About St. Patrick · Amboy, Illinois
St. Patrick Parish is a historic Roman Catholic congregation in the small town of Amboy, Illinois, located in Lee County about 100 miles west of Chicago. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Rockford and today worships in the same brick church building that was first used on Christmas Day 1885. St. Patrick now serves as the hub of a three-parish cluster — Saints Patrick, Mary, and Flannen — offering daily and weekend Mass, the Sacraments, religious education, a Knights of Columbus council, and a parish-run food pantry that serves neighbors in need.
- Established
- 1856
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Rev. Randy Fronek (Parochial Administrator — joint administration of the Sts. Patrick, Mary, and Flannen cluster); sacrament appointments referenced with Fr. Gow in the parish's own baptism/marriage pages.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rockford
Why belong here
St. Patrick's gives a small-town Catholic community room to worship, learn, and serve together. Weekend Masses (Saturday 4:00 pm, Sunday 7:00 am and 10:30 am) and a full weekday Mass schedule are offered in a 140-year-old brick church, supported by a parish-run Food Pantry, an active Knights of Columbus council (which has been laying a new cement path past the parish cemetery as a gift to Amboy), faith formation for children and youth, RCIA for adults, and the sacramental life of baptism, confirmation, eucharist, and marriage. As part of the three-parish Saints Patrick, Mary, and Flannen cluster under the Diocese of Rockford, it offers both the stability of more than 170 years of Catholic life and the warmth of a congregation that knows its neighbors by name.
Mass times at St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
- Saturday 3:00 pm – 3:45 pm
Our History — 1853 to Today
St. Patrick Parish was born in the railroad boom of 1850s Illinois. Its earliest chapter includes a Mass offered in a log cabin in 1853, the loss of its first church to fire in 1857, and the dedication of the present brick church on Christmas Day 1885. Generations of pastors — Fathers Bray, Vahey, Clarke, Keegan, Gallagher, Cullen, Kissane, and the long-serving Fr. Robert C. Troy — built up the people and the physical campus: rectory (1915), school (1923), convent, and a parish hall (1902) that still serves the parish.
- 1853 — First Mass in Michael Egan's log cabin
- 1856 — Father Bray becomes first resident pastor
- 1857 — First wooden church destroyed by fire
- 1885 — Present brick church dedicated on Christmas Day
- 1902 — Parish hall erected under Fr. Joseph Gallagher
- 1915 — Brick rectory completed
- 1923 — St. Anne's School and convent dedicated
- 1929–1966 — Fr. Robert C. Troy serves 37 years as pastor
Baptism
Through baptism one becomes a disciple of Christ and a member of the Christian community. The parish welcomes infant baptisms for families living within the boundaries of St. Patrick, St. Flannen, or St. Mary parish.
- Contact the Parish Office at 815-857-2315 to make an appointment with Fr. Gow.
- Families must live within the boundaries of St. Patrick, St. Flannen, or St. Mary.
First Holy Communion
First Holy Communion is normally celebrated in the spring when a child is in second grade or higher, with religious instruction given through the parish's Religious Education classes.
- Normally celebrated in the Spring
- Prepared through Religious Education classes
Confirmation
Confirmation completes Christian initiation through the anointing of chrism and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. At St. Patrick, Confirmation is celebrated every other year.
- Celebrated every other year
- Prepared through Religious Education classes
- Scheduled per the Bishop's calendar
Marriage
For Catholics, marriage is a public sign of total self-gift to another person. Couples contemplating a wedding at St. Patrick are asked to contact the parish at least six months before the anticipated wedding date.
- Contact the parish office (815-857-2315) to make an appointment
- Begin preparation at least six months before the wedding date
- Marriage preparation must be completed before the wedding is finalized
Parish Cluster — Saints Patrick, Mary, and Flannen
St. Patrick is administered jointly with neighboring parishes as the three-parish cluster of Saints Patrick, Mary, and Flannen under the Diocese of Rockford. The cluster shares pastoral leadership and a Facebook presence, and the parish's own baptisms are open to families living within any of its three boundaries.
- Cluster includes St. Patrick (Amoy), St. Flannen, and St. Mary
- Shared pastoral team under the Diocese of Rockford
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Catechesis is treated as a responsibility of the whole Christian community, not just catechists and priests. The parish runs faith formation for children, youth, and adults, including sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation.
