A movement to establish a Catholic parish in Palatine began in the nineteen twenties, when Palatine experienced a post-World War I boom. At this period in time, Palatine Catholics worshipped mostly at St. James Parish in Arlington Heights. The movement was progressing well, and then, along came the Great DepressionStill committed to having a parish closer to their homes, in the early months of 1930 a group of those involved in the movement canvassed the town of Palatine and outlying farms, acquainting Catholics with a plan for a new parish. Twenty-five Catholic families responded and donated amounts of $5.00 and $10.00.

 A few were able to give $25.00, a large sum for those times. The Palatine business community generously gave a large contribution so that a sum of $1,243.50 was raised.

The old village hall on Slade Street was rented and the second floor remodeled by these parishioners. On Sunday, April 6, 1930, the little congregation climbed the winding stairway of the ancient structure to attend its first Mass there. This beginning parish was known as the St. Theresa Mission, a mission church of St. James Parish. 

St. Theresa Mission Becomes St. Theresa Parish

  As the full force of the Depression descended on Palatine and its residents, the small congregation continued to worship in its upper room. St. Theresa now numbered 75 families. Unemployment, foreclosed mortgages and lost homes contributed to a decline in church revenues. An inspection of the old village hall, however, showed it to be a terrible fire trap, and the building was condemned and scheduled for demolition. Ready or not, the parish was forced to build a new church.

      A lot at the corner of west Wood and Bothwell Streets had been chosen by the Chancery Office of the Archdiocese. A unique fund-raiser was established. A plat of the lot was drawn up and ruled into 1,936 squares, each square representing a square yard of ground. The Squares on the plat were sold for $1.00 each, and the buyers' names were written in the squares. The plat was then enclosed in the cornerstone of the new church.

      Ground was broken for the new church in June, 1941. The dedication and first Mass were held on November 2, just a month and five days before Pearl Harbor. Father William Murray was appointed its pastor and St. Theresa Mission became St. Theresa Parish.

      In a program book marking the dedication of this first permanent Catholic Church in the village of Palatine, Avery V. Wolfrum, Sr. wrote of this occasion:

Here is our parish church. It is a means by which we may mount to heaven. In it is the altar, the gateway to grace, where we come into the immediate presence of the living God. In this church will be unfolded to us the story of Catholic faith and practice. Here will be lived the intimate moments of our spiritual life. Here, then, on this happy occasion, we rededicate ourselves to unity and to harmony in a great and unselfish labor for the greater honor and glory of God.

Our Parish History