Front view of a red brick church with large arched stained glass window, steps leading to wooden doors, surrounded by a flower garden and tall trees, under a clear blue sky.

Celebrating 150 Years of the Church of St. Mary

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A black-and-white sketch of a church with a tall steeple and crosses, surrounded by trees.
Colored stained glass window depicting Jesus praying with a book and a dove, surrounded by decorative patterns.
Painting of a white church with a tall steeple, surrounded by trees and a field under a blue sky with clouds.

Join us throughout the year as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Church of St. Mary in Lake Forest! Enjoy special events and community initiatives that honor our past and look to the future. Plans are underway, so check back regularly for updates and new details. Please contact the parish office for more information about these events or to be involved in planning.

  • Families with school age children will be eligible to host the traveling Pilgrim Statue of Mary and Child Jesus for the first month of our 150th Anniversary celebration. A monthly drawing will be held for successive families to host throughout the year.

    Learn more and register to be a host family.

  • After all Masses, please stop for a Sweet Treat and Beverage and Mingle with your fellow parishioners - Food, Fun, and Fellowship!

  • After all Masses, please stop for a Sweet Treat and Beverage and Mingle with your fellow parishioners - Food, Fun, and Fellowship!

  • Come Join the CoSM Lake Forest Days Parade Float!  

    The Church of St. Mary will be participating in the Lake Forest Days Parade.

    We are collaborating with the School of St. Mary, as we put out this call for all parishioners, school students, families, and ministries to join in the fun. As we celebrate our church's 150 Years of Grace anniversary and our country's 250th birthday, it is our hope that everyone will come out to assist in decorating our float and/or walk in the Lake Forest Days Parade on Wednesday, August 5,2026. 

    The Parade Float decorating session will take place on Tuesday, August 4 from 3:00pm to 5:00pm in the CoSM Oakwood parking lot. 

    Parade walkers will assemble on Wednesday, August 5 at 9:30am at the parade start point on Western Ave.. The parade will begin at 10:00am. 

    Meet back at noon in the CoSM Oakwood parking lot to help disassemble the parade float. 

    Please sign up by contacting Ann Sandretto at ac2368@gmail.com  by July 29th. 

  • Sunday, September 13, following the Noon Mass, all are invited to join together on St. Mary’s Green for a street party. 

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  • Click here to see pictures from the event.

  • Bishop O’Malley presided over the 12 PM mass to celebrate the kickoff of our 150th Anniversary of the Church of St. Mary events. Click here to see the pictures.

  • Thank you for celebrating with us!

    Click here to read our thank you!

  • A one-man play starring Chicago sports personality, Wayne Messmer as Father (St.) Damien. Friday, October 17, 2025 7:00 p.m.

    This 90 minute performance of St. Damien, who transformed a 19th-century leper colony in Hawaii, will be held in the Church of St. Mary. A reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the UGC school gym.

    Beer & Wine will be available for purchase.

    TICKETS: $25 Adults $10 Kids under 18 years old RECEPTION: $10

    Click here for more information and purchase tickets


  • Join us in making a difference for families in need. The Church of St. Mary will lead a community diaper drive to support those in our area.

    Click for more information.


  • October 14 - November 10, 2025
    History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff
    500 East Deerpath Road, Lake Forest
    Admission: Free

    Explore the rich history of the Church of St. Mary at a special exhibit showcasing memorabilia from our parish and personal contributions from parishioners. This exhibit honors the church’s 150-year legacy and its vital role in the community.

    Click here for more information.

  • Experience the beauty of the Music for All Souls, performed by the Niles Metropolitan Chorus and the Musica Lumina Orchestra. This special concert will be a moving tribute of remembrance and hope. 

    Click for more information and tickets

  • Begin the holiday season with joy and tradition at our Annual Holiday Concert. Handel’s Messiah, presented by the Niles Metropolitan Chorus and the Musica Lumina Orchestra, will once again fill our church with glorious music.  Ticket price:  Adults:  Advanced purchase: $20    At the door:  $25  Children:  Free

    All are welcome - come celebrate faith, community, and the gift of music with us.

  • All are welcome to join us on a 6-week journey to experience the grace of belonging more fully to Jesus through Mary.

    • Weekly sessions for 6 weeks, October 28-December 2, at 7 p.m. in the Parish Center

    • Final consecration ceremony on December 8 (Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception) for those choosing to make the act of total devotion

    Click here for more information.

  • Project Linus: Blanket-Making for Kids in Need

    All Parishioners welcome. Children under 12 MUST be accompanied by a parent or guardian over the age of 18.

    Saturday, February 14, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
    Woodlands Academy – Gloria Dei Center
    700 E. Westleigh Road, Lake Forest, IL


    Click here to register.

