| Catechism
classes began in the fall of 1966, although Father Riordan expected to
start a school when the church was built. Father Riordan lived at
the Our Lady of the Ridge rectory until November 1966, when the
Archdiocese purchased a three bedroom home, with a finished recreation
room. The home, at 11741 S. Tripp, in the heart of the Alsip
residential area was to be used as a temporary rectory. The
parishioners were of course delighted when their pastor moved in.
By January 1967, Father Riordan had begun to celebrate daily mass at
6:30 and 8:45 AM in the rectory until the new church could be completed.
The recreation room in the rectory also served as a sort of office for
sacramental records, when not in use as a chapel. The room also
served as the "nerve center" of the pledge drive during the months of
fundraising. In 1967, 7 1/4 acres of the parish land was sold to School District 126 for construction of Prairie Junior High School. The resulting funds helped offset the cost of the new parish. Meanwhile, C.C.D. classes were moved to Marist High School, and the Women's Guild was formed. James Cronin was hired in 1968 as architect of the planned Church and Religious Education Center. The church was designed without a "crying" room (sound proof room for parents with small children or infants) because Father Riordan insisted that children be welcomed as part of the congregation. The plans were approved by Cardinal Cody in 1969. However, Father Riordan was quite disappointed that the Cardinal had decided that St. Terrence was to be the first parish in the Archdiocese to be established without a school. With sufficient money raised, on a warm, sunny Memorial Day in May 1969 ground breaking ceremonies took place at 119th and Kostner, and the first boggy shovelful of St. Terrence earth was turned over. The cornerstone was laid on a cloudy day in November with caissons sunk deep into the ground to firm up the foundation in the rather boggy soil. August 1970 saw the first services at the new parish. Two weddings were performed despite the lack of pews and carpeting. The first Director of Music and Organist (Thomas Tufo) played and sang for the first time at the 10:30 AM mass on Sunday Sept. 27th. At that time, catechetical instruction, which had been held at Marist High School moved to the Religious Education Center, serving 1100 youngsters. By the time the Church was ready for dedication in March 1971, the parish had grown to 1300 families. By 1974, the parish had continued growth to 1900 families. That year a glass enclosure was built at the church entrance to keep the harsh winter winds from entering the building. The Church and CCD Center were entirely paid for by May 1975. During the 1970's, the parish grew steadily as parishioners joined in activities ranging from teaching CCD to singing in the choir. In 1983, Father Riordan, having miraculously survived a battle with cancer, reached the Archdiocese mandatory retirement age of 70 and turned the reins over to Father William Lyons as the new pastor of St. Terrence. ....... To be Continued.................. |