Our New Parish
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The Roman Catholic Parish of Saints Peter and Lambert
A new Roman Catholic Parish of the Archdiocese of Chicago. We are located in Skokie, a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Our new combined Parish is the result of the merging of two adjacent Catholic parishes of St. Peter and St. Lambert all located in Skokie, Illinois. This is under the Archdiocese of Chicago's Renew My Church vision and strategic plan of Cardinal Blase Joseph Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago.
Our Parish Family
Our Saints Peter and Lambert Parishioners is a diverse group of people, coming together as a parish family to live their faith in "Proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord".
If you are new to the faith, want to return to the faith or a visitor from other town, we are eager to meet you and your family. The best time to visit us at St. Lambert is on Sunday, at the 10:00 am Holy Mass and stay for our "Coffee hour". (Temporarily Suspended)
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Our Churches
St. Peter, the West Campus ChurchThe St. Peter Church, is our West Campus Church located at heart of downtown Skokie at 8116 Niles Center Road Skokie, Illinois 60076. The West Campus buiding complex is composed of four main structures. The main chruch, the rectory, and several anciliary structures. Parking spaces are adequate for all parishioners and visitors on side streets but especially onsite with designated parking for handicapped.
Holy Masses are celebrated at the main church and in the chapel.
The cemetery is on the east of the church across the Niles Center Road.History
St. Peter Parish was founded in May of 1869 at the request of sixty-five Catholic families - mostly Germans and Luxembourgers - who lived in the area then know as Niles Center. Before 1869 Niles Center was a mission of St. Joseph Church in Gross Point, Illinois.
Peter and Magdalena Blameuser donated six acres of land for the construction of a Catholic church, parish, house and school. Four acres were also included for use as a cemetery.
The first church original building was a wooden frame structure which faced west toward what is now Lincoln Avenue, built at a cost of $3,536. Official records for St. Peter’s Catholic Church began in early 1869. The initial entry in the parish books noted the baptism, on January 25, 1869, of John Joseph Witt and the first mass in the new building was celebrated on May 6, 1869. Designed by Chicago architect Henry Schlacks in Gothic Revival style, current brick structure in 1894, replaced the old frame building. It incorporated eight trees into its support system for the vaulted ceiling*. The present Church, located at the junction of Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center Road and Brown Street, facing the direction of Martin “Scotty” Krier Plaza, 1 block South of the church, in the heart of downtown Skokie.
The St. Peter Catholic Church, considered as on the earliest churches in the area, was designated as a historical site by the Skokie Bicentennial Committee in 1976.
St. Peter Catholic School was built in 1873 at the fork where Lincoln Avenue and Niles Center Road meet, but later moved north to make way for the current church building.** St. Peter Catholic School has a peak enrollment of more than 1200 students. However, in June 2015, after 147 years, Saint Peter Catholic School closed its doors for good due to demographics shifts, falling enrollment and financial challenges.
St. Peter Catholic Cemetery —Located just east of St. Peter Church. Chartered in 1869, the cemetery is filled with many of Niles Centre’s early settlers. The cemetery land was donated by Peter Blameuser and his brother Eberhard. Some of the graves of Niles Centre pioneers that can be seen from the street are: Paroubek, Blameuser, Muno, and Gabel. Many tombstone inscriptions are written in German since many of the Village’s early settlers immigrated from Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and other middle European countries.**
Article sources: *Skokie: A Centenial History, **Skokie’s Historic Bike Tour, Complete Cetenial History of the Village of Skokie
St. Lambert, the East Campus ChurchThe St. Lambert Church, is our East Campus Church. Its physical location is at 8148 N. Karlov Avenue, Skokie, Illinois 60076, USA. The East Campus buiding complex is composed of three main structures. The chruch, the south building and the rectory, all interconnected by a covered walk or by a hallway. Parking spaces are adequate for all parishioners and visitors both onsite and on side streets with designated parking for handicapped.
Holy Masses are celebrated at the main church, confessionals and side chapel are also located there and the handicapped elevator to access Trainor Hall (basement) as well. Classrooms, Youth Billiard Room and Robert Hall is on the south building.
St. Lambert Church is wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair access to main church, and ground floor of the South building is thru South side entrance by the handicaped parking area, while using the elevator in going to the basement (Trainor Hall) is thru the exit door on right when facing the altar.
History
For a complete History of St. Lambert Church , CLICK on the books below.
Our St. Lambert Church
- The Stained Glass Windows
The images below are St. Lambert Church's stained glass windows by the artist Gabriel Loire of Chartres.
Loire (1904 – Dec 25, 1996) was a French stained glass artist of the twentieth century whose extensive works, portraying various persons or historical scenes, appear in many venues around the world. He founded the Loire Studio in Chartres, France which continues to produce stained glass windows.
Loire was a leader in the modern use of "slab glass" (French: dalle de verre), which is much thicker and stronger than the stained glass technique of the Middle Ages. The figures in his windows are mostly Impressionistic in style.The Stained Glass Window pictures below courtesy of St. Lambert 60th Anniversary Souvenir Book Committee.
Facade Stained Glass viewed partially from inside the church. Clockwise from left: Carrying the Cross; Tomb; Ascension; Crucifixion
Stained Glass Windows. From left to right: The Birth of Jesus, Christ as Judge, Christ Blessing Skokie
From left to right: Christian Education, Christian Marriage, Good Samaritan
From left to right: Martyrdom of St. Lambert, St. Maria Goretti, Mother of Mercy
From left to right: Pius X and The Holy Eucharist, Prodigal Son
- The Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Our East Campus Church, St. Lambert Church became the home of this beautiful Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help by Fr. Anthony Brankin, in 2014. Fr. Brankin is a Catholic priest, a friend and classamte of Fr. Richard Simon, former pastor of St. Lambert.
A weekly (perpetual) Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help is scheduled every Wednesday after the 5:00 pm evening Mass and Holy Mass is celebrated every first Wednesday of each month and during the Feast Day Celebration in June at the St. Lambert Campus. Novena at St. Peter Church, West Campus is every Wednesday after the 8:15 am Holy Mass.
If you are searching for the complete history of St. Lambert Church in Skokie, IL. visit the "Dedication of St. Lambert" and/or "Our 60th Year" pages.
if you want visit our church, please CLICK HERE.