110 – St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Word of Faith Christian Center
On a rare day that I had a cell-phone with me in the car, my wife called to ask where I was and if I got lost on the way to buy a gallon of milk. I said that I was below the bluff staring at this incredible church (that had obviously seen better days.)
Thanks to C.J. Summers, I can now identify it as the old St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, built in 1881, at the corner of Saratoga and McBean Streets, just off Harmon Highway.
It is currently called The Word Of Faith Christian Center.
Here is a portion of the text from Historic Peoria:
By 1861 just a few blocks away, the Irish/English speaking Catholics formed St. Patrick’s parish, and in 1863 they constructed a frame church on High Street (not today’s High St.) between Cedar and Linden Streets. This was in the general area near the old Webster School, a block south of today’s MacArthur Hwy. Continued growth led in 1880 to the construction of a large church at the corner of Saratoga and McBean Streets. Just after the building was completed, much of it was burned, and a new large brick structure was erected on the same site and dedicated in November of 1881. This site grew to a large complex including the church, a convent, and education facilities.
Declining population in the area during the 1960s and 1970s led to the consolidation of the St. Patrick and St. Joseph parishes into a new parish called St. Martin de Porres, headquartered at the former St. Joseph’s church on South Sheridan. The St. Patrick church was sold to the Miracle Life Cathedral in 1978. In 1980 the building went to the Pentecostal Temple Charismatic and in 1992 to the Word of Faith Christian Center. In 1998 substantial portions of the complex were involved in a large fire believed to have been arson.
December 7th, 2006 at 12:22 pm
St. Bernard’s Church??? Where I grew up and was married (hope I am right!!
December 8th, 2006 at 10:20 pm
C’mon guy’s, don’t leave her hanging!
December 9th, 2006 at 5:14 pm
The old St. Patrick’s?
December 9th, 2006 at 5:18 pm
What is the old St. Patrick’s?
December 11th, 2006 at 8:43 am
Rats… now I am going to have to drive by St. Bernards to see if I am right!
December 12th, 2006 at 10:52 am
CJ, you’re right. It is the “old St. Patrick’s”
Update will be forthcoming.
May 31st, 2010 at 7:51 pm
that my old church pastor leroy davis
November 6th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
My grandmother grew up on McBean street a few doors down from “St. Pats” She married my grandfather in the church in 1946.
February 22nd, 2011 at 3:28 pm
Definitely St. Patrick’s. This was one of the first churches, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen served as an assistant before he went on to bigger and better things. He visited here quite often. The School Sister of Notre Dame taught at the school and lived in the convent located behind the church (see brick building behind church). The rectory for the priests was next to the church and looks like it is now gone. Beside the rectory was an alleyway and then St. Patrick’s Elementary (eight grades) was next. Behind the school were the basketball courts for the boys and hopscotch area for the girls. With dimes donated by the school children, a large building behind the school was built (it the “center”) and dances and plays could be held there instead of going to Trewyne. The inside of the church was filled with light gray marble with large white marble columns. Also two large angels stood beside the columns. A statue of Our Lady and one of St. Patrick flanked the altar which was in the front. Above the altar was a high dome ceiling. Twelve stations of the cross jutted out high from the sides of the church (six on each side) with three-dimensional scenes. At the front of the altar was the marble rail where people knelt to receive Holy Communion during Mass. There were rows and rows of pews facing the altar. A hughly polished choir loft was in the back of the church with beautiful wood steps led up to from the vestry. The church organ in the loft soared with lifting music as children sang with heavenly praise. In the one corner of the back vestry was a statue of St. Teresa of the Little Flower with all the red candles in front of her where special prayers were offered. Yes, this was definitely St. Patrick’s Church.