills area of Lake County “to do pastoral work in the area of Vernon Hills with a view of establishing a new parish there.” It was clear very soon that the character of this local church community would reflect the faith, enthusiasm and Vatican Council II vision of its people. Through each progressive stage this vision unfolded – from the first Mass on August 15, 1978 in space rented from Hawthorn Jr. High School in Vernon Hills, through the first Mass in our new Worship Center on August 15, 1981, and into a future of continued growth. The people of the parish discovered who they were in the Lord and who they were called to be as this local Church.

St. Mary’s parish family followed a path very similar to the Christians of the earliest centuries. We started small and continue to expand. For the “house” where this local Church first met for the breaking of bread was in a home on Cherokee Road where the neighbors were not so sure they liked all those cars parked on their street. Then this local church, like the Israelite people carrying all their belongings in the desert, set up a temporary "house/home” for worship in Hawthorn school cafeteria. After that, this local church fashioned a multi-use building for worship as well as for social and community activities - a building which has served us well for over two decades and will continue to serve us well for many different ministries. In December 2005, we began to worship together in a new church building which had been the dream of many from the very beginning.

The simple value or vision statements listed below express values from the parish's earliest days to the present. During five open meetings held in the spring of 2000, these values or vision statements were overwhelmingly affirmed.

We the people of St. Mary of Vernon are a Catholic faith community, dedicated to Christ’s mission.

• As a people of faith, we want to center our lives on the Risen Lord Jesus, his ministry, teachings and witness of life, death and resurrection.

• As a people of faith, we want to give generously of our gifts and talents for building and revealing God’s kingdom, never shirking the challenge that is ours to live Christ’s gospel message.

• As a people of faith, we want to maintain the joy and excitement of being an ever-vibrant parish community while carrying on our ancient Catholic tradition of faith.

• As a people of faith, we want to have the programs or buildings we might develop serve the parish community, its values and mission.

We believe in the value of living Christ’s gospel message by celebrating the Eucharist and other Sacraments.

• As a people of faith, we want to root the development of our parish and parish life in the joys, the rights, and the responsibilities of our Baptism.

• As a people of faith, we consider ourselves together to be the “living church,” the People of God.

• As a people of faith, we want to center our communal life in the celebration of the Eucharist, expressing our faith in the Risen Lord with conviction and being formed in the ways of building the Kingdom of God in our day-to-day lives.

• As a people of faith, we want to celebrate liturgy with full and active participation and inclusion of all.

We believe in the value of living Christ’s gospel message by serving each other and the needs of all God’s people.

• As a people of faith, we want to be of service to others as disciples of Jesus, especially to those in need. We want to be a people known by our love for one another and our outreach in justice and charity to the least of our sisters and brothers in the Lord.

We believe in the value of living Christ’s gospel message by fostering, supporting, and nurturing parish ministries and by encouraging a spirit of community through social and recreational activities.

• As a people of faith, we want to create a strong sense of parish family, fostering care and respect for one another through social activities, communal prayer and service opportunities.

• As a growing community of faith, we want to encourage the involvement of more parishioners in ministries and excite people about bringing their life of faith and its values into their lives in the larger community.

We believe in the value of living Christ’s gospel message by sharing our Catholic faith traditions with each other, with children and all who search for God.

• As a people of faith, we want our individual parishioners of all ages and families to feel welcome and to be nurtured in an ongoing way in the knowledge (education) and experience (formation) of their faith.

We welcome and embrace all people as we work and pray together.

• As a growing community of faith, we want to expand our efforts at evangelization. We want to reach out more actively to marginalized or alienated Catholics, allowing them to experience welcome and invitation, and once again becoming one with us as a family and disciples of Christ.