About St. Walter Catholic Church
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St. Walter Parish, located on the far southwest side of Chicago, is a small, diverse faith community. It is a welcoming community that embraces our differences and celebrates our talents and gifts. Parishioners Come from many communities and.family backgrounds; we meet together at St. Walter to build our faith together.
St. Walter Parish is a unique blend of parishioners whose families have been here for generations with a steady influx of new families through the years. There are neighborhood parishioners as well as commuters that travel past one or more parishes to get here. Parishioners come because of family ties, for their children's educational enrichment both academic and religious, for the spirituality offered in Mass and through opportunities for growth through organizations and special study groups, and for the connections to the various priests over the years. St. Walter's diverse community includes Latino, African American, Caucasian and families of mixed racial background. Parents an d students feel most welcome here over larger, more racially segregated communities. Our parish is a place where people stay because the small size, relationships, multicultural mix and feelings of appreciation continue to emit a family feeling to all. It's a parish that feels like home.
Our parish's small size — 300 Sunday attendees — gives us the opportunity to build close personal relationships and active community. We recognize our commitment to answer the Call to Holiness. The parish has much "to offer seekers on the path to holiness." St. Walter seeks to invite all to a deeper, more spiritual prayer life.
St Walter Parish's small size challenges us to accept that we need each other — our parishioners, re-engaging former parishioners, former practicing Catholics, our neighboring parishes, and our greater community — to best serve Christ. Our focus on Evangelization and Missionary Spirit encourages reaching out to our neighbors and inviting each person and family to join our community. We can become a stronger faith community as we live our lives as the Body of Christ.
Many parishioners of St. Walters reside outside the parish boundaries. They seek a home where they feel welcome and invited to build a faith community. A majority of our school students also reside outside the parish boundary. The evangelization efforts at St. Walter must address the needs of both in-parish students and families as well as students and families outside the parish boundaries.
As written in Matt. 5:16, "Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." The members of St. Walter Parish seek to do many "good deeds." The missionary spirit of St. Walter's Parish calls us to serve our greater community for Christ.
