A brief history
St. Gerald Parish & School.
For more than ninety years, St. Gerald Parish and its school have been a cornerstone of Catholic life on Chicago's southwest side — forming students in faith, character, and academics through times of joy and hardship alike.
St. Gerald Parish is established in Oak Lawn, with Fr. Loras Welsh as its founding pastor — the beginning of a Catholic community that would serve generations of families.
On April 21, one of the deadliest tornadoes in Illinois history tears through Oak Lawn, devastating the community and the school. Dozens of lives are lost, including parishioners. The parish rebuilds — restoring and expanding the school in a testament to its resilience.
The parish marks its 50th and, twenty-five years later, its 75th anniversary — milestones celebrated by a community that has only grown closer.
The Jonathan Collins Activity Center is dedicated, named in memory of a parishioner's grandson and Marine killed in service, and built and funded by the parish's Holy Name Society.
St. Gerald School educates around 300 students from preschool through 8th grade, supported by a devoted network of parish and parent organizations — the very community the Foundation exists to strengthen.
A short history — the parish and school can tell it far more fully on their own sites below.
The St. Gerald community
Explore our parish family
The Foundation is one part of a larger community. Visit the parish, school, and the organizations that support them.