While the steady growth of SS. John and Paul Church in Franklin Park in the past decade simply may correspond to the population increase in the North Hills, the parish's pastor thinks there may be more to the equation.
“People tend to move in and out of the community, but we always have a net gain of several families joining the parish every month,” said the Rev. Joseph McCaffrey. “People tell me that this a special place because it is such a welcoming and vibrant church that is very child and family friendly.”
When McCaffrey arrived at the church in 2002, there were 1,500 families. Now there are 2,600 — a 73.3 percent increase.
Between 1990 and 2015, Franklin Park's population has grown 42.6 percent, from 10,109 people to 14,415, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The parish was founded in 1994 with 600 families who gathered for Mass in an office conference room. Large holiday celebrations were held at Marshall Middle School.
McCaffrey was preceded by the Rev. Daniel DiNardo, who later became archbishop of Galveston-Houston and was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI.
One of McCaffrey's missions was to complete DiNardo's plans for a permanent church. A multi-purpose building opened in 1996, and the new church was completed in 2010.
Plans now are in the works for a pavilion where parishioners and groups can gather outdoors.
“One of the reasons we want to build a pavilion is that the topography of our campus and the requirement for so much parking do not lend themselves to outdoor gatherings,” McCaffrey said. While Mass won't be celebrated outdoors, The 1,600-square-foot pavilion will be used for prayer services, recitation of the rosary and meeting space for organizations such as Scouts and men's and women's groups, the pastor said. The lower level of the pavilion will have storage space.
“We'd also like to hold our parish picnics there,” McCaffrey said, adding past events have involved taking items to and from North Park. ”The pavilion will be near the parish hall, which has a kitchen, so we'll have the flexibility to have activities using both the indoor and outdoor spaces.”
Work on the estimated $350,000 project, being funded through the diocese's Church Alive Campaign, is expected to begin later this year.
Travis Kreidler of Desmone Architects in Lawrenceville, which designed the church, said the pavilion will use similar red brick and sandstone. The timber-framed structure also will have a tongue-and-groove wood ceiling and a roof covered in clay tile, also used for the church.
The church has unique architectural features including a Byzantine-style image known as Our Lady of the Column, modeled after the Madonna and Child in the central nave of the old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. McCaffrey said visitors often attend Mass at SS. John and Paul because they're curious about the building.
“It's certainly a unique structure,” he said. “But once they experience the community of people here, they realize there truly is a true desire to put our faith in action.”
Discipleship is taught at a young age through programs such as summer outreach camp, where children take part in activities such as growing vegetables that are used in meals for the homeless or donated to a food bank, said Jen Katzfey, the parish's outreach coordinator.
Katzfey said she and her husband, Joe, who moved to Pine from Arizona, joined SS. John and Paul, in part, because of its atmosphere.
“We were used to a more upbeat environment when we first moved here, but many of the churches here are more traditional,” she said.
“When we joined our children we're also just starting their faith formation, so we wanted them to have a strong foundation. SS. John and Paul has such an upbeat environment and there are a lot of children.”
Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-772-6368 or tlarussa@tribweb.com.
