Where will my Claretian ministry take me?
The Claretians are a community of 3,000 priests and brothers serving in more than 60 countries. Select an area of the map to learn more about the missions we have in those regions.
North America
We have missions in the following countries in North America: United States of America, Canada,and Mexico. Read more about U.S. Eastern Province ministries by clicking here.
St. Paul's Parish
St. Paul's-Our Lady of Vilna School is a miracle on 22nd Place
The bell at St. Paul's Church, staffed by the Claretians in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, rang out the good news May 12 after parish members learned its elementary school would stay open rather than merge with another nearby Catholic school.
"Now the real work begins," says Father Richard Todd, C.M.F., associate pastor of St. Paul's.
He was referring to the additional funding that would be needed to keep St. Paul's-Our Lady of Vilna School financially solvent.
On February 22, St. Paul's administrator, Father Jose Marino Novoa, C.M.F., and the school principal, Susan Dzikas, were notified that the school would be required to merge with St. Ann's School.
Reasons for the notification by the Chicago Archdiocese included finances and the age of St. Paul's school building, which was constructed in 1892.
The archdiocese stated it no longer could afford to subsidize the school as it had done in the past in the amount of $200,000 annually.
Parishoners, parents of students, and Pilsen business leaders objected to the idea of closing the school, claiming it would have a negative effect on the community and pastoral work.
They began serious dialogue with the archdiocese, seeking a reversal of its decision. The archdiocese set forth its criteria for what makes a school viable and self-supporting.
Parish committees began to work on meeting the criteria, and a one-week fund drive was launched. During Sunday Masses, $30,000 in pledges were collected. Alderman Daniel Solis stepped in to help and parishoners and the business community raised $114,000 in a week.
Motta Construction made a study of the school's stairwells and presented a plan for their reconstruction. Strategy was discussed with the help of Pilsen Neighbors to create an executive board to assist the school in securing future funding.
Archdiocesan engineers reviewed the construction study to assure proper compliance with city codes. Archdiocesan representatives were pleasantly surprised by the parish fund-raising effort.
So on May 12, at a meeting with the school administrator, its principal, and members of the parish, the Archdiocesan Office of Schools announced that St. Paul's would remain open and continue to serve the children of Pilsen, also known as the "Heart of Chicago."
"Our focus at the school," says Father Todd, "is to provide a strong Catholic faith education in an environment that also fosters high academic and behavioral standards, accompanied by realistic expectations.
"In order to keep the school doors open and maintain that focus for our students, we'll have to raise $200,000 in additional funds each year."