QUARTERLY NEWSL .ETTER OF THE CLER IC S OF SAI NT VIATOR Volumel, Number 1
s pr i ng 1995
F A I T H
New CSV Presence: Springfield's Southeast Side _ _ _ _ __ I
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Itwas the vision of Father Louis Ouerbes, founder of the Clerics of St. Viator, to offer the gilt of a good education, built upon a foundation of Christian values, to those children most in need of it. His vision found new expression in the Summer of 1994, when the Chicago Province, at the invitation of Bishop Daniel Ryan of Springfield, illinois, accepted the administration of St. Patrick's Parish on th~ southeast side of Springfield Father john Eck, then ministering in Springfield as an assistant pastor at St. joseph's parish, and chaplain of St. John's Hospital, and already known in that city for his commitment to social justice, was appointed the first Viatorian pastor. In addition to parish and chaplaincy work, john comes to this appointment with a background in high school teaching and counseling, experience at several levels of our formation program, and nearly ten years of teaching and counseling at the Prologue School, an alternative school, founded by Franciscan Sisters, serving Chicago's racially, cultural ly and economically diverse uptown neighborhood. In Springfield, john is active with the Social Concerns Committee of the Springfield Diocese, and its task force on racism.
Saint Patrick's Church originally served a large segmental Springfield's Irish and German population, but the past fifty years has seen the southeast section of the city become, for the most part, a racially segregated and economically deprived black neighborhood. Today, only two hundred and thirty families are registered, nearly all of whom are white.
Letter from the ProvindaJ _ __
The grade school, staffed by the Springfield Dominican Sisters (whose services are freely contributed), is attended by eighty-two children, about 70% of them black, and few of them Catholic. Some of the children
March 1995
have left the public school system because of discipline problems, or because they needed more individual attention than was available there; others have opted for the valuesoriented education offered by St. Patrick's. Working together with his newly-formed parish council, john has articulated a mission statement which describes the primary goal of the parish as one of EVANGELIZATION The parish family seeks to reach out to those hurt members who have left the church, offering them love and reconciliation; it reaches out to the unchurched of the community, offering the
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Dear Friends of the Viatorians, Greetings and welcome to this second issue of VIATOR. It is a pleasure and a privilege to share some of our Viatorian story with you I hope that you find this quarterly newsletter a useful way to stay in touch with our Community. As I said in the first issue of VIATOR, we strive to remain true to a common mission and vision to proclaim the Gospel by faith and actions. This issue continues to tell that story, featuring new efforts at evangelization in the Springfield region. You will also see a special feature on Father Phil Clifford, a Senior Viatorian who spent many years of ministry in Las Vegas, Kankakee, Springfield and the Chicago area. I hope you enjoy this story of a truly dedicated Viatorian. Our initial efforts at reaching the thousands of you who have been touched by the Viatorians have been very well received. Many of you responded and asked for further information on the Community and on individual Viatorians. We would like to hear your comments and suggestions, so please feel free to write. Finally, please know that you remain in the prayers of all the Viatorians. As I have often said, you are and always will be our partners in faith Through this newsletter, we hope to keep you involved in that partnership. Thank you for the support and encouragement that you give to our Viatorian community. Sincerely,
~ ;11. t,&lN! , csv Robert M. Egan, CSV Provincial