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History of St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish

Early in 1957, the Catholic people of the Ranch Manor District of Oak Lawn petitioned the Eminance Samuel Cardinal Stritch for a church and school in their area.  On June 26, 1957, Reverend John M. Kane was appointed to establish a new parish.  On August 21, 1957, St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish was established and canonically erected.

Brother Rice High School was the site of Sunday Masses until the church was built.  Daly Mass, Confessions, Baptisms, Lenten Devotion and consultation were held in the basement of the temporary rectory at 4107 West 107th Street.  The men in the parish helped build a beautiful chapel and office in the basement.  The first parish census in September of 1957 reported 367 families.

The ground breaking ceremony was held on January 19, 1958 for the church and the eight room school.  These buildings were dedicated on November 23, 1958 by Bishop Raymond Hilliger.  In 1960, 12 additional classrooms and the convent were built.  The permanent rectory and an addition to the convent were constructed in 1968.  Air conditioning was installed in the church in 1972.  Our beautiful church was refurbished and re-dedicated on May 3, 1974 by Bishop William McManus.

In 1978, Father Kane became our Pastor Emeritus.  Father George McKenna became our pastor, followed by Father Joseph O'Brien in 1982 and Father William Lion in 1989.  Our current pastor is Father Patrick Henry, joining our parish family in 2001.

Our parish now consists of over 2200 familes and we are sure that it will continue to grow and change.  As part of our thirtieth anniversary in 1988, the Alexandria Center was constructed.  The building houses a gym, an auditorium, a deluxe kitchen and meetings rooms, which provide facilities for our athletic programs and parish social functions.