2025 Cemetery Walk: Nick Behr & the History of St. Irene's Catholic Church
Good evening. My name is Nick Behr. I’m sure my name Behr sounds familiar to you all since my brothers ran the Behr Bros. Chevrolet for many years just down the street from here and there is still a neighborhood bearing my name, Behr Circle Drive. It is a treat to be here tonight, as you might know this but Catholics are generally not buried in non-Catholic cemeteries. Warrenville’s Cemetery is not a Catholic cemetery, so far too often our stories are left out of your wonderful annual cemetery walk, but tonight is special. Although I am not buried here, I have been invited to come back to my community and tell you about St. Irene’s Church.
Behr Bros. Chevrolet
We will start back at my beginning though:) I was born here in May of 1884. I was the second oldest son of us twelve Behr children. In 1911 I married Mary Schwarts. We settled in Warrenville after our wedding and purchased the old Watson farm, Mrs. Watson was a Kline and I’m glad to hear the Forest Preserve still runs her family’s farm as a living history site. It is hard to believe today but our land was completely open as there was nothing much of anything built south of here. As we aged, we sold off sections of the land and eventually established what would become Behr Circle Dr, with the land to the west becoming our new Catholic Church, St. Irene’s.
St. Irene’s first started in 1927 as a Mission Church under Sts. Peter and Paul in Naperville.
That same year, on June 9, 1927, a small temporary church was built on Aurora Road, I think you call that Warrenville Road today, just across from the very cemetery we stand in tonight. It cost about $3,500. It was a good start for the congregation, but by September, Father Laukemper had already drawn up plans for a new permanent church. That project would cost $35,000.
In 1930, Father Francis X. Harnischmacher became our first permanent priest. He worked tirelessly to give us a permanent home, purchasing a portion of our Behr farmland for the church in 1932—three and three-quarter acres for $5,000. Not long after, the new church was erected on that very property, and a rectory was built beside it. For the first time, St. Irene truly felt like the heart of Warrenville’s Catholic community.
Years passed, and the parish grew. In 1953, under Father Aloysius Stier, St. Irene School was opened, staffed by the School Sisters of St. Francis. In 1959, fundraising began to build a convent for the sisters. That dream became a reality in 1961 when the new convent was added to the parish complex. I passed away in 1969, just two years after Warrenville finally incorporated in 1967. That brought much opportunity for our community, including growth.
Our growing city meant that by the mid-1980s, it became clear that St. Irene’s church needed to expand again. In 1987, Father Tom Corbino became the eighth priest, and he brought fresh energy and vision. It wasn’t easy and took many years to gain input and see fundraising through, but on Father’s Day, June 19, 1994, they broke ground for a new St. Irene’s Church. On September 1, 1995, the final Mass was celebrated in the old church and the very next day, on September 2, 1995, Bishop Joseph L. Imesch dedicated the new St. Irene Church. It was the culmination of decades of faith, sacrifice, and community spirit, but if I’m honest, I am glad the old church still stands and holds church programs.
Although I missed a lot, I’m so grateful that I got the chance to come back to Warrenville and talk about the amazing things that have happened on our old farmstead through the growth of St. Irene’s Catholic Church. Thank you