A Parish Worth Driving Miles For
by Michael Zost
I was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan as one of 6 kids (3 brothers, 2 sisters, 15 nieces and nephews). My father passed away when I was 3 1/2 from a car accident. I became active in the Catholic Church as an altar boy from grades 3 to 8 and then again at age 18 as a youth counselor to 12 and 13 year olds for four years.
After receiving my bachelor degree from Ferris State College in Michigan I moved to Chicago for graduate school and attended St. James Catholic Church near US Cellular Field. I received my doctorate in optometry in 1985 and moved to Long Island, New York for one year to complete a residency.
I returned to Chicago and began teaching and lived in the Lakeview area. I attended Holy Name Cathedral but also attended other nearby parishes such Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, St. Clement, and St. Vincent Depaul until about 1993. I was never involved or even registered as a parishioner at any church during that time. I didn’t know St. Teresa’s existed until a woman I was dating at the time suggested we go there. I eventually joined and became quite active. Over the years I’ve served as a eucharistic minister, lector, catechist, a volunteer for SITC, Millennium I, and served on Parish Council and Finance Council.
During this time I moved several more times due to getting married, divorced, and changing jobs. I eventually moved to Deerfield. However, I would still come to St. Teresa’s (40-minute drive each way) because it was home for me and there is nothing like it in the “burbs”.
I now live in Evanston with my wife of four years, Deana, and daughters Violet and Lucia. What hooked me into St. Teresa’s was the phenomenal priests and support staff, the progressiveness of this faith community, and the fellow parishioners I have shared a journey of discipleship with. It is truly a parish and community that is worth driving miles for.
