Ascension-St. Susanna Catholic Church

Early Parish History

1891-1893

Before the official Ascension church was established, those of the Catholic faith worshipped as a small group. During this early period, the group did not have an official church building for Mass or other church services. Instead, they often utilized store buildings and the old Harvey Land Association building.

The women of the mission organized the Altar and Rosary Society which dedicated itself to arranging the locations for the Masses and all kinds of maintenance work for the Church such as cleaning, making and washing the linens, and providing flowers for the altars.

1894-1895

By this time, the community established its first church building on the corner of 150th and Myrtle Avenue under Father Foley, and was officially named “Ascension.” By 1895, the church held its first communion and confirmation classes.

1899

Ascension’s first resident pastor, J. B. Feeley, was dubbed the “good father” for his wise and homely virtues and direction that helped build up and nurture the new church.

[An image of Ascension Church's baptism records from 1899-1915 taken from Chicago Catholic Church records on Family Search]

1901

Negotiations for a new church began and a plot of land was purchased on the corner of 153rd and Myrtle Avenue.

Around this time, the church formed a Men’s Club known as the Columbus Circle, and its first choir with the help of a Riverdale parochial teacher, Miss Theresa Flick.

[A map of Harvey around 1899-1901, pulled from the United States Geological Survey's TopoView]

1910-1914

As the parish continued to grow and expand, the education of Catholic children became increasingly necessary. In October 1910, Reverend George T. McCarthy began planning the development of the Columbus School. The old frame church was moved to the back of the lot, placed on a brick foundation, and remodeled to suit the needs of a school.

In the summer of 1913, Reverend George T. McCarthy visited the Mother House of the Sisters of St. Dominic in Adrian, Michigan, to request teachers to staff the school. The Order accepted his request, and Mother Camilla of the Order sent four nuns to assist Father McCarthy–Sister Ida, Constance, De Paul, and Winifred.

The school was finally opened about a month later on the corner of 153rd Street, to the rear of the Ascension Church. During this time, the first and third floors of the school became classrooms for the students, while the second floor became the convent where the nuns stayed.

The first graduating class in 1914 consisted of six students. The school’s enrollment was small but grew steadily over the years.

1917

Father McCarthy left with many of the young men in the parish to join the Army during WWI, and served as a chaplain.

Reverend William D. O’Brien followed after him and guided the parish during the war, between 1918 to 1921.

[First photo of Reverend McCarthy from "A Greater Love" (1920) by Reverend George T. McCarthy]

[Second photo of Reverend William D. O'Brien from Ascension Church's 1894-1944 Golden Jubilee Booklet]

1926-1927

In 1926 under Reverend Philip Furlong, the parish planned the development of a new school to replace Columbus due to the growing student population. In June of 1927, the Ascension School, on 153rd and Vine Avenue, was finally dedicated, and the first graduating class consisted of 25 students. The old Columbus school building, on 153rd and Myrtle, was repurposed and used as a convent for the nuns.

1943

Reverend Edward Holloway creates a kindergarten program in Ascension. The first kindergarten class was made up of 30 children. For many years, it was the only kindergarten available in the community.

[Photo of Reverend Holloway from Ascension Church's 1894-1944 Golden Jubilee booklet]

Middle to Late Parish History

1944

According to Ascension's 1894-1944 Golden Jubilee booklet, in 1944, Ascension held various clubs and organizations such as the Ascension Parish Holy Name Society, the Ascension Parish Woman’s Club, and the Ascension Parish Red Cross Unit.

The book states that the Holy Name Society’s membership was at 209 men whose purpose was “To honor the most holy name of Jesus” and to attend “regular communion with the society.”

The Parish Women’s Club numbered 602 women, and the Ascension Red Cross Unit’s membership reached 30 women. They worked over 5,424 hours and produced 32, 890 surgical dressings, and sewed 315 garments for the wartime effort.

