ROCHELLE—Following years of research and compilation, the history of St. Patrick Parish, here, is now in print.
Father William Schuessler, parochial administrator at the parish, announced that the book, “A History of St. Patrick Catholic Church, Rochelle, Illinois, 1856-2012,” is available for sale at the Parish Center on Kelley Drive.
“This is a limited edition book,” said Father Schuessler, “only 200 printed copies were ordered and already more than half are sold.”
Formatted into nine chapters, the 396-page, hard-cover book is numbered, contains more than 400 photographs. Each chapter covers a different aspect of parish history, including the four church buildings, biographical sketches of each pastor, the parochial school, parish life and events, three mission churches, the cemetery, and more.
Chapters are indexed to facilitate look-ups for the many Rochelle families associated with the parish through its long history. Readers may be drawn to parochial school history, beginning with the 1908 “Wooden Pants” School.
St. Patrick parishioner Ray Schwartz has compiled a well-documented history from more than 10,000 newspapers which were combed for articles, from old Sunday bulletins and newsletters, and from interviews of numerous parishioners.
The books are available for $29.95 per copy, payable to St. Patrick Catholic Church. Shipping and handling are additional for mail orders.
Info: 815/562-2370.