Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Glenview, Illinois)

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish
OLPH
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish Location in the Chicago area
42°04′30″N 87°48′06″W / 42.0749°N 87.8017°W / 42.0749; -87.8017Coordinates: 42°04′30″N 87°48′06″W / 42.0749°N 87.8017°W / 42.0749; -87.8017
Location	Glenview, Cook County, Illinois
Country	United States
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Membership	3,000-4,000 families,[1][2]
Website	olphglenview.org
History
Former name(s)	St. Joseph
Dedicated	November 1, 1907
Administration
Archdiocese	Chicago
Clergy
Archbishop	Blase J. Cupich
Bishop(s)	Francis J. Kane[3]
Pastor(s)	Jeremiah "Jerry" Boland[4]

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, often abbreviated OLPH, is a Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Chicago located in suburban Glenview, Illinois, approximately 16 miles (26 km) north-northwest of downtown Chicago.^[5] Originally established in 1907 as the Mission of St. Joseph,^[1] Our Lady of Perpetual Help is now one of two Catholic parishes in Glenview along with .^[6] The parish numbers about 3,000 families.^[1][2] As a result, OLPH celebrates no fewer than seven Masses every weekend.^[7] Rev. Jeremiah "Jerry" Boland is the current pastor, and Rev. Thomas E. Hickey is pastor emeritus.^[4] In addition, OLPH has three associate pastors and two deacon couples.^[4]

History[]

OLPH's history dates to the early 1900s.^[1] Although area Catholics at that time technically belonged to the parish of St. Joseph located in Grosse Pointe, now Wilmette, missionary priests often traveled to Glenview to minister to Catholics there.^[1] The original OLPH Church, located on the same site as the current structure, was dedicated in 1907 as the Mission of St. Joseph.^[1] In 1915, Rev. John Vattman renamed the parish Our Lady of Perpetual Help^[1] to commemorate a representation of the Virgin Mary that he had given to the church.^[8]

OLPH’s resident pastor, Rev. Martin C. Schmidt, was installed in 1919, when Our Lady of Perpetual Help became a permanent parish.^[8] At the time, the small congregation was still considered a “county parish.”^[8] According to legend, upon his appointment as pastor, Fr. Schmidt admitted he did not know where Glenview was located.^[8] When Fr. Schmidt asked George W. Mundelein, then the Archbishop of Chicago, the Archbishop purportedly answered, “I don’t know. You’ll have to look it up.”^[8]

The church continued to grow throughout the 20th century, acquiring land east of the church building to construct a school and convent.^[1] Rev. John J. Dussman served as OLPH’s pastor for approximately thirty-four years, from 1934 until his retirement in 1971.^[1] Fr. Dussman was succeeded by Rev. Myles P. McDonnell, who served the parish until 1989.^[1] Rev. John E. Flavin served as pastor between 1989 and 2007, when recent pastor Thomas E. Hickey, was appointed to the role.^[1] On July 15, 2007, OLPH marked its 100th anniversary with a concelebrated Mass of celebration with principal celebrant Francis Cardinal George, the archbishop of Chicago.^[8]

Upon election of Pope Francis in March 2013, then-pastor Fr. Hickey expressed his support for the new pontiff, saying that although the choice was a "surprise," he believed the choice reflected the growth of Catholicism in the southern hemisphere.^[9] The pastor also expressed hope that Pope Francis would "convey a message of more openness and inclusiveness."^[9]

Features and ministries[]

In 1915, Rev. John Vattman changed the parish name to Our Lady of Pereptual Help in honor of the Virgin Mary as depicted in this religious icon from the 15th century.

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OLPH considers itself to represent “a family of believers in Christ who strive to live according to his teachings” that “take as [their] mission in the world the living out of the Gospel of Jesus.”^[2] According to the parish website, OLPH ministries include care for the sick and bereaved, counseling services, a singles’ group, business network group, men’s and women’s clubs, and a youth organization.^[2] The parish is also actively involved in food drives and emergency meal assistance through its Meal Ministry.^[10]

OLPH School[]

