Mark Kotlick was praying for reconstruction to finish by the end of Lent on March 31, the take-out spot’s busiest season. But he needs a few more weeks to order custom-made refrigerators and deli counters.
"When you shut down Sacred Heart, the fear is: Are they shutting down Black Catholics?" one member says. For decades, the the church preserved an identity as a home for Black Catholics that some fear will be lost under the Diocese of Joliet's church consolidation plans.
Billboards celebrating birthdays have proliferated across the country since the pandemic lockdown. People who design and sell the ads pin the boom on the availability of digital billboards that allow shorter, less-expensive purchases.
Renovations are underway on the former Our Lady Of Lourdes school building. Parishioners were upset by the sale and worry about the fate of the church across the street.