Fr. James' Letters

November 5, 2023

Dear Parishioners,

I remember having a football coach one time run sprints with us at the end of practice. Normally, as you know, the coaches watch the players run the sprints and blow the whistle. But not this coach. He was with us. This motivated me and inspired me. I wasn’t going to quit. I wasn’t even going to grumble about the labor. I wanted to do this because someone I respected was doing it. And besides, I couldn’t let this old man outdo me in sprints!

Read more: November 5, 2023

October 29, 2023

Dear Parishioners,

The scene in our Gospel is like a WWF match: Jesus versus the Religious Authorities. First the Herodians step into the ring. They test Jesus by asking him about paying taxes to the Roman emperor. They start waving to the crowd and taunting Jesus, like they’ve got him beat. Jesus bests them by responding, “Render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” The Herodians limp out of the ring.

Read more: October 29, 2023

October 22, 2023

Dear Parishioners,

My priest friends make fun of me for clipping coupons out of the newspaper. Now, I’m not a professional coupon collector, like I know some people are, but I also don’t ignore a good coupon when I see one. For instance, a few months ago was a coupon for White Castle: buy five sliders, get five sliders free. My friends weren’t laughing at me when I brought home for dessert a sack of ten sliders. I was a hero. And the other week was a coupon for Dairy Queen: buy one blizzard and get a second blizzard for just 99 cents. Gold.

Read more: October 22, 2023

Who is Fr. James?

Father James Wallace grew up in Winnetka, Illinois and attended Sts. Faith Hope and Charity grammar school, New Trier High School, and then The George Washington University in Washington DC, where he earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science in 2007. He attended seminary at The Pontifical North American College in Rome and was ordained a priest in 2012 for the Archdiocese of Chicago. In addition to being the pastor of Saint Paul of the Cross Parish, he serves as a canon lawyer for the Archdiocese, a dean in Vicariate II, and a professor of canon law and spiritual director at Mundelein Seminary. He is also one of the featured Mercy Home Sunday Mass celebrants, airing Sundays at 9:30am on WGN.

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Contact Information

St. Paul of the Cross

320 South Washington Street
Park Ridge, IL 60068


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Phone: (847) 825-7605

Mass Schedule

UC = Upper Church
HFC = Holy Family Chapel 

Monday - Friday

6:25 am UC

8:30 am UC

Saturday

8:30 am UC - weekday Mass

4:30 pm UC - vigil

Sunday

7:30 am UC

9:00 am UC

10:30 am UC and HFC

12:00 pm UC