Mission and Vision: A People Set on Fire by the Spirit
St. Raymond de Peñafort Parish sits on the edge of downtown Mount Prospect, Illinois, with its church at Lincoln Street and Elmhurst Avenue and its Parish Ministry Center a short walk away at 301 South I-Oka Avenue. The parish takes its motto from its patron, the medieval Dominican canon lawyer Raymond of Penyafort, and lives by two short sentences that greet visitors at the entrance to its communications: "Rejoicing in God's love for us. Sharing God's love with all."
That framing shapes everything the parish does. Its stated vision is "to become a people set on fire with the Holy Spirit going joyfully into the world to bring the love of Jesus Christ to all." Members describe themselves as missionary disciples in their homes, in the church, and throughout their community, following Paul's image in Galatians of a community that is enlightened by the Spirit, gathered by the Spirit, and called by the Spirit. From that mission flow five Sunday-related liturgies, a thirteen-hour weekly adoration, an active K-8 school, multiple choirs, a Racial Justice Learning Group, a backpack food program, and a partnership with neighboring St. Mark Lutheran Church.
Mass, Reconciliation, and a Thirteen-Hour Adoration
The rhythms of parish life center on the Eucharist. Daily Mass is offered Monday through Friday at 8:30 a.m., with the Rosary prayed in the pews beforehand and the Mass itself livestreamed starting at 8:00 a.m. On Holy Days and other liturgical days, the daily Mass shifts to 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. with no other daily Mass that day. The Saturday Vigil Mass is celebrated at 5:00 p.m., and Sunday Masses are offered at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., with the 11:00 liturgy livestreamed on the parish YouTube channel. Several times a year, a Sunday Evening Mass is added at 5:30 p.m., with the teens of the parish taking leading roles.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard every Saturday from 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. in the church; visitors are asked to enter through the front doors on South Elmhurst Avenue. A small liturgical note from the parish: anyone needing a special host should let a member of the Welcome Team know, and the Eucharistic Minister stationed by the stained-glass windows will coordinate it.
Across the street, the chapel - entered through door #27 on West Lincoln Street - hosts Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament every Monday for thirteen continuous hours, from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. The same chapel is open for private prayer Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., giving the parish an almost round-the-clock rhythm of prayer through the week.
Five Choirs, One Music Ministry
Music Director Brian Fife oversees a Music Ministry that fills the church with voices and instruments of all ages. The flagship group is the Parish Choir, which supports the 11:00 a.m. liturgy each week from early September through Pentecost, singing at Christmas, Holy Week, and Easter as well. Rehearsals take place on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., and new members can join at any time.
A Part-time Choir sings and plays once a month at the Saturday 5:00 p.m. Mass, rehearsing on the Thursday night before. Volunteer instrumentalists - guitar, bass, drums, flute, saxophone, violin, cello, and others - audition with Fife and lend much of what parishioners describe as the unique "sound" of St. Raymond's liturgies. For younger voices, the Children's Choir welcomes students in grades two through six, rehearsing on designated Monday afternoons from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. and usually singing on the first Sunday of the month at 11:00 a.m. Older students in grades four through six can be mentored into cantoring. The Teen Choir, open to students in grades seven through twelve, leads a once-monthly Sunday evening Mass, rehearsing on Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m. and singing Christmas Eve at the 5:00 p.m. Mass.
All adult musicians complete Virtus training and comply with the Archdiocese's Protecting God's Children requirements within three months of joining.
Sunday Evening Mass: A Teen-Led Liturgy
Several Sundays a year the parish trades its usual Mass schedule for a youth-led Sunday Evening Mass at 5:30 p.m. Lectors, musicians, altar servers, greeters, ushers, and Eucharistic Ministers are all drawn from the teen and young adult community. Coordinators - listed on the parish's ministry pages - welcome new participants for each scheduled evening.
Formation: School, Religious Education, OCIA, and Vacation Bible School
St. Raymond School is a parish Catholic school serving Pre-K through eighth grade, drawing from St. Raymond families and surrounding districts 57 and 214. The Reverend Robert J. Loftus Endowment and Scholarship Fund, created in 1987 and held in the parish's name, has provided more than $2.1 million in need-based tuition support over its lifetime and awarded over 1,100 scholarships to roughly 670 families.
For parish children attending other schools, St. Raymond Religious Education meets through the school year, with Director of Lifelong Faith Formation Sharon Moeykens overseeing sacramental preparation and ongoing faith formation. Those preparing to become Catholic join OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, meeting at the Parish Ministry Office at 301 South I-Oka; Deacon Dave Babczak coordinates the journey.
Each summer the parish runs a Vacation Bible School for children ages Pre-K4 through fifth grade, held in the parish gym. Mornings run from 9:00 a.m. to noon across one early-July week, with six rotating stations: Games, Bible Stories, Sticky Scripture, Music, Crafts and Experiments, and Snacks. Registration includes both an online form and a PayPal payment, and teen and adult volunteers carry the program.
