Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Parish in Glenview, Illinois, is a large and active Roman Catholic community founded in 1907. Around 2,000 people gather for worship each weekend, and approximately 3,000 families belong to a parish that grew from 18 local families and one dedicated church building. OLPH is known for the scale of its worship life, its education and music ministries, and service reaching Glenview families as well as four inner-city sharing parishes. Its mission is to live out the Gospel of Jesus as a family of believers in Christ who strive to live according to his teachings.
Six Sunday Masses and a Full Weekday Schedule
The parish worships in both the main church and McDonnell Hall, giving families and longtime parishioners several ways to gather for Mass.
- Monday through Friday: 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Mass in the church.
- Saturday: 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Mass in the church.
- Sunday: 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., noon, and 5:00 p.m. Mass.
- Sunday Family Mass: 9:30 a.m. in McDonnell Hall.
The Rosary is prayed communally in the Lady Chapel after the 8:30 a.m. Mass from Monday through Saturday. Friday is centered on Eucharistic Adoration, with exposition at 9:00 a.m., followed by the Rosary and silent adoration. At 3:00 p.m., the Divine Mercy Holy Hour begins with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Stations of the Cross, concluding with Benediction by 4:00 p.m. Reconciliation is offered on Saturdays from 4:00 to 4:45 p.m.
Both worship spaces have wheelchair access through an outside ramp and elevator. Assistive listening devices are available for those who are hard of hearing, with greeters ready to help visitors borrow and return the equipment.
From Eighteen Families on Grove Street
The parish's story begins in the early 1900s, when Glenview belonged to the mission served by St. Joseph Parish in Grosse Pointe, now Wilmette. Priests traveled from Grosse Pointe to minister to the community. In 1907, 18 local families and Fr. William Netstraeter joined to establish the Mission of St. Joseph and build the first church on the present site. Mrs. William Hutchings donated the property at the southeast corner of Lake Street, now Grove Street, and Church Street. The building was completed in 1907 and dedicated on All Saints Day, November 1.
Fr. John Vattman renamed the parish Our Lady of Perpetual Help in 1915. Fr. Martin C. Schmidt became its first resident pastor in 1919. He acquired land east of the Chicago River's West Branch for a school and convent, and the river's course was moved about 300 feet to accommodate the growing parish. The first school, the Lexington Building south of the church, was administered by the Sisters of Charity of Mallinkrodt from 1919 to 1932. The School Sisters of St. Francis then assumed the school, with Sister M. Modesta serving as the first Franciscan principal.
After Fr. Schmidt retired in 1931, Fr. John J. Dussman led the parish from 1934 until 1971. His vision and energy were credited with retiring parish debt, building the present parish complex, and establishing OLPH as a large and strong Catholic community. Fr. Myles P. McDonnell took over in 1971. Under his leadership, the principles of the Second Vatican Council took root as parishioners assumed more active leadership roles. He established the School Board and, with parishioners, created the Sharing Program. Fr. John E. Flavin served from 1989 to 2007, followed by Fr. Thomas Hickey and then Fr. Jeremiah Boland in 2014.
One Catholic Community, Many Ways to Belong
OLPH's mission shaped a long process of parish renewal. In 2016, more than 50 parishioners took part in a 14-week Archdiocesan Parish Transformation workshop. Their work identified two continuing priorities: Communio, making OLPH a more welcoming and nurturing community of faith, and Catechesis, deepening understanding of the Catholic faith. The parish describes this work as a continual call for renewal, with each person and the parish as a whole pursuing the call.
The seven sacraments have a prominent place in parish life. OLPH provides Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and Funerals, while the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults supports adults joining the Catholic faith. Baptism at OLPH is a ceremony rather than a Mass and is generally held at 2:00 p.m. on most Sundays. Preparation sessions usually take place on the third Thursday of each month, and the parish welcomes non-parishioner families.
