St. Margaret of Scotland Church at 99th and Throop
Street was established in 1874 to serve Catholic families living in
Washington Heights, which was then a suburb of Chicago. From 1874 to
1892, two priests from St. Benedict Church in Blue Island, Illinois cared
for the small congregation at Washington Heights: Reverend Bruno
Reiss, OSB (1874-1876) and Reverend Otto Huber, OSB (1876-1892).
This parish covered the area bounded by 87th Street to
119th Street and from State Street west to Worth and Oak Lawn townships.
Over the years, the following parishes, in whole or in part, were created
from the original territory of St. Margaret of Scotland Church: St.
Catherine of Genoa (1894); St. Kilian (1905); St. Barnabas (1924); St.
Ethelreda (1926); St. Christina (1926); St. Cajetan (1927); Christ the King
(1936); Holy Name of Mary (1940); and St. Helena of the Cross (1946).
For years, Mass was celebrated in the convent chapel
of the Academy of Our Lady (Longwood). The parish was then known as
Sacred Heart. On November 1, 1874, the School Sisters of Notre Dame
opened a parish school in conjunction with their boarding school for girls
at Longwood. Although St. Margaret later became a large Irish parish,
the majority of its original members hailed from Prussia, Westphalia,
Luxembourg, and Bavaria.
In 1891, Rev. William M. Foley,
an assistant at Holy Rosary Church, established a mission at 102nd
and Parnell Avenue in Fernwood.
Reverend Stewart P. McDonnell was
named pastor of the Church of the Sacred Heart on April 28, 1892. On
June 18, 1893, Archbishop Patrick A. Feehan confirmed children of this
parish and dedicated the frame church which had been built in Fernwood.
According to The New World
the new church “will be known as St. Margaret’s. Rev. S.
P. McDonnell has charge of this mission and also the church of the Sacred
Heart at Longwood. The church at Fernwood is a handsome frame
building, with a seating capacity of about three hundred.”
When the railroad shops in
Fernwood closed, Catholic families relocated in Washington Heights.
About 1894, the frame church of St. Margaret at 101st and Union
Avenue was rolled across the prairie to the present parish site at 99th and
Throop Street, which had been donated by the Singler family.
Father McDonnell changed the
parish name from Sacred Heart to St. Margaret and he directed the
construction of a large frame combination church-school building. The
old church was moved onto Throop Street where it served as a parish hall
until 1928, when it was torn down. The present rectory was constructed
in 1916 at 9837 S. Throop Street.
Father McDonnell resigned his
post in 1917. He died on Oct. 21, 1937 at the age of 80.
On June 8, 1917, Rev. Timothy J.
Hurley was named pastor of St. Margaret Church. He came to Washington
Heights from Wilton Center, IL, where he had been pastor of St. Patrick
Church (now in the Joliet diocese).
The Catholic population in nearby
Beverly Hills and Morgan Park had grown to such an extent that in 1924
Father Hurley was appointed to organize St. Barnabas Church at 101st
Place and Longwood Drive. In September 1924, Reverend Henry W.
McGuire, an assistant at Holy Cross Church in Woodlawn, was named pastor.
He coordinated plans for the golden jubilee of St. Margaret of Scotland
parish, which was celebrated on November 23, 1924. According to The
New World, dated
October 31, 1924, a three night social and bazaar was to be held prior to
the jubilee celebration. The Masses on two of the jubilee days were to
be celebrated by the former pastors of the parish. Parishioners also
arranged for the meeting of the old settlers as well as new parishioners.
At the time of the golden jubilee, the school had about 600 students taught
by 10 School Sisters of Notre Dame.
To meet the needs of this
fast-growing parish, plans were drawn up for a new church. The old
combination church-school building was moved east of the corner lot, and
ground was broken at the northeast corner of 99th and Throop
Street for the present St. Margaret Church. The church is Gothic
style, cruciform in plan, and has a seating capacity of 1,004. Built
at a cost of $250,000, it was dedicated by Cardinal Mundelein on June 3,
1928. See
Church Building for more information about our
beautiful church.
Father McGuire was named a
Domestic Prelate with the title Right Reverend Monsignor in 1946. He
died on October 21, 1948 at the age of 67.
In December 1948, Reverend Henry
J. Walsh, former pastor of St. Mary Church in Riverside, Illinois, began his
tenure as pastor. Under his leadership, a school addition was built
and the present modern convent was constructed in 1951 at 1209 West 98th
Street. Father Walsh died on May 11, 1958 at the age of 61.
In January 1959, Reverend Paul A.
Traut was named pastor. Prior to this assignment, he had served as
pastor of St. Patrick Church in Lemont, Illinois. In addition to
supporting cultural and athletic activities, Father Traut worked to make the
parish school one of the finest in the city. Father Traut was named
pastor emeritus in 1971.
Enrollment in St. Margaret of
Scotland school peaked at around 1,600 students in 1961. For the
period 1953 through 1969, enrollment averaged almost 1,300 students.
Reverend Robert S. Brodfuehrer
served as administrator of the parish from January 1971 until September 23,
1971, when he was appointed pastor. In December 1976, he was named
pastor of St. Francis Borgia Church on the far northwest side of Chicago.
Reverend Daniel J. Mallette, a
former pastor of Visitation Church, has been pastor since March 9, 1977.
St. Margaret of Scotland currently serves families who live in the following
area: 91st Street from the Penn Central railroad tracks at
Beverly Avenue to Halsted Street; Halsted Street south to the Dan Ryan
Expressway at 99th Street; 99th Street west to
Peoria Street; Peoria Street south to 103rd Street; 103rd
Street west to Sangamon Street; Sangamon Street south to 107th
Street; 107th Street west to Beverly Avenue; and Beverly Avenue
northwest to 91st Street.
The School Sisters of Notre Dame
continue to serve St. Margaret of Scotland parish, a commitment that has
endured for more than 100 years.
Website created and monitored by
Jenn Collins
Copyright 2004 St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Chicago IL
except where otherwise credited.
