Oak Lawn, IL

Presentation Presence from 1964-2005

“Four Presentation Sisters arrived in Chicago, Illinois, on August 11, 1964, to begin a new mission at St. Germaine Parish in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Sister Mary Philip Jasper was the superior, and her sisters were Sister Mary Emilie Bormann (councilor), Sister Mary Magdalen (Kay) Cota and Sister Richard Marie Kane.” This quote from the annals of the St. Germaine community describe the beginning of a new venture for the Dubuque Presentation Sisters, opening a school in a newly-established parish, their first new school east of the Mississippi. The sisters were met by the pastor, Father Walter Sheridan, who gave them the grand tour of the facilities.

St. Germaine parishioners came from a variety of national and cultural backgrounds. Some had arrived recently in the United States and retained their cultural heritages and languages. This was another first for the Dubuque sisters. Up to this time, they served in areas where national origins had become less important to the residents and accents were no longer noticeable.

Presentation presence in the parish of St. Germaine was to last from 1964 to 2005, and would encompass school and parish work. School opened on September 8, 1964, with an enrollment of 258 children in grades one through four. The staff consisted of four sisters, two lay teachers and assistant pastor, Father Anthony Clair, who taught some of the religion classes. Grades five and six were added in 1965, with grades seven and eight being added in 1966 and 1967 respectively. The church and school buildings were officially dedicated by Archbishop John Cody on May 22, 1966.

St. Germaine students initially occupied six rooms on the first floor of the building. Students from St. Linus Parish used seven classrooms on the second floor and the remaining three rooms accommodated the kindergarten students from McDonald Public School. As the number of St. Germaine students increased to include eight grades and an enrollment of 588, they eventually filled both floors of the building. The first eighth grade graduating class left St. Germaine to attend various local high schools in 1967.

For the first few years, the sisters lived several blocks from the school and commuted by car each day for classes. By 1971, a new convent was constructed on the school grounds, eliminating travel time and providing more convenient access to their classrooms. A total of 42 Presentation Sisters served in Oak Lawn, 41 in the school and one in parish ministry.

Two weather events were to impact the citizens of the Chicago area in January and April of 1967. January saw a blizzard which caused the dismissal of school for several days. While all in Oak Lawn remained safe throughout the event, many people were stranded in commuter trains for as long as 13 hours. All roads in and out of Chicago and its suburbs were closed. While students and teachers enjoyed a forced vacation, the situation caused much stress for everyone.

On April 2 of the same year, a tornado struck the Oak Lawn area, barely missing the school and convent. Collapsing buildings trapped a large number of residents, and numerous deaths were reported. A mixture of gratitude for their safety and grief over the loss of many lives occupied the emotions of the sisters for weeks afterward. The experience left many residents fearful of storms.

Presentation Sisters’ work in the school continued until 1998 when Sister Beth Driscoll was assigned to the initial formation program of the Presentation community in Dubuque. Meanwhile, Sister Sheila Ann Dougherty had begun parish ministry in 1995. She worked as RCIA director, served as a member of the spiritual growth team in the parish, coordinated schedules for lectors and Eucharistic ministers, ministered with prayer groups and served as spiritual director for several people in the area.

In 2005 Sister Sheila Ann was called to St. Jude Parish in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her leaving St. Germaine signaled the end of Presentation presence in the area.

The Presentation Room at the church remains as a reminder of the first teachers in the school. It features a mural of the Presentation Motherhouse and another of the St. Germaine school and church buildings.

Photo: Left to right: The first sisters to mission at St. Germaine: Sisters Mary Magdalen (Kay) Cota, Mary Philip Jasper and Mary Emilie Bormann. Not pictured is Sister Richard Marie Kane (Associate Carol Kane).