History of St. Patrick Church

In 1901 Bishop Spaulding of Peoria purchased land in Urbana for St. Patrick’s and sent Fr. John H. Cannon, a priest who had launched several other parishes in the diocese, as its pastor.  He celebrated Mass at St.Mary’s Parish in Champaign (the oldest parish in the county,
founded in 1854) on June 30, 1901, where he announced that the cornerstone of the new parish would be laid the next day and the new
church dedicated the following Sunday.  That’s exactly what happened. In just over 37 hours of continuous work, a wood frame building was constructed, just north of the present church. Fr. Cannon obtained the pews and the altar from a parish he had previously founded in Farmer City.He chose to name the parish for St. Patrick, perhaps because many of his new parishioners were of Irish descent.  With 40 or 45 families in the new parish, parish life was off and running! The wooden church was dedicated on July 7, 1901; by the end of the week, plans for the permanent church had been selected.

On July 17, the parish held its first funeral, that of Thomas O’Brien, a brakeman on the Peoria Eastern Railroad.OnJuly 18, William Murnin and John Daly were shot in Urbana and later buried from St. Patrick’s.  Before the first month was up, Nellie Winifred Harty, daughter of Edward and Margaret (Smith) Harty,was baptized.The first wedding, of Nellie Hauersperger and James Mallady, was celebrated on October 9.  Plans for the permanent church and a rectory began immediately. The architect was George P. Stauduhar of Rock Island, who designed over 200 churches in the upper Mississippi valley.The cornerstone was laid on October 27, 1901. Beginning November 6, a 10-day fair was held to benefit the church fund. One unusual donation of $1000 was given with the stipulation that no bell be installed in the bell tower. (The donor lived across the street from the church and did not want to be awakened from his Sunday morning slumber by the ringing of bells!) The total cost of the church and rectory was $56,000. On the day of the dedication of the permanent church,May 24, 1903, only $12,000 of the original indebtedness remained. 

St. Cecilia stained glass in choir loft

Nick Britsky and the Risen Christ

The Baptism of Jesus, by Nick Britsky

The church windows are original; they give witness to the families that founded the parish.  One was given in memory of John Daly, whose funeral was mentioned above.Others bear the names of families still active in the parish.The window in the choir loft depicts St. Cecelia, patron of musicians.The six large windows portray St. John the Apostle, St. Patrick, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Jesus crowned with thorns, St.Anthony of Padua, and a Guardian Angel. Four narrow windows display Eucharistic images, and four display images of Jesus’ passion and death.The vesting sacristy in the SE corner of the church was originally the baptistry, as can be seen from the choice of images for its windows.  The Rising Christ in the sanctuary represents the suffering Christ victorious over sin anddeath. It was designed and crafted by parishioner Nicholas Britsky, Professor Emeritus of Art at the U. of I., who also created the artwork above the baptismal font and above the tabernacle, as well as the Marian shrine.The Stations of the Cross were painted by Chicago artist Richard Benda and obtained for St. Patrick’s by Fr.Gene Kane.  The building has seen many changes. In 1960 the floor was retiled, the walls painted, and new pews installed. In 1961 repairs were made following a small electrical fire that damaged the altar and one of the sacristies. In the mid-70s the renovation in observance of Vatican II principles was accomplished.  The altar facing the people and the matching ambo were installed, the statues from the sanctuary were moved to other locations in the church or removed, and the tabernacle was moved to its own space at the front of the church. In 2002, the church was refurbished inside from top to bottom as part of the parish’s centennial celebration. 

The time capsule in the cornerstone was opened in 2003, revealing artifacts of 1901 and a list of parishioners who contributed to the building of the church.The original time capsule, with all its original contents,was replaced in the cornerstone, and a new time capsule containing additional parish records and memorabilia was inserted in the space behind the stone on October 25, 2003.

St. Patrick is currently on the cusp of a large expansion project.  Please click on the center icon below for more information.

Click photo above  to learn more about our church expansion and read Father Joe's latest update.