Dear St. Andrew Parish,
I send my heartfelt greeting to all of you. As I write this letter of introduction, we are still in the Easter season and so I pray that the joy of Our Risen Lord reach you and your families. It is with great joy and humility that I introduce myself to all of you as your new pastor. Back in May, I received a call from Bishop Siemianowski on behalf of Cardinal Cupich, sharing with me the news that I have been appointed the next pastor of St. Andrew’s Parish in Lakeview. I am very excited to meet all of you and become immersed in the life of St. Andrew’s Parish and School.
I grew up in Buffalo Grove, IL, and have been a Cubs fan all my life. I attended Iowa State University with the hopes of becoming a Graphic Designer. However, in a profound moment of my life, returning back to my faith, I felt Jesus call me to His priesthood while at prayer in Eucharistic Adoration. After two years at Iowa State, I transferred to the College Seminary, which at the time was located on the campus of Loyola University. There, I received my undergraduate degree in Philosophy and then attended Mundelein Seminary. I was ordained to the priesthood of Jesus Christ on June 29th, 2020. It has been within this call to the priesthood that I found my great joy in life and have been on this amazing adventure ever since. I am delighted to continue this journey with all of you.
Since my ordination I have had the privilege to serve as an Associate Pastor at St. Emily’s Parish in Mount Prospect for five years. Just this past spring I completed my advanced studies at Mundelein earning a Licentiate in Sacred Theology. For the last four years, I have been an adjunct professor with Mundelein Seminary, teaching courses to seminarians in their first year of formation at the Bishop Quarter House downtown.
The joy of this life, as both priest and fellow Catholic, is coming to know Our Lord Jesus and deepening that union with Him that we first received at Baptism. This is the adventure that I love and want to share with all of you!
Please keep me in your prayers and know already of my prayers for all of you.
In cordibus Jesu et Mariae,
(In the hearts of Jesus and Mary)
Fr. Hank Lyon
