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Former St. Juliana Pastor Phillip Dressler Dead At 80

By Heather Cherone | May 27, 2016 1:51pm | Updated on May 31, 2016 6:56am
 Phillip Dressler, 80, died Thursday at the St. Juliana rectory, a statement from the church said.
Phillip Dressler, 80, died Thursday at the St. Juliana rectory, a statement from the church said.
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St. Juliana

EDISON PARK — The Rev. Phillip Dressler, a former pastor of St. Juliana Church in Edison Park, died Thursday, church officials announced.

Dressler, 80, was resting in the rectory at the Edison Park church, 7200 N. Oceola Ave., when he died Thursday afternoon, according to a statement on the church's website.

Dressler served as pastor of St. Juliana from 1995 to 2005, when he retired after 44 years as a priest.

The Rev. Steve Kanonik, St. Juliana's former pastor, remember Dressler as someone who loved Christmas.

"Phil was a man with a big heart who could be extremely generous," Kanonik said in a statement. "He was often very caring for people who were hurting especially those struggling with issues of faith. But he also had some very strong opinions about what it means to be a Church and what it means to be a priest, and he was never shy about sharing his opinions."

Friends also recalled Dressler's love of golf.

During his tenure as pastor, Dressler established a parish pastoral council and finance council to guide the church, and he also introduced the Christ Renews His Parish program

After his retirement, he continued to live at St. Juliana and serve as the parish's pastor emeritus.

A wake for Dressler will take place from 3-9 p.m. Thursday at St. Juliana and a funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday, church officials said.

Dressler was also pastor of Queen of Angels Church in Lincoln Square from 1985-95. He was pastor of Immaculate Conception Church from 1979-85.

Dressler is survived by a brother, Joseph Dressler.

In July, the Rev. James Wallace will take over as pastor of St. Juliana after serving as the associate pastor at Mary Seat of Wisdom Church in Park Ridge.

Wallace will replace Kanonik who stepped down as pastor of St. Juliana in June 2015 to accept the position as moderator of the curia for the Archdiocese of Chicago, which places him in charge of the archdiocese's day-to-day operations.

The Rev. Robert Beaven, who retired in 2012 after serving as the pastor of St. Benedict Church in North Center, has led St. Juliana during the past year as the parish's administrator.

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