Learning From the First School to SPRED
Religious Education serves parish families with children in kindergarten through eighth grade who do not attend OLPH School. Its approach combines classroom faith formation, guided formation at home, sacramental preparation, family faith events, service opportunities, parish experiences, and leadership roles for families, catechists, and the wider parish community.
OLPH School continues the educational tradition established with the Lexington Building. The School Sisters of St. Francis still teach at the parish, and the school is supported by a board, parent club, and advisory council. A preschool is also part of OLPH's educational ministry, with parish volunteers serving as teacher aides.
Special Religious Development, or SPRED, welcomes children and adults with developmental disabilities. Started at OLPH in January 2000 with one Monday group, the ministry now has two groups meeting on Monday or Wednesday evenings for children ages 6 to 10. Its process uses clay, sand, paint, flowers, water, musical instruments, and photographs of nature to help participants recognize their bond with others, creation, and all life. Each gathering moves from creative preparation into a circle for the proclamation of God's word, discussion of the evening's symbol, music, a shared Agape feast, and a closing prayer.
Youth Ministry seeks to engage current and rising high school students through worship and service, with students invited to share their gifts in parish life. Adult formation is equally broad: evOLve presents speakers and scholars for continuing education, Christ Renews His Parish offers weekend renewals for men and women, Faith Sharing Groups provide small-group discussion, and Scripture Study welcomes participants into ten-week studies with morning, evening, and online options.
Adult Festival Choir and Music for Every Generation
Music occupies a central place in OLPH worship. The parish sees music as a way to help worshippers draw closer to God, move the assembly toward singing, and serve through shared gifts of song and instruments.
- Adult Festival Choir: Sings at the 9:00 a.m. Sunday Mass through the first week of June, as well as for holidays and special occasions. All singers are welcome.
- 10:30 Mass Ensemble: Sings at the 10:30 a.m. Mass throughout the year. Singers are welcome, while instrumentalists are encouraged to audition.
- Teen and Young Adult Ensemble: Serves approximately once a month at the Saturday 5:00 p.m. or Sunday 10:30 a.m. Mass, depending on availability. Students from seventh grade through young adulthood may participate without an audition for singers; instrumentalists audition.
- Children's Choir: Usually sings once a month at the 9:00 or 10:30 a.m. Mass from October through Mother's Day, with additional appearances at Christmas Eve and Easter. Children in grades 1 through 7 are welcome.
Choir rehearsals are generally held on Tuesday evenings, with separate times for children, teens, and adults. Cantors are drawn from the choirs and trained for assignments, while a Schola Cantorum of cantors periodically serves the Saturday 5:00 p.m. Mass. OLPH also maintains an online homily archive, daily rosary material, prior Mass recordings, devotions, historical videos, and music concerts. Parish video material is also carried by the OLPH YouTube channel and Vimeo.
Devotion has its own place in the parish week. In addition to the daily Rosary and Friday Adoration, the First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the First Saturday Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary are held at 9:00 a.m. in the Lady Chapel. The Way gathers the Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration, Hearts Afire, mornings of reflection, and spiritual outings under a simpler approach designed for wider participation.
Women’s Guilds, Men’s Fellowship, and Stepping Out Together
The Women's Club has brought women together since 1939. With nearly 900 members divided among 37 guilds, the club combines large-scale parish involvement with smaller communities. Each guild holds up to 30 members, has a guild leader, and meets monthly in a relaxed setting for faith, service, social, and fundraising activities. The Women's Club is the parish's largest contributor to the General Offertory.
Its service opportunities include meals for seniors, blood drives, emergency brown-bag meals, shelter casseroles, diaper and pajama drives, food and school-supply collections, and support for students and families. The club also organizes social gatherings, parish raffles, holiday events, dances, and seasonal sales.
The Men's Club has been part of OLPH for more than 40 years and is open to parish men age 18 and older without membership fees or annual dues. It meets on the first Monday of each month and supports Catholic education, classroom technology, after-school clubs, the Religious Education program, athletics, youth ministry, and parish funds. Its basketball ministry has run for more than 50 years, with divisions for players 40 and younger and those 41 and older.
