PORTAGE PARK — The four Far Northwest Side Catholic churches whose schools are set to be merged will begin the process of coming "together as a community" at a series of masses scheduled for the coming months, church officials said.
St. Cornelius, Our Lady of Victory, St. Pascal and St. Tarcissus schools will be consolidated into one school over the next year, with the new school opening in fall 2016-17, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago.
In an Easter message to the four parishes, Archbishop Blase Cupich said the merger is needed to preserve Catholic education in an era of declining enrollment and massive budget deficits.
While planning meetings are underway, many of the details of the new school have yet to be determined, including where the school will be located, the number of campuses it will have and how it will be administered.
Each parish will a host a mass and reception during the next few months, "inviting all our school families to come together as a community."
The masses will take place at:
• 10:30 a.m. April 26 at Our Lady of Victory, 5212 W. Agatite Ave.
• 11 a.m. May 31 at St. Cornelius, 5205 N. Lieb Ave.
• 11:30 a.m. Aug. 30 at St. Tarcissus, 6040 N. Ardmore Ave.
• 4 p.m. Sept. 12 at St. Pascal, 3935 N. Melvina Ave.
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