A Parish at the Heart of Plano Since 1885
St. Mary Catholic Church stands on North Center Street in Plano, a small town in Kendall County, Illinois. Catholics have worshipped here since 1885, when the parish was founded. Today the Roman Catholic community is served by the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception and belongs to the Diocese of Joliet. The parish mission is short and direct: "To be led and to lead others into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ."
Parishioners travel from a 10 to 15 mile radius to worship at St. Mary. The community is multi-ethnic, with members whose family backgrounds include English, Spanish, German, Lithuanian, Polish, Hungarian, Italian, and other traditions. The two primary languages are English and Spanish, and the parish describes its setting as a small, rural, and traditional environment that is welcoming to all who attend and visit.
Masses Through the Week, With a Spanish Service on Sunday
Daily Mass is celebrated Monday through Saturday at 8:00 a.m. The Saturday Vigil Mass is held at 4:00 p.m., and three Sunday Masses fill the weekend: 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and a 12:00 noon Mass in Spanish. The 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass in English and the noon Mass in Spanish are both livestreamed.
Confession is offered every weekday immediately after the 8:00 a.m. Mass and continues until every penitent has been heard. On Saturdays, confessions begin at 3:00 p.m. On Sundays, priests hear confessions after the 8:00 a.m. Mass and before and after the 10:00 a.m. Mass. Anyone needing confession at another time can call the parish office to make an appointment.
The New Church of 2009
The present church building opened in December 2009 with the Christmas Mass, and the new altar was dedicated on February 14, 2010. The Marian Fathers arrived in Plano in the 1950s and soon helped build the parish school. The worship space was designed to serve as the narthex of a future building phase, and the parish continues to develop its campus around it.
The Parish School, Pre-K Through Eighth Grade
St. Mary Parish School shares its campus with the church and serves students from Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade. The school describes learning the teachings of Jesus Christ through the Magisterium of the Catholic Church as its top priority. Sister Ann Brummel serves as principal, with Kate Markulin assisting in the school office.
Faith Formation for Children Not Enrolled at the School
Families who do not send their children to the parish school can still bring them to the Religious Education program, which serves grades one through eight. The Family Faith Formation program follows a hybrid model of at-home lessons and in-person gatherings, with First Communion celebrated after two years of preparation during the Easter season. Melissa Silva coordinates Confirmation preparation, and Deacon Eduardo Murillo oversees the Religious Education office. The parish uses FlockNote to send parents schedule changes, updates, and reminders.
Becoming Catholic Through OCIA
Adults who want to enter the Catholic Church, along with children between the ages of seven and sixteen, follow the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, known as OCIA. Classes meet on Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the Cenacle Room inside the Fellowship Hall next to the church, beginning in September. The OCIA process walks inquirers through stages of inquiry, catechumenate, purification and preparation, initiation at the Easter Vigil, and a mystagogy period of reflection. Deacon Eduardo Murillo welcomes anyone interested in learning more.
Alpha: A Meal, a Talk, and Conversation
Alpha is an 11-week experience built around three simple elements: a free shared meal, a thirty-minute talk, and small-group conversation. The talks cover the basics of Christian belief and questions such as "Who is Jesus?", "Why and how do I pray?", and "How does God guide us?" There is no charge, no follow-up obligation, and no assumed prior knowledge of Christianity.
St. Mary offers Alpha in English and in Spanish, with separate groups for adults and for young adults. Past participants describe Alpha as "a catalyst to know and experience God and His love in its fullness" and a place where "the transformation of people who seem so lost is powerful." Sessions last about two hours, and attendees are welcome to come for just the first week to see if it is a fit.
Hearts on Fire: Wednesday Nights for Junior High
Junior high students in grades seven and eight gather on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. for Hearts on Fire, a movement designed to bring young people into a real encounter with Jesus Christ. Each evening opens with prayer, followed by a presentation from a clergy member, community leader, parishioner, or outside speaker. Small groups then dig into the topic with discussion, prayer, and activity. Praise and worship, meditative prayer, or shared insights close the night. Parents receive talking points throughout the year so they can engage with what their children are learning.
Lisa Whitmer coordinates Junior High Confirmation. The two-year program culminates in a Confirmation Mass each fall, and youth are also expected to attend a retreat and receive the sacrament of reconciliation beforehand.
Steubenville Youth Conference
Each summer the parish takes a group of current eighth through twelfth graders to a Steubenville Youth Conference, a national Catholic retreat that draws hundreds of teens. The weekend includes great music, speakers, dancing, and time for genuine encounter with God. Past participants have described it as a "big game-changer" that helped them realize the importance of growing in their relationship with God through prayer.
That Man Is You on Saturday Mornings
That Man Is You gathers men in the Fellowship Hall every Saturday from 6:15 to 7:45 a.m. for prayer, fellowship, and teaching. The program combines Church teaching and the wisdom of the saints with modern research, presenting what it calls "the Vision of Man Fully Alive." Sessions run from mid-September through mid-December. John Lovetere coordinates the men's group and the broader discipleship ministry.
