ST MONICA HISTORY
Those who have fallen in love with and grown with St. Monica Parish of Carpentersville can tell many
The humble beginnings were laid down by Fr. John Reagan, who was the pastor of St. Catherine Church
The Besinger Association built the subdivision of Meadowdale, which later acquired a new name as
We hope that many will find God’s altar at St. Monica Church. In charity and goodwill, the parish
Blending Our Past, Present and Future
wonderful stories blending the past, the present and future as it celebrates the 50th Anniversary of its
Founding. It is difficult to capture all the stories of God’s blessings, of the struggles, the celebrations
and challenges in just a few words, but we can see the seeds of faith and love growing in the lives of
hundreds and thousands of parishioners journeying to become God’s holy and happy people through
the years. With a long list of good and caring parishioners, St. Monica Church tried its best to live the
first 50 years worthily before God.
in Dundee and who ministered to a few fervent believers as a mission church. The former Curtis Candy
Company barn had been turned into a chapel for the growing population in the Meadowdale subdivision.
Three years later, on October 7, 1957 it became a separate parish known as St. Monica Catholic
Church. Many members of the parish were blue-collar workers and their families who had migrated
from Chicago, seeking a better and less complicated life in the country. Many home-owners were
World War II and Korean War Veterans.
Carpentersville. It became a metropolis of the Fox Valley area. The Association donated lands for
church sites, fraternal organizations and school campuses. Benevolent people like Anuta Harms
who owned Bonnie Dundee Golf Course, Don McNeil of Breakfast Club fame, and the Steffan
Brothers Company - helped establish the parish of St. Monica. In time Carpentersville welcomed
and supported families coming from various nationalities and cultures.
Fr. Edmund Petit (1957-1964) was the first pastor. The donated wide piece of land with existing
buildings made it easier to realize their dream of becoming a beautiful parish. The huge barn was
converted into a church and classrooms for catechism, the three residential houses became the
parish office and rectories. A gym was constructed under his guidance in 1960 in an attempt to
start a Catholic School, but Religious Sisters were unavailable to administer and teach at the time
and plans for the school died out. 
Fr Thomas Neville (1964-1970) who served as second pastor, was challenged to implement significant
renewal in the church brought about by the Vatican II. He engaged Architect James R. Cronin to
design and build a beautiful, dignified, modern church. To this day, stories can be heard of how the
members rallied behind Fr. Neville in supporting this project. The church was consecrated on March
23, 1968 by the Most Rev. Arthur J. O’Neill, Bishop of Rockford. 
Fr. Adolph Weideman (1970-1974) with Fr. John Slampak, the associate priest at the time, led the
parish in coming to understand the changes and challenges of the renewal movement in the church.
Changes were also underway in our town and our parish. Original families saw their children reached
adulthood: some served in the Vietnam War, some went to college and others married and moved
away. Employment and job opportunities changed and many families moved to different communities. 
Fr. Bernard Mullane (1974-1986) introduced lay people as Eucharistic ministers and lectors into the
parish in keeping with renewal in the church. A group of dedicated men parishioners welcomed the
diocesan invitation for special formation to become permanent deacons. In 1978 Michael Giambalvo,
John Kohler, J. Aimee LaPlante, Richard Linstad and George Steinhable were ordained as permanent
deacons, followed by John Bach, Thaddeus Ciochon, Robert Demming, Gerald Mueller, John
Pendergast and Donald Raef in 1979. Michael Frazier and Dennis Garber were ordained into the
diaconate in 1982. Sr. Marita Driscoll, OLSH served as the Directress of the Religious Education
Program. Fr. Mullane welcomed more and more Hispanic people into the parish as Bishop O’Neill
showed as special pastoral concern for them in the entire diocese. During this time Fr. Walter
Johnson and Fr. Robert Willhite were assigned to minister to the Hispanic communities in the
McHenry Deanery, and found many parishioners of St. Monica very receptive to Hispanic pastoral
programs. In addition, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart joined the outreach program with the
wonderful presence of Srs. Francisca, Rogelina, Angelica and in later years Rosa Maria. 
