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Bittersweet Easter For Some Chicago Catholic Churches As They Prepare To Close, Merge With Other Parishes

CHICAGO (CBS) -- It was a bittersweet Easter Sunday at several Chicago Catholic churches, as they prepare to consolidate parishes and each one celebrated its last Easter before closing for good.

One of those is Corpus Christi Catholic Church at 4920 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. in Bronzeville, which has been around for 120 years.

When the church's elementary school closed, a large drop in membership followed.

The church operated a soup kitchen, but the pandemic put an end to the practice. It is now one of five parishes the Archdiocese is consolidating into one.

The others parishes are St. Ambrose, 1024 E. 47th St.; St. Anselm, 6045 S. Michigan Ave.; St. Elizabeth, 50 E. 41st St.; and Holy Angels, 615 E. Oakwood Blvd.

"To be honest, I can't even put it in words. It's a little bit overwhelming - let me put it that way," said the Rev. Edmund Nnadozie of Corpus Christi Catholic Church. "I mean, to think that this place has existed for 120 years and this will be the last Easter we are going to have - I mean, how do I describe that? It's overwhelming - I use that word."

The closure is part of the Archdiocese's Renew My Church consolidations. The parishes are expected to unite by July 1.

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