St John the Baptist -L'erable

The town, a very small one at that, derives its name from the French word for maple tree.  A very good (as I can tell) synopsis of the origins of French Catholic settlement in the Kankaee river valley of Illinois is given at the following locations.

 http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilkankak/history/k3hist06/k30615.html
http://www.lib.niu.edu/2005/iht1220528.html

Much of the early work can be attributed to the work of a Father Charles Chiniquiy, who set about steering expatriated French-Canadians from the towns of New England  (Chiniquy proposed to turn these French-Canadian migrants away from the towns of New England, which were the "tombs of all that is dear to a Canadian: his religion, his language, and his nationality,"  (quote taken from 2nd reference www.lib.niu.edu......etc..) While the unfortunate Father Chiniquiy eventually came to grief over disputes with his Bishop and later became an apostate, laying some ground work for the "Chick tracts" of today ( may God have mercy on them both), the work of French priests in the Kankakee river valley bore fruit. As with German-Americans, the use of the mother tongue is, unfortunately, largely lost.  Still, the Catholic presence remains alive and well.  The Church at L'erable is an excellent example.  One of the oldest all wood structures in Illinois, it is, unlike the Ha'nakcer Mill, not abandoned.   Though it is locked most of the time, the parishioner are proud of and love their church, and it was through their agency that we were allowed a glimpse of the inside.   The reredos and and original paint scheme of the church are preserved and parishioners are making efforts to restore the stained glass windows as well.  The church contains a very uncommon representation of Our Blessed Mother known as Our Lady of the Spindle, likely an allusion to the excellence which would have pervaded all  Our Lady's affairs, even the simplest house work.  There was a school at the site, now derelict, whose name escapes me, and a churchyard full of old headstones which bear witness to the French-Canadian and Belgian roots of many of the early Catholics. Although the loss of the school, and the fall of Fr Chinquiy cloud the otherwise pleasant memory, the Church at L'erable is alive and though perhaps a little more distantly, is still in touch with the glorious age of American Catholicism which this blog holds in memory.  As you may expect, here are some pictures of the location.

http://picasaweb.google.com/DocMeadows85/101009StJohn#