About St. Hyacinth · La Salle, Illinois
St. Hyacinth Church is a historic Polish-heritage Catholic parish located at 927 10th Street in La Salle, Illinois, in the Illinois River Valley about 100 miles southwest of Chicago. Founded in 1874 by roughly 100 Polish families who had come to work the local zinc foundries and coal mines, it is one of the oldest Polish parishes in the Diocese of Peoria and the first church in the United States named for St. Hyacinth, the Dominican patron of Poland. Today St. Hyacinth is a worship site of Saint John Baptist de La Salle Parish, a unified Catholic community (established April 7, 2025) that also includes St. Patrick Church and Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine, and is pastored by Very Rev. Thomas Otto. The parish celebrates Mass in English, Spanish, and Latin and continues to honor its Polish roots with an annual Polish-language Mass.
- Established
- 1874
- Patron
- St. Hyacinth of Poland (St. Hyacinth the Confessor, OP)
- Rector
- Very Rev. Thomas Otto
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
St. Hyacinth offers one of the most diverse liturgical schedules in the Illinois Valley — weekend Masses in English, Spanish, and Latin, plus a Spanish evening Mass on Fridays — making it a natural gathering place for both longtime Polish-rooted families and newer Hispanic parishioners. As part of the newly formed Saint John Baptist de La Salle Parish, it shares vibrant ministries with its sister churches: a parish school (Academy of St. Carlo Acutis), faith formation and sacramental preparation, the Life Teen youth group, the Creighton Model Natural Family Planning program, Communion calls to the homebound, and a Hispanic committee (Comite Hispano). The parish's mission is simply stated: 'Nourish active Catholics, Re-connect with inactive Catholics, and Invite all.'
Mass times at St. Hyacinth
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 2:30–3:30 PM — St. Patrick Church
- Monday 4:30–5:25 PM — Holy Rosary Confessionals
- Wednesday 7:00–8:00 PM — Holy Rosary Confessionals
- Friday 4:30–5:25 PM — Holy Rosary Confessionals
Who We Are
St. Hyacinth is one of three worship sites — alongside St. Patrick Church and Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine — that together form Saint John Baptist de La Salle Parish, established April 7, 2025 in the Diocese of Peoria. The parish traces its roots to 1673, when Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet brought Catholicism up the Illinois River, and to 1838, when Holy Cross Church was founded in La Salle. The parish's stated mission is 'to Nourish active Catholics, Re-connect with inactive Catholics, and Invite all.'
- Mission: Nourish active Catholics, Re-connect with inactive Catholics, Invite all.
- Unified parish formed April 7, 2025 as Saint John Baptist de La Salle Parish.
- Worship sites: St. Hyacinth (927 10th St), St. Patrick (725 4th St), Holy Rosary Shrine (529 4th St).
History
St. Hyacinth was organized in 1874 by roughly 100 Polish immigrant families drawn to La Salle's zinc smelters and coal mines, with Father Erazm Bratkiewicz offering the first Mass in a borrowed Irish school. The original wood-frame church, blessed by Bishop Thomas Foley, burned on the Sunday after Christmas 1890; under Father Ladislaus Grabowski the community rebuilt, dedicating the current red-brick Gothic church on August 14, 1892. Father Bernard Maria Skulik (pastor 1899–1910) furnished the interior with a pipe organ, stained glass, statues, and murals, and built the three-story school and parsonage that anchored the parish campus. After a 1988 fire, the parish continued to grow and now ministers bilingually to longtime Polish-rooted families and newer Hispanic neighbors.
- 1874 — Parish organized by ~100 Polish families; first Mass in an Irish school.
- 1874 — First U.S. church named for St. Hyacinth; blessed by Bishop Thomas Foley.
- Dec. 1890 — Original church destroyed by heating-system fire.
- 1892 — Present red-brick Gothic church completed Aug. 14.
- 1899–1910 — Father Bernard Skulik era: pipe organ, stained glass, murals, six-dial clock, 1909 parsonage, 1909 school.
- 1988 — Second fire damages the church.
- 2019 — Structural assessment of the twin spires commissioned.
- April 7, 2025 — Merged into Saint John Baptist de La Salle Parish.
Parish Staff
The LaSalle Parishes are led by Very Rev. Thomas Otto as Pastor, with Rev. Jeffery A. Small serving as Parochial Vicar. The Pastoral Care team includes Deacon Gabriel Guerrero and Sr. Norberta Piekos. Parish offices are staffed by secretaries Rosa Vazquez and Gisela Bustos, bookkeeper Mary Pryde, pastoral-care minister Kathy Bacidore, parish life coordinator, liturgical musician Kori Suarez, and Esmeralda Cruz of the Comite Hispano / Tribunal Notary.
- Very Rev. Thomas Otto — Pastor
- Rev. Jeffery A. Small — Parochial Vicar
- Dcn. Gabriel Guerrero — Pastoral Care
- Sr. Norberta Piekos
- Rosa Vazquez — Secretary ([email protected])
- Gisela Bustos — Secretary ([email protected])
- Mary Pryde — Bookkeeper
- Kathy Bacidore — Pastoral Care
- Kori Suarez — Liturgical Music
- Esmeralda Cruz — Comite Hispano / Tribunal Notary
Devotions & Prayer Life
Beyond the Mass schedule, the parish gathers regularly for the rosary and Scripture study, and an annual Polish-language Mass honors the parish's founding community.
