Streator Catholic churches sold

Sales of church properties at Immaculate Conception and Eagle churches in Streator will be finalized by the end of this month, according to an announcement made this week to parishioners.

The church, rectory, hall and parking lot for Immaculate Conception, also known as St. Mary's, at the corner of Park and Kent streets, will be sold to 1206 East Elm LLC, which is connected to the The Foreign Service (China) Group, which bought the former Sherman School property.

The new owner of the church and rectory for the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as Eagle church, on Route 18 west of Streator, will be Coras, Inc., which is a Streator company located at 410 W. Broadway St.

The Immaculate Conception property will be used for educational purposes, according to an announcement issued by Msgr. Philip Halfacre, pastor of Streator's Catholic parish. The Foreign Service (China) Group bought the former Sherman School for Chinese students traveling to the United States to learn English and American culture.

No further details were provided regarding the Immaculate Conception property.

The Eagle rectory is expected to house offices for Cora and the church for private devotional use, Halfacre said.

The altars have been removed, as well as other sacred items, the pastor said.

"The sale of a parish church is bittersweet," he wrote. "Countless events that deeply touch our lives take place in a parish church."

The monsignor noted wedding, baptisms, funerals and regular services give parishioners attachment to those places.

"Saying 'goodbye' to our church is not altogether unlike the sale of a family home," Halfacre said. "Yet our farewell to our former home does not undo or negate all the good that was accomplished there."

The parish hall at Immaculate Conception still was a gathering place for parish events, meaning these will be moved to St. Michael Catholic School. Additionally, the hall will be unavailable to rent for family gatherings, reunions and other similar activities.

Since the rectory at Immaculate Conception served as the home for Streator's pastor, the home left by Vincent and Ann Marie Reihl will become the new rectory.

Immaculate Conception, Streator's oldest Catholic church, was built in 1884. In November 2013, following the merger of Streator's four parishes into one, Bishop Daniel Jenky of the Peoria Diocese and a panel issued a decree removing sacred status for Immaculate Conception, allowing for the sale of the church.

Immaculate Conception, along with Streator's other three Catholic churches, were listed on the Landmarks Illinois 10 Most Endangered Historic Places list in 2011.

The landmark distinction didn't include Eagle church, which is west of the city. It merged into Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Leonore. The altar was removed in 2015.