- Faith Formation for children and youth
- Adult Faith Formation
- Sacramental preparation integrated into Religious Education classes
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
The three-parish RCIA program met weekly on Wednesdays at 6:45 PM in the St. Patrick's office across from the church. It welcomes adults seeking Baptism, baptized Christians entering full communion with the Catholic Church, and baptized Catholics preparing for First Communion and/or Confirmation.
- Weekly on Wednesdays at 6:45 PM at St. Patrick's office
- For adults needing Baptism, reception into full communion, or First Communion/Confirmation
Service & Outreach
Putting faith into action, the parish reaches out both to members of its own community and to neighbors in the wider Amboy area through several ongoing ministries.
- Parish Food Pantry
- Knights of Columbus (Amboy Council)
- Society of St. Vincent de Paul
- Liturgical Ministers
Parish Food Pantry
Through donations of food and finances, St. Patrick supports a local Food Pantry run by a small group of dedicated volunteers. It serves those in need in the local community on the third Wednesday of each month.
- Open on the third Wednesday of the month, 9:00 am – 10:00 am
- Sustained by food and monetary donations
- Donations and volunteers always welcomed
Knights of Columbus (Amboy Council)
Amboy has an active Knights of Columbus council that supports both the parishes and the wider community. The council meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month in the Parish Hall and is currently leading a long-running project laying a new cement walking path from the end of the city sidewalk past the parish cemetery, partly funded by scrapping old metal.
- Council meets 2nd & 4th Wednesday in the Parish Hall
- Current community project: new cement path from town past the parish cemetery, spearheaded by Tom Nauman
- Founded on principles of charity, unity, and fraternity (order chartered in Connecticut in 1882 by Fr. Michael J. McGivney)
Getting Involved — Volunteering & Safe Environment
All adult parish volunteers (18+) are required to comply with the Diocese of Rockford's updated Safe Environment Program, and 16-17-year-old volunteers have additional but lighter requirements. The parish publishes the forms and VIRTUS training link on its website.
- Adult volunteers: background check authorization, Mandated Reporter form, Sexual Misconduct Norms, Code of Pastoral Conduct, Code for the Pastoral Use of Technology and Social Media, Guidelines for Youth and Those Working with Youth
- Protecting God's Children (VIRTUS) online training required
- Simplified requirements for 16-17-year-old volunteers
Parish Buildings & Property
The St. Patrick campus grew up over more than a century and a half and still serves the parish today: the 1885 brick church, the 1902 parish hall, the 1915 rectory south of the church, and the cemetery on Rocky Ford Road.
- 1885 brick church at 32 N. Jones Avenue
- 1902 parish hall
- 1915 brick rectory (south of the church)
- Cemetery on Rocky Ford Road (established under Fr. Clarke, iron fence added 1892)
Plan Your Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone at (815) 857-2315 or by email at [email protected]. The official Facebook page — Saints Patrick, Mary, and Flannen — carries bulletins and the latest updates from the three-parish cluster.
- Phone: (815) 857-2315
- Email: [email protected]
- Office near the church in Amboy, IL
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Mark Anthony, CM1853 (visiting)
Celebrated the first Mass in Amboy in the log cabin of Michael Egan.
- Father Bray1856
First resident pastor of Amboy; parish of St. Patrick's formally founded.
- Father John Vahey1858 – c. 1859
Rallied the people to rebuild after the 1857 fire; frame church in use by spring 1859.
- Father M.J. Clarke9 years (Civil War era)
Baptized 400+ and performed 100+ marriages; purchased cemetery land on Rocky Ford Road.
- Rev. Francis A. Keeganby Dec. 1885
Pastor when the present brick church was opened on Christmas Day 1885.
- Father Joseph Gallagherearly 1900s
Oversaw construction of the parish hall in 1902.
- Father T.J. Cullendrained until retirement to Aurora
Built the brick rectory (in use since 1915), St. Anne's School (dedicated Sept. 3, 1923), and the convent/chapel.
- Fr. M.A. Kissane10 months
Served as administrator after Fr. Cullen's retirement until Fr. Troy's appointment.
- Father Robert C. TroyJuly 1929 – Feb. 26, 1966
37-year pastor who planted and nurtured the parish's deep faith; died of a heart attack in the rectory.
- Father Thomas Dzielakassociate
Associate pastor who anointed Fr. Troy and made his funeral arrangements.