If You Build It, They Will Come: Traditional Catholicism Is Thriving in Rockford, Illinois

From cradle Catholics to converts, a full Traditional Catholic parish life yields fruits in the heartland

St. Mary Oratory in downtown Rockford, Illinois, was canonically erected by Bishop Thomas Doran in 1997, making it the second U.S. church for the Institute of Christ the King.

The original church was founded in 1865 and dedicated in 1887, and is the second largest church in Rockford. The church building also features an adjoining Lourdes-style grotto that was built in 1928.

Kalah Williams of rural Rochelle, Illinois, is a wife, grandmother, mother and primary educator of six children and a former parish secretary for more than 20 years at St. Patrick church in Rochelle. After periodic attendance beginning in 2009, Kalah and her husband David began regularly attending St. Mary Oratory regularly in 2013.

“In July 2009, when I was pregnant with our sixth child, and we began attending the Traditional Latin Mass that was then available at St. Patrick in Rochelle out of curiosity,” Kalah said.

“My husband, who was lackadaisical in the Faith at that time, loved it immediately.”

David Williams began attending the Traditional Mass around 2009 when a diocesan Priest began offering it weekly in Rochelle, Illinois, about 25 miles south of Rockford. The Mass lasted until about 2013 when the parish priest was moved elsewhere, but the Mass left an immediate and lasting influence on David.

“Father asked me if I would assist him during the Mass. He showed me a missal and highlighted when to ring the bells and when to do the collection. I had no idea what I was doing, but because of this experience, I learned the Mass and understood how to follow along quickly,” David said.

“After a period of time, I was able to serve the Mass, and eventually one of my sons would serve with me. Something very impactful to me was when Father, in his vestments and my son and I in cassock and surplus, bearing the torches and bells, would bring the Blessed Sacrament to the local nursing homes,” David said. “I will forever remember entering those places, the echoing pure sound of the bell announcing Christ’s Presence and the look on people’s faces as we entered. When Father was moved, we lost the Traditional Latin Mass at our parish and we began to attend St. Mary Oratory in Rockford, where both of my boys would one day serve.”

His wife Kalah explains her first exposure to the Traditional Latin Mass after a lifetime of assisting only at the Novus Ordo Mass. “At that time, I was hungry and eager in the Faith, but I was initially repelled by the silence of the Low Mass and the fact that it was completely foreign to me,” Kalah said.

“I told the priest it didn’t feel Catholic, and he laughed. My husband decided this was our new Mass for Sundays and he assisted Father in every way that he was able.”

David said that St. Mary Oratory in Rockford has seen substantial growth since around 2020. “Before COVID, we would have an average of 350 attend the two Masses. Today, we average 450 and sometimes exceed 500 attendees for the two Masses. Most of the attendees are young families. We continue to see new faces all the time as the Traditional Latin Mass is restricted in other places, people are traveling further to be able to attend. When our family travels, we always stay in places that offer the Traditional Latin Mass,” he said.

Not only are cradle Catholics drawn to the traditional worship and full traditional doctrine and piety of the Faith, but more converts and even non-Christians are finding their way to Tradition.

Jacqueline Dawson, and her husband Charles, parents of seven children, entered the one, true, Catholic and apostolic Church in 2015. Jacqeline was not baptized at the time so she said that in order to become Christian, she immediately went to a Baptist church because she figured they would be open to her desire to be baptized immediately along with her three children. Imagine her surprise when the leaders of the Baptist church rejected that desire.

“I knew the Catholics baptized babies, so I talked to my Catholic friend and then my husband and I went through the RCIA process.”

Jacqueline said that she and her husband found their way to the Institute church and the Traditional Latin Mass, sacraments and devotions “during the COVID hysteria time.”

“We stayed because of the reverence. We loved Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and it really seemed like the Institute priests did too.”

“The traditional faith speaks to all people in their hearts. The Institute’s community resources provide for a full expression of the traditional faith. I understand that diocesan priests learning traditional ways on their own sometimes struggle to give the people of their parish the fullness of the full traditional Catholic life like processions, the full holy week [Editor’s note: which is banned for diocesan parishes], but the Institute can do all of that because they have the resources and knowledge already,” she said.

One poignant example of the pastoral solicitude that the priests of the Institute of Christ the King can bring to families is during times of extreme distress and sorrow.

“When our new-born baby died, the Institute priests guided us to understand that she was in heaven and that we should be thankful. She was born alive at 12 weeks gestation and we were able to baptize her before she died. It was a grace-filled experience with God guiding every step.”

Traditional Catholicism is the fullness of the faith, Jacqueline added. “It is reasonable, beautiful, and reverent. Everyone wants that.”

Mary-Kate Phillips, wife and mother of three living children, is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville [Ed. Note: St. Mary Oratory also has at least one other wife and mother who also graduated from Steubenville] and is a regular attendee at the Institute Oratory in Rockford. She was brought up by devout Catholic parents and said she yearned for a deepening of her Faith, so she chose Franciscan University and found the Traditional Latin Mass there.

“Franciscan University definitely stood out by its emphasis on being ‘passionately Catholic.’”

Over time, Mary-Kate she said that she “yearned for something richer” and that the charismatic movement presence evident at Steubenville which seemed to her to be “superficial.”

“A few friends and I ended up finding St. Peter’s off campus in downtown Steubenville and would attend the Latin Mass on Sundays. There is without a doubt a difference between the two liturgies: The Traditional Latin Mass is like entering into something that reaches far beyond us, whereas, for me, the Novus Ordo lacks depth and a supernatural emphasis,” she said.

Mary-Kate and her husband Matthew, both journeyed to the Traditional Faith and worship together and their relationship deepened over 10 years. They both recognized the Divine spiritual devotion and benefits to the sacrament of matrimony and family life offered by living a Traditional Catholic life together.

Mary-Kate said that her matrimonial vocation “forces me to set aside worldly desires” and “encourages me and my family to take a step up.”

“I used to work for in a parish, and I remember how commonly it was for the deacons to say that priests have to meet people where they’re at. And although I do understand the sentiment, it is flawed. One can absolutely be understanding of a person’s state of life and their background, but still gently call them to excellence and aspire to true holiness just as Christ did and instructed,” she said.

“I think people see the truth in the Traditional Latin Mass,” said David Williams.

“In a world that teaches that truth is relative, people are searching for and learning that there is absolute truth. The Institute of Christ the King visibly shows all of this splendor through beauty and reverence during the Mass and outside of the Mass,” he said. “I truly believe that they love being disciples of Christ and understand the enormity of their vocation. They don’t treat their vocation as merely a job, but instead truly love being Canons who care for the souls they have jurisdiction over.

“During one of our son’s weddings, a lot of the non-Catholics remarked about the beauty and reverence of the Nuptial Mass. One young lady was so profoundly moved, after Mass she told us she ‘felt this marriage had been done in front of God,’” David Williams said.

“The power of truth and beauty in the Traditional Latin Mass is unmistakable.”

Message from Jim Robinson:

Dear FRiends,

We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.

If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:

Click here: to donate by Credit Card

Or here: to donate by PayPal

Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794

Thank you very much and God bless you,

Jim

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

If You Build It, They Will Come: Traditional Catholicism Is Thriving in Rockford, Illinois

Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter: Now over 600 members, 25 priestly ordinations this year