Union School for Interfaith Families
One of the parish's distinctive offerings is the Union School for Interfaith Families, founded in 2005 and hosted on the St. Raymond campus. Twice a month on Sunday mornings from September through May, children in kindergarten through eighth grade attend from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., studying a curriculum originally created for the Chicago Interfaith Family School at Old St. Patrick's. While the children are in class, parents take part in adult education on interfaith family life; a babysitting room is available for younger siblings. Supplementary material prepares older students for First Communion, and Hebrew classes are offered to students in third grade and up. The program is designed to complement, not replace, regular participation in either Jewish or Catholic worship.
Men of St. Raymond: Service, Brotherhood, and Retreats
Men of St. Raymond, sometimes called RayMen, is open to men over 21 and organizes its calendar around three themes. Social events include in-person sports, TV watch parties, golf, a Bags and Brews tournament, cookouts, and card nights. Service activities assist with parish events such as Vacation Bible School, the Monster Mash Halloween event, and Breakfast with Santa, and stretch outward to Feed My Starving Children. Spiritual formation is woven through the men's retreats, scripture discussions, and small groups that the parish already hosts: Mornings for Men (in by 8, out by 11), the Saturday Sunrise Scripture Group that meets in Coggins Hall from 6:00 to 7:30 a.m., the MAC - Men of Action and Contemplation - group, and Christ Renews His Parish, a weekend retreat experience that has been part of the parish since 1981.
Women of St. Raymond, Faith Sharing, and MomsPlus
Women of St. Raymond was organized in 1982 to serve the social welfare and spiritual interests of its members and the needs of the parish. The group meets monthly from September through June, hosts guest speakers, group trips, and crafting nights, and sponsors parish charities each month - including the Backpack Ministry, Catholic Charities toy drives, VBS, and WINGS. Prayer Shawl Ministry, the heart-shaped pillows made for heart and cancer patients, and the weekly care of altar linens all fall under its umbrella.
Two faith-sharing groups offer something different. The Faith Sharing Groups are open to women eighteen and up, gathering for prayer and scripture study with no preparation required. The Women's Spirituality Circles are smaller groups of twelve to eighteen women who meet once a month to reflect on their own spiritual journeys through a guided resource book. Gathering of Women, a twice-yearly Saturday morning retreat with Mass, continental breakfast, and a guest speaker, draws about 120 women to each session.
For mothers, MomsPlus welcomes women of any age or stage - first-time moms with newborns, moms of school-aged kids, and parents of teens - with regular gatherings and an email list run by Emily Bridges and Emily Seymour.
Racial Justice Learning Group
The parish's Racial Justice Ministry, coordinated by Laura Strybel, hosts a once-a-month Racial Justice Learning Group on Monday evenings from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. via Google Meet. The group works through monthly topics, gathers handouts and slide presentations on a shared Google page, and circulates a regular newsletter. Visitors sign up through a Google Form to receive the link and discussion materials.
Outreach: Backpacks, PADS, and the Wider Food Network
Human Concerns, a parish commission, coordinates St. Raymond's reach beyond the parish campus. Its longest-running effort is the Backpack Ministry, which prepares boxes of food for students in Districts 59 and 26, supported entirely by monetary donations and SCRIP gift cards so that school administrators can choose the safest delivery method. St. Raymond also partners with PADS for the Homeless, and the parish maintains a Bereavement Ministry that supports families through funeral liturgy preparation, wake services, and committal, with on-call ministers serving two-week rotations. Ministers of Care visit homebound parishioners, those in nursing homes, and those in local hospitals after training at the deanery level.
Because food insecurity is a steady concern in the surrounding suburbs, St. Raymond publishes a detailed Food Pantry Information page that walks visitors through the Village of Mount Prospect Human Services pantry, Community Solutions of Illinois, the Kid's Pantry at Christian Life Church, SS. Thomas Becket and St. Alphonsus Liguori in Prospect Heights, Wheeling Township, and Elk Grove Township, complete with addresses, hours, eligibility, and the documentation each pantry requires.
An Ecumenical Covenant with St. Mark Lutheran
St. Raymond's Ecumenical Ministry - the St. Mark / St. Raymond ministry - fosters the relationship with neighboring St. Mark Lutheran Church. A shared covenant was first signed in 1999 and renewed in 2010, and the two congregations continue to mark that bond with joint activities under the coordination of Kymm Recht.
Parish Leadership and Stewardship
The Parish Pastoral Council, chaired by Rob King, advises the pastor on pastoral strategy and acts as the primary consultative body for the parish's growth and mission. The Parish Finance Council, chaired by Tim McDermott with members including Fr. Jerry Jacob, Fr. Raymond Grieshaber, Chuck Hemler, Karen Manczko, Eric Palm, Dennis Saviano, and Director of Operations Gregg Slatkay, reviews budgets and staffing levels, oversees the Fundraising and Parish Partnership Commission, and keeps an eye on capital projects through its Maintenance and Capital Projects Commission.
Parish operations run through the Parish Ministry Center at 301 South I-Oka Avenue, open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (closed for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00), Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The parish accepts contributions through Give Central, direct debit, stock gifts, IRA gifts, and the SCRIP program, and offers traditional envelopes for those who prefer them. Kathy Nuelle, the Development and Engagement Coordinator, walks new parishioners through registration and serves as the parish's first point of contact for families joining St. Raymond.