Parish Consultation at St Francis de Sales Parish

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We Need Your Wisdom!

Please take some time in the next week to respond to this Priest Placement Board survey. You may choose to answer online through the link below or use the paper surveys available in the Church and Ministry Center. Completed paper surveys can be dropped off at the Ministry Center where we will enter them for you.

All responses are due by March 10th, 2026

PARISH CONSULTATION AT ST. FRANCIS DE SALES

Upon the retirement of Fr. David Ryan in February of 2026, Cardinal Cupich will be appointing a new pastor to St. Francis de Sales Parish. The process of selecting that priest involves a great deal of prayer, research, discernment and discussion. One of the important groups in this process is the Priest Placement Board (PPB). This group advises Cardinal Cupich on candidates for pastor based on the talents and skills of the priest-candidates in light of the strengths and challenges of the parishes in the pastor pool. The PPB is composed of nine priests of the Archdiocese of Chicago who serve full-time as pastors or associate pastors, one of the members is retired. The work of the PPB is directed by Fr. Michael Knotek, the Vicar for the Professional and Pastoral Development of Priests who does this work full-time along with the ongoing formation for priests.

In order to gain wisdom from parish staff and parish leaders about the skills and talents needed in your next pastor, the PPB will be conducting a Parish Consultation at St. Francis de Sales on February 26, 2026. Two members of the PPB will facilitate two meetings, one with the staff and the other with the Parish Council Members and Finance Committee. These discussions are very important to give the Priests Placement Board insight about St. Francis de Sales and the capabilities needed in your next pastor.

The wisdom from the parishioners is also extremely important in the pastor selection process. To gather that wisdom, a form will be made available to parishioners to answer the following questions which the staff and lay leadership will also address in their discussions:

  • What are the strengths of your parish? What is working very well presently?

  • What are the specific challenges your parish is currently facing?

  • What current ministries and programs in your parish are vitally important and must continue in order for the parish to remain vibrant and grow?

  • What programs for parish renewal and evangelization are currently in place at your parish?

  • What are the specific and unique skills, talents and capabilities needed in your next pastor?

These parishioner input forms will continue to be gathered until March 10, 2026. The discernment process leads up to a two day meeting in March of 2026 whereby Cardinal Cupich gathers all of the input from the Parish Consultations and meets with the Vicar General, all the Auxiliary Bishops, the Priests Placement Board members, and other key personnel at the Archdiocese to make his decision about who he will appoint to be the next pastor of St. Francis de Sales as well as pastors for the other parishes in the pastor pool this year. Please pray for the continued guidance of the Holy Spirit to help identify the next pastoral leader of St. Francis de Sales.

TAKE THE SURVEY HERE

Paper forms available at the Ministry Center & Church

Fr Ryan Announcement

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To our fellow St. Francis de Sales community,

Today has been difficult for all of us. We ask for your prayers for Fr. Ryan and everyone at our parish.  

We would like to assure our community that the parish staff is united and working together to continue the important ministries of the parish that serve your needs. As disciples of Christ, we will strive to place our trust in God and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

As we move forward, please know that:

  • Fr. Steven Lanza has been assigned as administrator of the parish until we have a final outcome. He will work with the parish staff and Deacons to ensure Masses and other sacraments continue without interruption.

  • During this time, there will likely be different priests who make themselves available to serve our parish. Please welcome them and show your appreciation for their service. 

  • As stated in the letter from Cardinal Cupich, “...the Archdiocese has begun its investigation, with the presumption that one is innocent until proven otherwise." 

  • We know that prayer is extremely important, and in the near future, we hope to make plans to gather and pray for Fr. Ryan, our parish, and for every person affected by this situation.

  • If you would like to reach out to Father Ryan, cards and letters can be dropped at the Ministry Center or at church during the collection at Sunday Masses.

Please know that we will share additional details as they become available. During this time, the parish staff and Deacons remain available to help. Please call the Parish Office (847) 438-6622, and we will do our best to help you. 

The St Francis de Sales Parish Staff

Statement of Cardinal Blase J Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, on the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

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Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling end Dobbs versus Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturns the Court’s tragic 1973 decision that removed legal protection for unborn children. We welcome this important ruling and the opportunity it creates for a national conversation on protecting human life in the womb and promoting human dignity at all stages of life. This moment should serve as a turning point in our dialogue about the place an unborn child holds in our nation, about our responsibility to listen to women and support them through pregnancies and after the birth of their children, and about the need to refocus our national priorities to support families, particularly those in need.

The Catholic Church brings to such a conversation the conviction that every human life is sacred, that every single person is made in the image and likeness of God and therefore deserving of reverence and protection. That belief is the reason the Catholic Church is the country's largest provider of social services, many aimed at eliminating the systemic poverty and health care insecurity that traps families in a cycle of hopelessness and limit authentic choice.

We also come to this dialogue as Americans, knowing that the principle that all human beings are endowed by the Creator with certain inalienable rights is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, and that first among these is the right to life.

Make no mistake, because this ruling regrettably will have little impact on abortion in Illinois, as there are virtually no restrictions here, we will continue to advocate strongly for legal protections for unborn children. And we will redouble our efforts to work with all to build a culture that values the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all.

This ruling is not the end of the journey, but rather a fresh start. It underscores the need to understand those who disagree with us, and to inculcate an ethic of dialogue and cooperation. Let us begin by examining our national conscience, taking stock of these dark places in our society and in our hearts that turn to violence and deny the humanity of our brothers and sisters, and get to work building up the common good by choosing life. 

July 4, 2022 // Statement of Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, on the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park

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I have been watching the news in horror as at least 6 are dead and many more were wounded after a gunman opened fire as families attended an Independence Day parade in Highland Park. What should have been a peaceful celebration of our nation’s founding ended in unspeakable tragedy.

Please join me in praying for the victims and their loved ones, who never imagined a July 4 celebration could become a killing ground. Pray too for the safety of first responders as they pursue the person responsible for this tragedy. They bravely rushed into the danger to treat victims and to protect others from harm. 

The parade reportedly had a heavy presence of police and fire vehicles, yet this shooter was able to wound at least two dozen people before he stopped, or was stopped, and fled. Victims ranged in age from 8 to 85. Weapons designed to rapidly destroy human bodies have no place in civil society.

It is barely July, and this year the United States is already experiencing more than one mass shooting a day. Chicago Police reported at least 55 shot and 7 killed since Friday, and the holiday weekend is not yet over. Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for U.S. children.

Whatever one makes of the right to bear arms, there is plenty of room for prudential judgment in interpreting the Second Amendment so as to enact serious, broadly popular gun-safety measures. The Senate finally passed a significant, yet modest, gun-safety bill last month. But clearly more must be done. 

The right to bear arms does not eclipse the right to life, or the right of all Americans to go about their lives free of the fear that they might be shredded by bullets at any moment. Gun violence is a life issue. We must continue to pray that all our officials, elected and unelected alike, will redouble their commitment to keeping safe the people they have sworn to serve.

Pope Francis wrote to the people of Chicagoland in 2016: “As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, humanity ‘must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.’ I urge all people, especially young men and women, to respond to Dr. King's prophetic words and know that a culture of nonviolence is not an unattainable dream, but a path that has produced decisive results.”

May the Lord of mercy embrace in love those who have died, bring healing to the wounded, comfort to their loved ones, and courage to all of us, so that we may respond to this tragedy united as God’s children to build a path to safety and peace.