The pastor at St. Celestine Catholic Church has been selected to lead the new parish that will combine the Elmwood Park church and St. Cyprian Catholic Church in River Grove.
The Rev. Paul Cao will begin the role on July 1, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago. It is one of several changes involving the churches as part of the archdiocese’s Renew My Church program.
Also, the archdiocese reported that the Rev. Darrio Boscutti, currently the pastor at St. Cyprian, will be appointed pastor of St. Edna Catholic Church in Arlington Heights. Previously, it was revealed that St. Cyprian’s school would be closing at the end of the current school year.
Part of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Renew My Church program seeks to examine whether Catholic schools in the area are seen as viable entities based on revenue and enrollment. This review of schools and churches would determine whether they would remain open, merge with others or close.
The soon-to-be-united parish that combines St. Cyprian and St. Celestine also will receive a new name, which will be determined by Cardinal Blase Cupich.
Jose Martinez, the president of the school board at St. Cyprian School, was upset that Boscutti would soon be leaving the River Grove church.
“I think it’s a shame that St. Cyprian will lose its identity and that Father Darrio is not staying involved in the community,” he said. “We’re not going to reap the benefits of having him in our community.”
Martinez said his two daughters, who currently attend St. Cyprian’s school, will not be attending school at the new combined parish. Instead, he said, they will be attending St. John Vianney Catholic School in Northlake, and he said his family will become parishioners at St. John Vianney. He said he is disappointed that his children cannot finish their elementary school experience at St. Cyprian or have Boscutti as their pastor.
“Father Darrio understands how we drive moral, ethical and spiritual well-being into the kids that we coach in the community,” he said. “River Grove residents and St. Cyprian parishioners are going to be the ones that lose — again.”
In a bulletin posted on the St. Edna website, it was announced that Boscutti will be the parish’s sixth pastor. It also stated that the next few months “will be a time of difficult transition” for both Boscutti and the St. Cyprian community and asked to “keep him and his parishioners at St. Cyprian’s in your prayers.”
Colleen Burzynski, who graduated from St. Cyprian School in 2003, said she’s also feeling the loss of the school closing and the parishes uniting. She said that because St. Celestine has not lost staff members and its pastor, “in my opinion, it’s not really a true merge.”
The Rev. Jason Malave, who is Cardinal Cupich’s liaison for Renew My Church, said the program has “three powerful imperatives.” Malave said the first goal is to make sure that those who call themselves disciples of Jesus should share their relationship with other people. The second is to build communities, and the third to inspire witness.
“There’s a reconstruction renewal for uniting St. Celestine and St. Cyprian,” he said. “This is a real opportunity to grow with our Catholic brothers and sisters.”
The Rev. Cao said when he first learned about his upcoming assignment, he felt overwhelmed. However, he said he feels that although change is not always easy, it can be exciting.
“Our two parishes will work together to form more vital resources and ministry,” he said.
He said Pope Francis has called Catholics to renew parts of their lives, including their faith and churches.
“St. Cyprian is still here, and now there are more options,” he said.
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Maryann Pisano is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.