The History of the Saint Margaret Mary Parish Family

A Faith Community Organized

Father Joseph M. Lonergan, founder of several parishes including SS. Peter and Paul at Cary, organized Saint Margaret Mary Parish in 1915. Father bought a tract of land along the banks of the Fox River just below the dam by the creek (Harrison between Water) from Mrs. F. J. Kelahan in 1914 for a nominal price. The lot along the river needed significant landfill before the church could be built. Two hundred loads of gravel were hauled in each day's work, with enough teams busy to keep up an almost constant parade - it took most of the week of work to fill the area.

The 1915 Church of Saint Margaret Mary of the Sacred Heart built along the west side of the Fox River

Father Lonergan began the new church, designed by "summer resident" Robert Layer, Sr. - Architect and Engineer. The Church was a Greek Revival edifice built of brick. Its cornerstone was laid on July 11, 1915. That ceremony was attended by nearly three thousand people, of whom about one-half were Chicago friends and patrons of the Parish. The Bohemian Catholic Societies, Knights of Columbus, and the Ladies' Auxiliaries had charge of the celebration.

Bohemian Men's Club Society in Algonquin