When was it founded: 1945
Where is it located: 700 South Meier Road
Has it moved: No
First Pastor or Priest: James Prendergast
History and interesting stories about the church:
Established in 1945, Saint Cecilia’s was not fortunate enough to have its own house of worship. As a result, Sunday masses were held at Forest View High School; while, the Rectory chapel at 2009 West Scott Terrace observed daily masses, confessions, and baptisms. The first priest assigned to the church was Father James Prendergast who, as the church grew in June 1968, received assistance from Father William Barry. A church was eventually built to house Saint Cecilia’s congregation and it was dedicated for use on November 22, 1970. While the building was sufficient for the church at that time, as the years passed, as the congregation grew, it was no longer able to fulfill the church’s various needs. Recognizing this fact in 1996, Father Daniel Brady, Saint Cecilia’s third priest, spearheaded the campaign to expand the church building by roughly 6000 squared feet to incorporate multi-purpose rooms, restrooms, and music rooms. Also, plans were drawn to expand the parish hall by 8100 squared feet in order to provide more space for the church’s 1600 families. The expansion plans were approved, and a year later construction had stopped, the extensions were complete. Around that same time, in 1997, Fathers Sonny Rivera and Sam Cunningham began to lead weekly masses in Spanish in an effort to reach the growing Hispanic community in Mount Prospect as well as to develop a relationship with Hispanic Roman Catholics.