By SARAH CULTON
sarah.culton@leaderpub.com

One Edwardsburg church is losing the leader of its flock.
Father Joe McCormick has announced he will be leaving his position at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, 24832 US-12.  He will be transferring to a parish in Homer Glen, Illinois in July. The move will take place just a couple of months after McCormick celebrates the 40th anniversary of his time as a priest.
“Normally, someone my age should be thinking about retirement,” McCormick said. “Since I’m 68, if I’m going to make a move, I’ve got to do it while I’m still in my sixties.”
Born and raised in Chicago, McCormick was ordained in 1977 and spent many years there and in the Detroit area. A member of the Augustinian Order, he came to Our Lady of The Lake in 2006 after a brief stint at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Niles, Michigan. Two years ago, he also became the pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church in Cassopolis, Michigan. Originally, his post was meant to be temporary.
“The temporary assignment lasted 11 years,” McCormick said. “It’s really been the best assignment of my 40 years.”
McCormick said he is proud of the things he and the parish have been able to accomplish together. He is particularly pleased with the new addition that was added to the church two years and the positive reaction parishioners have had with it.
He is also proud of the way the church has grown, which he said has doubled in terms of population since he started.
Despite his admitted love for the Edwardsburg community, McCormick felt God was pulling him in a different direction.
“We were all surprised, including me. I’ve always said I wanted to finish off my service here. But around Christmas, I got this little itch inside me that people get, this little nudge or prompting that maybe God has something more for me to do,” McCormick said. “Maybe there’s one more parish in me.”
In addition to satisfying the pull he felt to move, McCormick’s new parish, which is three times larger in terms of population than Our Lady of the Lake, will bring him closer to family and other members of the Augustinian Order.
Members and staff of the parish were surprised and saddened by the announcement that McCormick was leaving.
“We thought maybe he would retire here. We hoped we would get to keep him,” Our Lady of the Lake’s Administrative Assistant Cindy Antos said. “He has great people skills and he’s great with the parish and he does a really beautiful liturgy. I really think he has done a great job of helping this parish grow. We reach out to people not just in Edwardsburg, but Elkhart and Osceola and Cass County and Niles, even Granger. We have parishioners from all over.”
Despite their disappointment, the staff is already working with McCormick to prepare for his replacement, who will be a member of the Kalamazoo, Michigan diocese.
“The staff has been great. We have been having a lot of discussion about what kinds of things need to happen now in preparation for the new pastor. There are jobs I’m trying to get done while I’m still here so as not to burden the new pastor,” McCormick said. “So far, there’s just been a lot of good cooperation.”
McCormick is planning to announce his successor within the next few weeks.