(from The New World, February 12, 1993, p. 8:)

Cardinal: St. Rocco Parish to remain closed

Regarding the status of the former St. Rocco Parish, Chicago Heights, closed in August, 1990, the Archdiocese of Chicago has released the following statement, dated at the Office of the Chancellor Feb. 12, 1993:

The Archdiocese of Chicago has repeated the process of consultation as required by church law and, in light of the advice given by the council of priests, Cardinal Bernardin decided that St. Rocco Parish in Chicago Heights will remain closed.

   St. Rocco Parish had been closed by the archdiocese in 1990, but after an appeal by some parishioners, the Vatican's Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura issued a decision on Sept. 22, 1992, indicating there had been a procedural defect in the process of the prior consultation with the council of priests, known as the Presbyteral Council.    Due to this procedural error, the Vatican decision ordered St. Rocco Parish restored to the status which it enjoyed before it was closed.  At the time of its closure in 1990, St. Rocco was part of a planning process for the parishes in the Chicago Heights area.

   After reviewing his options under church law, Cardinal Bernardin concluded that he would not contest the decision of the Vatican Tribunal. In coming to this conclusion, however, he emphasized that he considered the decision to be the result of a serious misunderstanding.

   Since the Vatican decision addressed only the procedure and not the substance of the decision to close the parish, Cardinal Bernardin returned to the Presbyteral Council to consult with it according to revised procedures and hear its advice anew concerning the status of the parish.

   This meeting, which took place Friday, Dec. 11, 1992, resulted in a unanimous vote (40-0-0), advising the cardinal  to close the parish.  The cardinal  took this recommendation under advisement.  After meeting with representatives of the former St. Rocco Parish, the cardinal  decided to affirm the decision to close the parish.

   St. Rocco Parish was established in 1905 as a national parish for Italian immigrants.  Changing demographicss in recent years indicated that a special parish was no longer needed in Chicago Heights for Italian immigrants.

   For the larger Chicago Heights area, the 1990 census reported a 17 percent increase in the Hispanic population in the area durng the 1980s, while the white, non-Hispanic population decreased by 20 percent during the same period (1980-1990).  In the immediate area around St. Rocco church, the Hispanic population increased by 21 percent  while the white, non-Hispanic populations decreased by 20 percent.

   An average  of 661 parishioners participated at the five scheduled weekend Masses at St. Rocco Parish during the last two years of operation.  Fewer than 100 of these attended the one scheduled bilingual Mass in Italian and English.

   Three parishes remain open in Chicago Heights:   St. Agnes, St. Kieran and St. Paul.  One, St. Paul Parish, is less than one-half mile from the former St. Rocco church.

   The 1990 U.S. census shows a total of 11,454 residents in this immediate area.  The area of most parishes in the city are home to 10,000 to 15,000 persons, while in the suburbs, most parishes are set in areas that have 15,000 to 20,000 residents.  Consequently, to maintain two parishes--St. Rocco and St. Paul--in the immediate area would not provide an equitable distribution of available financial resources and personnel.