[First photograph is of Ascension Church at Myrtle and 153rd taken from A History of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago (1980) by Harry C. Koenig]

[Second photograph is of Ascension Church's main altar taken from Ascension's 1894-1944 Golden Jubilee Booklet]

1947-1957

Reverend James E. Shevlin succeeded Father Holloway in 1947, and brought more improvements to the church with him. During his tenure as pastor of Ascension, Father Shevlin served as chaplain of the Harvey Fire Department.

In 1949, under the guidance of Father Shevlin, a new rectory was built adjacent to the church on Myrtle Avenue. In 1953, Ascension parishioners began a fundraising campaign through carnivals, raffles and other methods to raise funds for a new and more modern living quarters for the Adrian Dominican nuns. The new convent was completed in 1957 on Vine Avenue (north end of the church property).

[Photograph is of Reverend James E. Shevlin taken from A History of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago (1980) by Harry C. Koenig]

1969-1981

In 1969, the Parish’s School Board sponsored many fundraising events and activities to try to keep Ascension School open with an all lay faculty.

Father Shevlin is named pastor emeritus in 1972 and continued to live in Harvey and the South Suburbs until his passing on September of 1981

Since 1913, after 62 years of service to Ascension, the Adrian Dominican nuns announce in 1975 that they can no longer staff the school

The demographics of the area began to shift significantly around this time. Although the parish population was still predominantly white, the student body was predominantly black, and about half of the students were not Catholic. By 1975, out of the 229 children, 85% of them were black and 15% were white.

In 1977, the Ascension and St. Susanna parishes were integrated to form Ascension-St. Susanna, under the guidance of St. Susanna’s Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The classes are held in the former Ascension school (153rd and Vine Ave)

[First photograph is of Ascension school taken from the Ascension-St. Susanna Grade School Facebook Group]

[Second photograph is of St. Susanna Church taken from A History of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago (1980) by Harry C. Koenig]

1987-2002

Ascension-St. Susanna stopped operating in the building on 153rd Street, and the students were absorbed into St. John the Baptist in 1987, which was later closed in 2002.

[A photograph of St. John the Baptist Church taken from A History of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago (1980) by Harry C. Koenig]

2023

The City of Harvey purchases the abandoned Ascension-St. Susanna school building for government purposes, it is likely to be used for stormwater management.

[The abandoned Ascension-St. Susanna building in the present day]

Citations:

Haines, Walter, and Alec C. Kerr. “Religion.” History: The City of Harvey, 1890-1962, First National Bank in Harvey, Harvey, IL, 1962, pp. 122–125.

Haines, Walter, and Alec C. Kerr. “History of Education.” History: The City of Harvey, 1890-1962, First National Bank in Harvey, Harvey , IL, 1962, pp. 85–86.

Koenig, Harry C. “Ascension Church.” A History of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago , vol. 2, Archdiocese of Chicago , Chicago , IL, 1980, pp. 1215–1219.

"Illinois, Chicago, Catholic Church Records, 1833-1925," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-63LQ-KY7?cc=1452409&wc=M662-5NT%3A39536001%2C39536002 : 20 May 2014), Ascension Parish (Harvey) > Baptisms 1899-1915 > image 2 of 70; Catholic Church parishes, Chicago Diocese, Chicago.

Dunne , Maureen, and Kristin McKee. “Breaking down the Proposed Harvey Central Park Project.” Harvey World Herald , 3 June 2024.

Davis, Amethyst J. “Meeting Recap: City Council Approves Purchase of Vacant Ascension-St. Susanna Catholic Church Facility.” Harvey World Herald, 6 Feb. 2023.

Golden Jubilee: 1894-1944. Ascension Church, 1944.

“Calumet, Illinois 1901.” topoView, U.S. Geological Survey. https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#15/41.6116/-87.6477

C, Russ. “Rev Fr George T McCarthy (1873-1942) - Find A Grave.” Find a Grave, 19 Nov. 2012, www.findagrave.com/memorial/100945866/george_t-mccarthy.

Written by Alondra Hernandez, Intern for the Harvey Historical Society

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