Catholics attended their first Mass in La Grange on November 1, 1890, at the home of Dr. George M. Fox.  At the time, Fox lived at 60 South Fifth Avenue. Reverend James W. Hagan celebrated the Mass. Two weeks before, he had received a letter from the Archbishop of Chicago appointing him pastor and ordering him to form a congregation in "that place." No Catholic church, school, or parish house existed in La Grange at the time and the new parish had no name.  The Archbishop simply referred to it as "that place."

Although nameless, the parish possessed clear boundaries, extending from Roosevelt Road on the north to Joliet Road on the south, and from the Des Plaines River on the east to the Belmont Road station of the CB&Q on the west.  La Grange had a population of 1,500 in 1890, and 94 Catholic families in the area traveled by horse cart, sleigh, and train to Saint Mary's Church in Lyons.

For the first 18 months after Saint Francis Xavier Church organized, services were held in the La Grange Club on Sixth between Harris and Burlington.

In 1891, Franklin Cossitt donated land for church and rectory buildings on the southwest corner of Spring Avenue and Ogden Avenue.  It required less than a year to erect a 95-foot-long Gothic-style frame structure with a stone basement.  A 100-foot-high bell tower rose from the northeast corner from which a melodious bell rang each day. The tower stood as a daily challenge to boys (and a few girls) who prided themselves on their climbing ability.  The church boasted 23 stained glass windows. A beautiful fresco was painted on the ceiling by an Italian artist, a friend of Father Hagan.  Three chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

Saint Francis Xavier Church built in 1892.  Photo from La Grange Centennial History 1879-1979.

On June 5, 1892, a special train from Chicago carried the Archbishop, priests, and other interested people to the dedication of the first Catholic church in La Grange. Women wearing bustles and men in stovepipe hats watched or participated in a procession from the depot to the church.

The church and village deeply felt the lose of Father Hagan in 1903.  Nearly a hundred priests participated in services for him.  The Village of La Grange and all business closed during the Father Hagan's funeral.

Photos above and below from La Grange Centennial History 1879-1979

The tall, articulate Hagan was succeeded by Father Joseph A. Bollman.

Fund-raising for construction became a major effort. 

• Father Bollman oversaw card parties, food sales, and "refined" vaudeville performances in 1916-17 held to raise funds school construction.  Card players gathered at the homes of parishioners and paid 35 cents for score cards.
• The ladies of Saint Francis Xavier arranged programs of dancing, singing, and music in the church hall. 

The parish dream came true in 1917 with completion of a $35,000 red-brick school on Ogden and Waiola, adjoining the church.

In 1928 Saint Francis Xavier outgrew its facilities and began planning for a new church. Old-timers watched with sadness as the old building came down, but children hunted in the wreckage for imaginary treasures -- jewel-like fragments of colored glass. The Great Depression made these a difficult time to raise funds.  Father John Nawn, third pastor of Saint Francis Xavier, had to ask parishioners for money in a time of severe depression.  Many pledges could not be fulfilled.  Despite problems, a new church costing $400,000 reached completion on October 17, 1930. Dedication ceremonies took place on June 14, 1931.

In 1936, the parish still owed $350,000 on the church. To raise more money, Saint Francis Xavier built and raffled a lovely Mount Vernon-style house at 345 Maiden in 1941. The project netted $54,266.

The parish celebrated its Golden Jubilee on June 2, 1940 with a Military Field Mass on the grounds of Our Lady of Bethlehem School in Nazareth Park. That year, the congregation numbered 587 families or 1,800 parishioners, and 304 children in the Saint Francis elementary school.

After working for ten years, Father William J. O'Brien made the final payment on the debt in 1946.

The years 1940 to 1960 saw large expansions in membership, school facilities, and "daughter" churches. From 1947 to 1962, new churches formed within the original parish boundaries included:

• Divine Infant (Westchester)
• Divine Providence (Westchester)
• Visitation (Elmhurst)
• Mater Christi (North Riverside)
• Notre Dame (Clarendon Hills)
• Saint Mary (Clarendon Hills)
• Saint Louise de Marillac (La Grange Park)
• Saint John of the Cross (Western Springs)
• Saint Scholastica in Woodridge

(Prior to this, other churches had been established in Downers Grove (2), Brookfield, Lyons, Hinsdale, and Westmont.).

Part of the congregation established Saint Cletus in La Grange in 1951.

Despite these boundary reductions, Saint Francis Xavier parishioners in 1960 totaled 1,212 families or 4,562 people. By 1965, the congregation grew to 1,410 families or 5,341 parishioners. This decreased the 1,350 families or 5,000 people in 1977 when Reverend Pierce J. Joyce served as pastor.

Several sources were used in the compilation of these entries including but not limited to:

• Images of America -- La Grange and La Grange Park, Illinois by RoseAnna and Robert Mueller, Arcadia Publishing
• La Grange Centennial History 1879-1979, William J Cromie, Editor, La Grange Area Historical Society, 1979

Last Modified:  08/04/2002