Fr. William Knott (1986-1990) followed as pastor, aiding St. Monica Parish in its growth and changes.
His straightforward pastoral approach brought many to a deeper faith, while others struggled with his
ways. His great love for his dog, “Hoffer,” is well remembered and tempered his pastoral care,
especially for the children. 
Fr. Thomas Risley (1990-2000) was assigned to the parish, serving as pastor until his sudden
death in January 2000. He was knowledgeable in the Spanish language and culture, having
spent time in the country of Peru as a priest. Many Hispanic families had joined the parish by
this time, and priests who could minister to both English and Spanish speaking parishioners
were in demand. The jolly and charismatic Fr. J Robert Camacho was assigned as Associate
and showed his pastoral care for all. The Passionist Sisters were invited to serve the community.
Well remembered religious Sisters were Srs. Maria Antonia Cruz, Enedina Lulo & Ernestina
Zapata. Currently, Srs. Paz Guadalupe Bucio, with assistance from Srs. Esperanza and
Guillermina are greatly involved in the pastoral parish ministry. Fr. Risley and Fr. Camacho
encouraged the religious organizations of men and women, introduced programs to build the
entire community of St. Monica as one unified family. Bilingual Masses were introduced
throughout the year. St. Monica Fest was started by the community and has been well-attended
and enjoyed year after year. Parish membership continued to grow and it was during this time
the priests and people began dreaming and talking of expanding the church building. 
Fr. William Schuessler (2000-2005) came as more and more families continued to move into
our area. St. Monica Parish blossomed, establishing more programs, ministries and organizations
to take care of the various pastoral and family needs of the people. Christian formation of parish
leaders and members became the primary focus. The Holy Name Society, Lady’s Sodality and
St. Vincent de Paul Society responded willingly to the increasing demand for their services. In
subsequent years, many associate pastors have served St. Monica Parish. Among them were
Frs. Fabio Garzon, Andres Salinas, Oscar Cortes, Lisandro Cristancho who all worked particularly
with the Hispanic community. 
Fr. Uriel Lopez (2005-2006) as pastor, brought to life plans for the church expansion project dreamed
by all in the past fifteen years. Pastoral and Finance Councils were reorganized to coordinate the
programs to meet the fast-growing pastoral needs of the parishioners. His youthful and pleasing
personality brought more life to the parish. 
Fr. Moises Apostol (2006-2009) served as the ninth Pastor of St. Monica. He is an incardinated
priest from the Philippines. Working with associates Fr. Andres Salinas, Fr Lorenzo Gonzalez,
Fr Josue Lara and Sr. Paz de Guadalupe Bucio of the Passionist Sisters, Fr Moises brought
a loving message of unity for the hispanic and anglo communities. During his time as pastor, the
hispanic community flourished, along with many parish groups and ministries. In addition to their
3 full time deacons, John Bach, Michael Frazier & Dennis Garber, St Monica was blessed with yet
another newly ordained Deacon Poli Jimenez. St Monica celebrated it's 50th year as a parish in
October 2007. Fr Moises made great progress with the desire to build an addition to the church,
but a downward economy out that project on hold. With the formation of the Pastoral Planning
committee, Fr Moises began to set the parish on track creating vision and mission statements
to further unify the parishioners and keep our sights on common goals. 
On July 1, 2009, Fr Ariel Valencia (2009-Present) became the new Pastor of St Monica Parish.
Ordained in 2003, Fr Ariel has served at St Margaret Mary (Algonquin), St James (Belvidere),
St John the Baptist (Somonauk), St Joseph (Freeport) & St Mary (Freeport). Currently, there are
seven masses offered each weekend; five of which are fully-attended celebrations in Spanish and
two in English. There is an average of 800 children attending the Religious Education classes,
and many pastoral programs and ministries for all.
will become a more diverse, stronger faith community – a true reflection of our Catholic Church.