St. Bede Parish 1840 - 2003
The history of our St. Bede Parish goes back a long way. The mission of St. Mary of the Lake was established about 1838. Mass was being said in pioneer homes by Father Palais, a French priest who in 1840 founded St. Patrick's in McHenry and by a priest from Waukegan who visited the area occasionally.
A small log church was built in the Big Hollow area (around Rt. 12 and Rt. 134) and was in service until it was destroyed by a fire in 1879.
In 1871 about twenty-five pioneer families rebuilt St. Mary of the Lake with a white frame church on property donated by james Gavin. The site is now St. Bede's cemetery. It was serviced as a mission of St. Patrick's until 1906 and then as a mission of Wauconda until 1908 when it became a mission of Antioch. (The wrought iron arch over the cemetery gate remains from this church).
On May 24, 1928 Cardinal Mundelein wrote:
"I have divided the parish of St. Peter's, Antioch, Illinois and included in the limits of the newly-formed parish of St. Bede's the villages of Ingleside, Long Lake and Fox Lake region and have appointed you Pastor of that newly-formed parish."
The small church was enlarged to a capacity of about one hundred but during many summertime masses it could not accommodate everyone and many had to stand outside during mass.
In the fall of 1940 construction began on the present St. Bede Church. The cornerstone was laid on September 22, 1940 and the first mass was held on May 12, 1941. Cardinal Stritch, Archbishop of Chicago, was present for the dedication of the church on August 24, 1941. The cost of the new church was $86,000.
After World War II many families began to move to the Chain-O-Lakes area and St. Bede membership grew to over two hundred families. In August, 1953 Cardinal Stritch joined Father Coleman and parishioners to celebrate St. Bede's twenty-fifth anniversary.
Many of the furnishings of St. Bede came from parishioners' donations including the stained glass windows, the pipe organ in the choir loft, the statues of Mary and Joseph, St. Bede and St. Francis, Baptismal Font, Holy Water Fonts, marble statue of Mary in front of the Church and the Carillon as a memorial to the founding pastor Father Coleman.
The hand carved crucifix and reredos around the Altar of Repose came from St. Patrick Parish in McHenry, the shrines for Mary and Joseph are from an old church in Wilmot and the chandeliers from St. Columbkille's in Chicago.
The history of our St. Bede Parish goes back a long way. The mission of St. Mary of the Lake was established about 1838. Mass was being said in pioneer homes by Father Palais, a French priest who in 1840 founded St. Patrick's in McHenry and by a priest from Waukegan who visited the area occasionally.
A small log church was built in the Big Hollow area (around Rt. 12 and Rt. 134) and was in service until it was destroyed by a fire in 1879.
In 1871 about twenty-five pioneer families rebuilt St. Mary of the Lake with a white frame church on property donated by james Gavin. The site is now St. Bede's cemetery. It was serviced as a mission of St. Patrick's until 1906 and then as a mission of Wauconda until 1908 when it became a mission of Antioch. (The wrought iron arch over the cemetery gate remains from this church).
On May 24, 1928 Cardinal Mundelein wrote:
"I have divided the parish of St. Peter's, Antioch, Illinois and included in the limits of the newly-formed parish of St. Bede's the villages of Ingleside, Long Lake and Fox Lake region and have appointed you Pastor of that newly-formed parish."
The small church was enlarged to a capacity of about one hundred but during many summertime masses it could not accommodate everyone and many had to stand outside during mass.
In the fall of 1940 construction began on the present St. Bede Church. The cornerstone was laid on September 22, 1940 and the first mass was held on May 12, 1941. Cardinal Stritch, Archbishop of Chicago, was present for the dedication of the church on August 24, 1941. The cost of the new church was $86,000.
After World War II many families began to move to the Chain-O-Lakes area and St. Bede membership grew to over two hundred families. In August, 1953 Cardinal Stritch joined Father Coleman and parishioners to celebrate St. Bede's twenty-fifth anniversary.
Many of the furnishings of St. Bede came from parishioners' donations including the stained glass windows, the pipe organ in the choir loft, the statues of Mary and Joseph, St. Bede and St. Francis, Baptismal Font, Holy Water Fonts, marble statue of Mary in front of the Church and the Carillon as a memorial to the founding pastor Father Coleman.
The hand carved crucifix and reredos around the Altar of Repose came from St. Patrick Parish in McHenry, the shrines for Mary and Joseph are from an old church in Wilmot and the chandeliers from St. Columbkille's in Chicago.
In 2005, as the parish continued to grow, construction of a new faith Formation Center began. It was completed in 2008 and houses a Parish School and Religious Education Program. It is also used for many of ministries, meetings and social events that help St. Bede Parish maintain a community that reaches out to its parishioners and to the surrounding Lake County communities.