Stepping Out Together offers a different kind of community for adults who are solo. Open to men and women from age 21 to 121, the group combines spiritual and social activities with active outings, educational events, restaurants, theater, sports, and hiking.
Food, Clothing, Shelter, and Personal Care
Service is a defining expression of OLPH's faith. The Sharing Ministry works with people in the local community and four inner-city sharing parishes: St. Sabina, St. James, St. Philip Neri, and Our Lady of Tepeyac. Its work is guided by the Corporal Works of Mercy: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and those in prison, and caring for the dead.
Food is collected year-round for the food pantries of the four sharing parishes. The parish also gathers canned hams before Easter and frozen turkeys before Thanksgiving. Families can assemble brown-bag meals with tuna or chicken salad, crackers, trail mix, peanut butter or cheese, juice, dried fruit, fruit cups, applesauce, and other shelf-stable foods. Other volunteers prepare fresh and frozen meals or deliver food to people who are hungry.
Clothing and household goods are accepted year-round at the Sharing Resource Center. Guilds also organize laundry and sleeping-bag drives. Project Hope helps homeless families move into apartments and then seek employment, while Befriend-a-Family connects donors with local and sharing-parish families for meal support around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. The Needy Family Fund, led for more than 30 years by Sister Paulanne, has answered the needs of local families facing financial crisis.
Other ministries turn time and skill into practical care. Knit for Life meets twice a month in Hickey Hall to make extra-warm blankets for people who are homeless, children, and seniors; hats and scarves for those in need; prayer shawls for hospice patients; and blankets, washcloths, and soap for babies. Project Linus meets on the last Wednesday of each month to collect new children's blankets. Ministries of Care bring the Eucharist to parishioners confined to their homes, hospitals, or nursing homes, and provide prayerful support to parishioners and their families. The Bereavement Ministry helps with preparation of a meaningful funeral liturgy, attendance at wakes and services, and caring follow-up during the first year of bereavement.
The Respect Life Ministry promotes the dignity and sanctity of every human life from conception until natural death. It meets at 9:00 a.m. in the South Vestibule on the first Wednesday of each month. Online giving supports parish life, schools, religious education, archdiocesan initiatives, and outreach through GiveCentral.
Welcoming Visitors and Serving at the Table
OLPH trains many parishioners to help the assembly worship and to welcome those who arrive. Greeters and ushers welcome visitors, assist new members, help with collections, and support people who need an accessible environment. Families may volunteer together, and training is provided for weekend Masses.
Altar servers from grades 4 through 8, as well as young people from other area schools, assist the presider, carry the cross and candles in procession, and help highlight the ceremony and ritual of Mass. Required training and refresher sessions prepare new servers.
Readers proclaim the Scriptures, lead the general intercessions, and read announcements, typically serving about once every four weeks. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion distribute the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass. The Liturgical Art and Environment Committee brings together floral arranging, sewing, plant care, writing, and other creative work to reflect the liturgical seasons and parish celebrations.
Finding OLPH at 1775 Grove Street
The parish is at 1775 Grove Street in Glenview. A directions and campus map identifies the church, parish center, McDonnell Hall, Lady Chapel, school, and other buildings. Routes from the north, downtown Chicago, the north shore, western suburbs, and O'Hare Airport lead travelers to Waukegan Road, or Illinois Route 43, before the turn onto Grove Street.
The parish office telephone number is 847-729-1525. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday. OLPH School is also part of the Glenview campus, with its own telephone line at 847-724-6990.
A Parish Still Growing in Glenview
From a 1907 church built by 18 families, Our Lady of Perpetual Help has grown into a parish of roughly 3,000 families with six Sunday Masses, daily prayer, Catholic education from preschool through adult formation, choirs for every age, and dozens of ministries. The same emphasis found in its first years remains visible in the life of the parish: Sunday worship, education in faith, service to families, and care for people who are sick, grieving, hungry, or without shelter. At 1775 Grove Street, OLPH remains a large Catholic community built around shared worship and service to Glenview and beyond.