In September of 1929, the founders of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church founded OLPH School true to the teachings of the School Sisters of St. Francis to teach the values of faith, discipline, and service. OLPH is the largest elementary and grade school in the Archdiocese of Chicago. The current principal is Dr. Amy Mills, with Ms. Patricia Musker and Ms. Lori Parsek as vice principals. Today, OLPH teaches preschool through 8th grade. It has 744 students and 58 full-time teachers.^[11] Among these 744 students, 48% are female and 52% are male; 84.5% are Caucasian and 15.5% are other races, such as Asian and Hispanic.^[11] The student-teacher ratio at OLPH School is 13:1 for preschool and 16:1 for PK-8, with the national average being 17:1.^[11] The tuition cost of attending OLPH School is $6,460/yr for PK-8 and $5,595/yr for preschool, with the average annual cost altogether being $33,639/yr.^[11] OLPH is the home of the Warriors, and their mascots are Paul and Anne the Warriors, who are named after OLPH’s beloved nun Sister Paulanne. Some annual events at the school include Roundball (a basketball event), Warrior Day (an outdoor activity event), Funfair (an indoor carnival festival), and the Book Fair. The fifth grade also make an annual camping trip to Camp McLean.

Teachers and Staff at OLPH School[]

ADMINISTRATION:

Dr. Mills - Principal

Ms. Musker - Assistant Principal

Ms. Parsek - Assistant Principal

Mr. Askamitowski - Athletic Director

Mrs. O’Hara- Matzkin - Business Mgr.

Mrs. Romano - Development Dir.

Ms. Block - Technology Dir.

Sr. Paulanne - Maintenance Dir.

Ms. Sillin - Daycare Dir.

Mrs. Mikan - Early Childhood Dir.

Mrs. Pelletier - Communication Dir.

Mrs. Hanrahan - Kindergarten Dir.

SCHOOL OFFICE:

Mrs. Carney

Mrs. Hoyle

Mrs. Kennedy

STUDENT SERVICES:

Mrs. Afendras - School Counselor

Mrs. Bilas - Student Srvcs Dir.

Mrs. Comer - School Nurse

Mrs. Groose - Resource Teacher

Miss Jabeck - Speech Pathologist

PRESCHOOL:

Mrs. Bogyo

Mrs. Dusbiber

Mrs. McCauley

Mrs. Phelan

Mrs. Coleman

Mrs. Fullet

Mrs. McGivern

Mrs. Smith

Mrs. del Prado

Mrs. Maher

Mrs. Mikan

Mrs. Weber

KINDERGARTEN:

Mrs. Butz

Mrs. Martino

Mrs. Witte

Mrs. Grimm

Mrs. Sloan/Mrs. Slagg

Mrs. Hanrahan

FIRST GRADE:

Mrs. Brennan/Mrs. Karam

Mrs. Vardijan

Miss McKenna

Mrs. Stefo

SECOND GRADE:

Mrs. Dutz

Ms. McKenna

Miss O’Brien

Mrs. Rottman

THIRD GRADE:

Miss Janczewski

Mrs. Rank

Miss Roder

Mrs. Zawa

FOURTH GRADE:

Ms. Binder

Mrs. Curley

Miss Hicks

Mr. Sieklucki

FIFTH GRADE:

Miss Hokl

Mrs. Ledden

Miss Park

Mrs. Schroeder

SIXTH GRADE:

Miss Eisinger

Mr. Fries

Ms. Hawkins

Mrs. Krebs

Miss Sillin

SEVENTH GRADE:

Mrs. Berumen

Mr. Brown

Mr. Gonzalez

Mr. Newberg

Mrs. Nierzwicki

EIGHTH GRADE:

Mrs. Maddalozzo

Mrs. Matteson

Mrs. Stauder

Mrs. Voller/Mrs. Murphrey

JR HIGH STAFF:

Mrs. Smith

Sr. Paulanne

Mrs. Videckis

Ms. Clark

SPANISH:

Mrs. Berumen

Mrs. Rodriguez

Mrs. Rosas

Ms. Saenz

Mr. Fadragas

ART:

Miss Kadolph

Ms. Musker

BAND:

Mrs. Oleszczuk

MUSIC:

Miss Hager

Mrs. Sible

P.E:

Ms. Smith

Mr. Smith

TECHNOLOGY:

Mrs. Block

Mr. Elbert

^[12]

References[]

External links[]

• OLPH Website
• Website of OLPH School