- Weekday Rosary — 3:00 PM Monday, Wednesday, Friday
- Monday Bible Reading — 8:50–9:50 AM at Holy Rosary Shrine, Mother's Chapel
- Annual Polish Mass for St. Hyacinth's heritage
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation for parish public-school students is coordinated through the Academy of St. Carlo Acutis at 650 4th Street. Professionally licensed catechists and volunteers teach Wednesday-evening classes that include prayer, Mass attendance, and preparation for the sacraments. The parish also offers access to the FORMED Catholic media library, Creighton-Model Natural Family Planning, and Emmaus Days summer camps for junior-high and high-school youth.
- Religious Education — Wed. evening classes at the Academy of St. Carlo Acutis
- Contact: Deb Myers, Principal — [email protected] / 815-200-1991
- Fees: $100 per family per semester
- Sacraments: 1st Communion (May), Confirmation (with the Diocese of Peoria)
- FORMED — free Catholic content for parishioners
- Natural Family Planning — Creighton Model (Alyssa Zukowski)
- Emmaus Days — July summer faith camps for 7th–8th graders and 9th–10th graders
Youth & Young Adults
The Illinois Valley Catholic Youth Group, using the Life Teen model, invites all high-school students to gather on Sundays from 6:30 to 7:30 PM at Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine. Its stated goal is to help young people 'stay excited about their faith, realize they are a very important part of God's Family, and see their God-given gifts.'
- Life Teen Youth Group — Sundays 6:30–7:30 PM at Holy Rosary Shrine
- Emmaus Days summer camps
- Faith-formation catechesis through Academy of St. Carlo Acutis
Ministries & Outreach
Parishioners serve the Church and the wider La Salle community as lectors, musicians, members of the Comite Hispano, and visitors to the homebound. The Pastoral Care team — together with the priests — brings Communion twice a year to those who cannot easily leave their homes due to age or chronic illness.
- Lectors
- Liturgical Music (Kori Suarez)
- Communion for the Homebound
- Comite Hispano (Hispanic committee)
- Pastoral Care visits
Sacraments
Preparation for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick is offered through the parish office and the Academy of St. Carlo Acutis. First Communion is celebrated in May at St. Patrick (English/Spanish) or St. Hyacinth; Confirmation is celebrated with the Diocese of Peoria. The Pastoral Care team brings Communion to the homebound.
- Baptism — register with baptismal certificate
- First Communion — May
- Confirmation — with Diocese of Peoria
- Marriage — contact parish office
- Anointing of the Sick / Communion for the Homebound
Visiting & Contact
Newcomers and visitors are warmly welcomed. Masses are livestreamed on the parish Facebook page for those unable to attend in person. Parish offices are at 725 Fourth Street, La Salle, IL 61301 and are open Monday through Thursday, 10 AM – 5 PM. Phone: 815-223-0641; Fax: 815-223-0523.
- Parish Office — 725 Fourth Street, LaSalle, IL 61301
- Office Hours — Mon–Thu 10 AM–5 PM
- Phone — 815-223-0641
- Fax — 815-223-0523
- Emails — [email protected]; [email protected]
- Livestream — LaSalle Catholic Parishes on Facebook
Architecture & Heritage
The present red-brick Gothic Revival church was completed August 14, 1892 to replace the original 1874 frame structure. Over the decades it has accumulated stained-glass windows, a pipe organ, statues, interior murals, and a distinctive six-dial clock in the spire. In 2019, American Structurepoint of Indiana was hired to assess the condition of the twin Gothic spires, the latest chapter in the long effort to preserve this Polish-heritage landmark.
- Gothic Revival red-brick church (1892)
- Pipe organ, stained glass, statues, murals
- Unique six-dial clock in the spire
- Twin spires under structural assessment since 2019
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Erazm Bratkiewicz1874–
Organized the first Polish families in 1874 and celebrated the first Mass in a borrowed Irish school.
- Rev. Ladislaus Grabowskiafter 1890
Raised funds and oversaw construction of the present red-brick Gothic church after the 1890 fire; completed August 14, 1892.
- Rev. Bernard Maria Skulik, Ph.D.March 15, 1899 – April 1910
Polish-born scholar; added pipe organ, stained glass, statues, murals, the six-dial clock, the 1909 parsonage, and the large 1909 school building; founded the Polish weekly Tygodnik Katolicki.
- Rev. Paul Carlsonreferenced c. 2017–2019
Pastored the La Salle parishes during the period the spire assessment was commissioned.
- Rev. Antonio Dittmerc. 2016
Listed as pastor of St. Hyacinth on directory records from this period.
- Very Rev. Thomas Otto2022–present
Current pastor; oversees Saint John Baptist de La Salle Parish, formed April 7, 2025.