Council of Catholic Women
The Council of Catholic Women is open to all women aged eighteen and older. Members gather for friendship, spiritual growth, and service. Activities include a parish Pro-Life fundraiser, a holiday gift-card collection for families served by the local food pantry, and Saturday-morning breakfasts for the That Man Is You group. The Council hosts a Coffee Connection after Sunday Masses, runs a popular lemon shake-up booth at the parish's summer Taste of St. Mary's festival, and awards two scholarships to St. Mary School families each year. Senior Socials, open to parishioners age 55 and older, are held every few months with games, fellowship, and refreshments.
Members also walk together through a seven-month reflection on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, with videos available in English and Spanish so participants can follow from home if they cannot attend in person.
Eucharistic Adoration Across the Week
St. Mary has offered Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration on its campus for nearly twenty-one years. Today the Adoration Chapel at 810 N. Center Street, on the corner of Church and Center, opens for exposition throughout the week: Monday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Tuesday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Wednesday from 5:00 a.m. to midnight, Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Sunday from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Parishioners are invited to sign up for a weekly hour of adoration as the parish works toward restoring Perpetual Adoration, with the goal of having two adorers cover each of the 24 hours.
Healing and Transformation
The Healing and Transformation ministry holds evenings of praise and worship with several spiritually gifted ministers praying for physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional healing. The ministry's vision is to "make healing prayer a way of life in families, churches, and medical professions." Its foundational teaching, Healing the Whole Person, was developed by Dr. Bob Schuchts of the John Paul II Healing Center. A five-week course is offered periodically on Thursday evenings, with participants committing to attend all five sessions.
Under Mary's Mantle: Walking Through Grief
The parish's grief support group, Under Mary's Mantle, walks with those who are grieving the death of a loved one, whether the loss is recent or long ago. Five sessions cover accepting the loss, experiencing the pain of grief, adjusting to life without the loved one, adjusting to a new environment, and continuing the journey. There is no registration fee. The English-language group meets at St. Mary's School using the double door entrance; the Spanish-language group meets in the same location using the back entrance.
Joyful Hearts Club
The Joyful Hearts Club offers adaptive faith formation for people with special needs in a multisensory setting. Activities include a super-size floor puzzle that teaches the Order of the Mass, a Toss and Tell Bible ball, adaptive praying of the rosary, stories, plays, memory games, and more. Nicole DeLarm coordinates the program.
Financial Peace University
St. Mary hosts a nine-week Financial Peace University course on Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in the Cenacle Room of the Fellowship Hall. The program equips adults and couples with practical tools to build a budget, eliminate debt, save for the future, and honor God with their finances. A limited number of free course subscriptions are available on a first-come basis. Rick Hanna coordinates the local offering.
FertilityCare Ministry
Engaged and married couples can learn about natural family planning through the parish's FertilityCare Ministry, which connects them with online services from the Gaithersburg FertilityCare Center. The ministry offers an alternative to common forms of birth control and to IVF for couples who are trying to conceive. Couples interested in the work can contact the parish office for an introduction.
Strengthsfinder
The Strengthsfinder Ministry helps parishioners identify their God-given talents through a two-session course built around an online survey. The course helps participants look at their gifts in a deeper way and become the best-version-of-themselves. John and Lyne Lovetere lead this ministry.
The Food Pantry on the Third Friday
St. Mary partners with the Kendall County Community Food Pantry and First Lutheran Church to operate a satellite food pantry. The pantry runs every third Friday from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, 200 N. Center Street. Food is distributed first-come, first-served while supplies last. St. Mary coordinates the volunteers, the Kendall County Community Food Pantry supplies the food and resources, and First Lutheran provides the building. Lorena Corral coordinates the volunteer team.
The Sacraments at St. Mary
Parents begin baptismal preparation before the birth of their child whenever possible, and godparents are encouraged to attend. The parish gathers documentation and a sponsor letter from each godparent's home parish before setting a date.
First Communion follows two years of preparation and is celebrated during the Easter season. Confirmation follows the two-year Hearts on Fire program, with the Confirmation Mass each fall. Couples wanting to marry at St. Mary are asked to contact Deacon Eduardo Murillo before booking a reception venue, since weddings fill up quickly and must be scheduled at least six months in advance. Weddings are typically not scheduled on Sundays.
The Anointing of the Sick can be received at any stage of serious illness or before surgery. Funeral Masses can be celebrated in English or Spanish Monday through Saturday at a time the family wishes, and parishioners can pre-plan their funeral liturgy, with readings available online in advance.
Clergy and Staff
Father Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC, serves as Administrator. He is an ordained priest, theologian, and recognized authority on the message of Divine Mercy, and he entered the Marian Fathers in 1980, inspired in part by Pope John Paul II's 1979 pastoral visit to Poland. Father Gabriel Cillo, MIC, serves as Parochial Vicar. Deacon Eduardo Murillo is the Pastoral Associate who coordinates much of the sacramental preparation, and Deacon Fernando Rubio assists in ministry.
Melissa Silva leads Music Ministry and coordinates Confirmation preparation, and Imelda Cervantes also serves in Music Ministry. Juana Morales directs social media. Sister Ann Brummel is the principal of St. Mary School. Together, this staff and the Marian Fathers keep the doors open for daily Mass, the sacraments, and the parish's many ministries on North Center Street.