Parish named for Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus keeps the faith on Chicago’s South Side

St. Louis, Mo., Jul 29, 2023 / 02:30 am

July 29 is the feast day of Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. It’s a relatively new feast day, having been implemented fewer than three years ago. You may remember these siblings — especially since they are mentioned in all four Gospels — as friends and disciples of Jesus.

Individually, each of the three siblings has important lessons to teach. Martha, the oldest sibling, has a heart for service but is also anxious and worried about many things; Jesus encourages her to focus on the contemplation of Jesus himself, as her sister Mary has done. And Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from the dead provides a powerful witness to the eventual resurrection of the body. Together, the siblings display admirable qualities of unity and love.

For one Catholic parish, Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus Parish on the South Side of Chicago, the patronage of Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus serves as a symbol of the unity that has come about through the merging of three previously distinct parishes into one new and diverse community. 

Father Mark Thomas Ameh, the pastor and a native of Nigeria, arrived at the parish earlier this month after previously ministering in Las Vegas. He told CNA that the church was built originally as St. Margaret of Scotland Parish. But amid an ongoing archdiocese-wide consolidation process, “Renew My Church,” the parish was merged in 2022 with two others.

Ameh was not in Chicago when the renaming of the merged parish took place, but he said a person who was present during the renaming told him that the name was chosen to reflect the fact that the new parish was made of three former ones coming together. Despite its new triple patronage, the church still has a statue of St. Margaret of Scotland on the high altar.

The priest of the Missionary Society of St. Paul described the parish as a “vibrant” church of about 500 registered parishioners. He said in many ways the parish is “still in transition,” adjusting to the new reality of the merged parishes. Many of the congregants attended St. Margaret’s for years and are still adjusting to the new name and patronage. 

The congregation today is very diverse, he said, with a majority being Black, either African American or otherwise. There are also smaller numbers of Asian and white parishioners, he said. 

Most people know that Chicago’s South Side has a reputation for being a dangerous place to live and work. Before arriving, Ameh heard a lot of stories about the South Side of Chicago being a tough place, but said in his opinion so far, it is “not as dangerous as it is portrayed.”

Ameh said he hopes people of goodwill might be moved to donate to assist with the parish’s significant maintenance needs. 

“Years of wear and tear have made the church lose some of its original beauty,” the priest said. “Being an older community, we have a limit on what we can do.”

The parish is scheduled to hold a special Mass in honor of its patrons on July 29 at 8:30 p.m. CST. 

A 2021 decree from the Congregation for Divine Worship said that Pope Francis had included Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in the General Roman Calendar “considering the important evangelical witness they offered in welcoming the Lord Jesus into their home, in listening to him attentively, in believing that he is the resurrection and the life.”

The memorial of St. Martha was already included on July 29 in the General Roman Calendar before the Second Vatican Council, but St. Lazarus and St. Mary had been originally left off due to uncertainty about the identity of Mary Magdalene.

So, why change the memorial to all three siblings instead of Martha alone?

The decree explained that these uncertainties “have been resolved in recent studies and times,” and pointed out that Mary and Lazarus are already commemorated on July 29 in the “Roman Martyrology,” the Church’s official catalog of martyrs and saints.