St. Joseph the Worker Parish
181 W. Dundee Rd.
Wheeling, IL 60090
(847) 537-2740

Polish and Hispanic children from St. Joseph the Worker Parish wore traditional dress in honor of Fr. Bonner’s installation. Parish member, Anna Strojny is shown here with Fr. George Gawlik, Fr. Michael Bonner, Bishop Jerome Listecki and Fr. Paul Cuong Nguyen.

The Society of the Divine Word ministers to parish groups comprised of predominantly black, Hispanic, Vietnamese or Polish immigrants in the Midwest and on the Eastern Seaboard. Lately, a new trend has emerged with many U.S. parishes being comprised of diverse racial and immigrant groups. St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Wheeling, Illinois, is one example of such a mixture. The parish is composed of Polish, Hispanic and Filipino immigrants as well as Anglo-Americans.

Fr. Michael Bonner, SVD, is pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Parish. Originally from Chicago, Fr. Bonner served as a missionary in the Philippines from 1966 to 1991. He served at St. Benedict the African Parish in Chicago from 1992 until 1994. From 1994 until his appointment as pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Parish, he served at St. Bronislava Parish in Chicago. The ethnic makeup of St. Bronislava Parish is African American, Hispanic, Haitian and Polish. As pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Fr. Bonner will be assisted by two other Divine Word Missionary priests: Fr. George Gawlik and Fr. Paul Cuong Nguyen.

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