  • Project Happy Cards

    Card Making for Kids and Memory Care Residents

    Religious Education Students will be creating cards to give to those in need. This event will take place during Religious Education class time.

    Dates & Times:

    Sunday, March 1st, 2026   10:30 a.m. UGC and PGC

    Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026   7:45 p.m. UGC


    Click here to learn more.

  • Sunday March 15th

    3:30pm

    Church of Saint Mary

    All are Welcome!!

    Click Here for more information and tickets

  • Thursday, April 16, 2026

    6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

    The History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff 509 E. Deerpath Road, Lake Forest

    While many volumes have been written covering the American Civil War, few have shined a light on the role of faith before, during and after the fighting. Rev. Robert J. Miller’s comprehensive study focuses on the pervasive religious undercurrent of American society during this period. The faithful in both the North and the South used religion in their justifications over slavery. The perspectives of Protestants, Catholics, Jews, clergy, soldiers, civilians, slaves and free people are collected here, adding to an understanding of the complex set of events that surround America’s deadliest conflict. Robert J. Miller is a recently retired Catholic priest with 50 years of ministry, most recently at St. Dorothy Church on Chicago’s south side (previously Holy Angels and St. Joachim Church). Rev. Miller is also a Civil War scholar, holding offices on the Chicago Civil War Roundtable since 2003, culminating in his presidency of the organization in 2005-2006. A specialist in the role of religion and chaplains during the Civil War, Rev. Miller has written eight books on spirituality and history, his most recent is Faith of the Fathers: The Comprehensive Study of Catholic Civil War Chaplains, released in 2025 by Notre Dame Press. He remains a popular speaker and lecturer around the Midwest in areas of spirituality, Scripture, Faith and Civil War religion.

  • April 19th

    Church of Saint Mary

    Join us for the latest installment of our concert series.

  • Join us on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 as we travel by bus to the only Vatican approved Marian apparition site in the U.S.  Registration closes June 17 . 

    Register Here

  • After all Masses, please stop for a Sweet Treat and Beverage and Mingle with your fellow parishioners - Food, Fun, and Fellowship!

Click the plus (+) next to each event title for more information.

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An elderly woman being helped to walk by a man in a baseball cap on a grassy field near a baseball diamond with trees in the background.
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People lined up at an ice cream truck with a colorful design, during daytime.
Three men standing behind a table with a sign that reads 'Pilgrim Statue Sign-Up' during an outdoor event. They are shaking hands, and one man is holding a microphone. The table has a religious statue and some papers on it, with a chain-link fence in
Ice cream truck serving people with customers in front, including a man and a woman, at an outdoor event with trees in the background.
Two women wearing volunteer badges and sunglasses smiling in an outdoor park with balloons and a children playing in the background.
Children playing a tug of war game outdoors on a grassy field, with a colorful flag or banner overhead and parked cars in the background.
Three women standing together at an outdoor event, smiling, with a crowd of people and a playground in the background.
Two men smiling outdoors at a community event, with trees and people in the background and clear blue sky.
Three young boys sitting outdoors at a celebration, with colorful balloons in the background. The boy on the right has face paint and is eating ice cream, the boy in the middle has face paint and is drinking water, and the boy on the left is looking
Four people smiling and standing outdoors in front of an ice cream truck, during daytime. Two men and two women, all wearing casual clothing and sunglasses, with name tags on their shirts.
Two boys playing giant Jenga game in a park with trees and people in the background.
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A young girl sitting next to a small inflatable pool filled with water bottles, smiling and looking up.
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A religious ceremony inside a church with a congregation, priests in red robes, and a bishop wearing a red mitre. The altar is decorated with plants and a green cloth, with stained glass windows in the background.
Catholic mass being celebrated with priests and altar servers wearing green vestments, altar decorated with flowers, and congregation in attendance.
A religious leader in black clerical attire shaking hands with a woman in black, while a man in a blue suit talks to them at an indoor event with a blue curtain in the background.
A choir performing in front of stained glass windows inside a church or cathedral.
A priest and a bishop standing at the altar inside a church. The priest is smiling with his hands pressed together in prayer, wearing green liturgical vestments. The bishop, dressed in green with a red zucchetto, is wearing vestments with gold accent
A congregation participating in a church service, with priests and altar servers at the altar, surrounded by a large gathered audience in a church with stained glass windows.
Four people standing together on a gymnasium gym floor, three men and one woman, all smiling at the camera. The man on the left is wearing a black suit, the woman is in a red floral dress, the man next to her is in a clerical outfit, and the man on t
A religious statue of Mary holding baby Jesus, surrounded by white and purple flowers.
Display honoring the church of St. Mary with framed artwork, a flower arrangement on a black-draped table, and a bouquet of pink and green hydrangeas in a decorative stone pot.
A large congregation inside a church during a service, with clergy in green vestments leading the procession down the aisle.