PDF Download: Preservation Chicago’s 2019 Chicago 7 Most Endangered Booklet

Roman Catholic Churches of Chicago

Address:    Throughout Chicago

Architect: Dillenberg & Zucher, John van Osdel, Patrick Keely, Burnham & Root, Gregory Vigeant, Henry Engelbert, William Brinkman, Henry Schlacks, Worthmann & Steinbach and others

Date:   Between c.1857 to about c.1927

Style:      Victorian Gothic, Renaissance Revival, Romanesque, Byzantine-Romanesque, Gothic, Roman Basilica, French Gothic

Neighborhood:  Throughout Chicago, but mostly in Pilsen, Bridgeport, Canaryville and Uptown communities

OVERVIEW

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago was once the largest and most populous diocese in the nation with the most parishes and largest parochial school system. Comprised of hundreds of magnificent church buildings, often on the grand scale, these churches were designed by some of America’s greatest architects and most recognized archi- tectural firms. The Chicago area, with 2.2 million Catholics, still stands as one of the largest concentrations of Cath- olics in the United States. The Archdiocese of Chicago represents an enviable assemblage of ethnic national parish- es and more mainstream parishes.

The church buildings which have made Preservation Chicago’s 7 Most Endangered List for 2019 are both gateways and landmarks in their communities and a great source of pride, stemming back to their inception—often built with the pennies, nickels and dimes of the Faithful. These structures were then given to an institution, including the Archdiocese of Chicago, to care for, maintain, staff and steward. In recent years, this has proven to be a challenging task.

Over the past three decades, the Archdiocese of Chicago and its holdings have been substantially trimmed and re- duced, with many religious buildings closed and merged, including parochial schools, which have often left commu- nities without their cherished houses of worship and a building vacant and devastated. The Archdiocese of Chicago has seen successive waves of church closings or consolidations. Nearly 30 years ago, under then-Archbishop Joseph Cardinal Benardin, a wave of church closings and consolidations swept through the city shuttering more than 40 churches and parochial schools. This is nothing less than tragic.

In 2016, news broke that by 2030 the Archdi- ocese of Chicago will have a rapidly decreas- ing number of priests serving, with the rate of retirement far exceeding new ordinations.

Six years ago, Chicago’s neighborhoods saw almost 50 public schools shuttered. Now some of the same neighborhoods will see their par- ish churches closed or consolidated. Commu- nities are often defined by their church and school institutions. With both the schools and churches in some neighborhoods closing, resi- dents could be left with large, vacant former community hubs to contend with. Churches are often among the last remaining resources in areas of disinvestment.

Cardinal Blaise Cupich has directed a new program called “Renew Your Church” which has caused a re-evaluation of the many churches and religious buildings that have historically been anchors of the city’s communities. This has brought about new discussions of massive closings, projected to be 75 to 100 buildings and parishes across Chicago which are to be merged, consolidated, closed, sold and perhaps demolished. Financial issues and an expected priest shortage have been cited as reasons for why this is happening. This is devastating to many beyond the Faithful to lose these magnificent buildings and structures which were to be built for the ages.

This is nothing less than a tragedy, impact- ing whole communities and cities across the nation. Despite a predicted shortage of religious personnel and other on-going issues, these buildings and communi- ty landmarks could have a better future. Led by community input and with public-private partnerships, advocates can pool resources together – including Landmark designation – to keep these buildings alive. After all, these build- ings and parishes are more than religious centers, but also community centers—hosting neighborhood meetings, food pantries, daycare, family and addiction counseling, educational facilities and warming centers in the most in- clement weather. We can collectively do better and want to spotlight these amazing buildings that are both Chicago and world treasures.

THREAT

It is now apparent that a wave of church closings is imminent. With an estimated 75 Catholic churches expected to close or consolidate over the next 10 years, this current restructuring of the Archdiocese of Chicago would be almost twice as large as the 1990 restructuring under then-Archbishop Joseph Cardinal Benardin.

Many of the churches targeted first for closure are the oldest and largest buildings and have higher operating costs; not surprisingly, this number includes many of Chicago’s most architecturally and historically significant churches. Currently there are 19 churches threatened with their doors being shuttered. For generations these churches served as spiritual centers and anchors to their parishes and neighborhoods. A majority of the churches are located on the South Side.

Most of these churches are either Red or Orange rated in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey (CHRS). In the CHRS, a color-coded ranking system was used to identify historic and architectural significance relative to age, de- gree of external physical integrity and level of possible significance. The CHRS defines red-rated properties as buildings which “possess some architectural feature or historical association that made them potentially significant in the broader context of the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois or the United States of America.” The CHRS de- fines orange-rated properties as buildings which “possess some architectural feature or historical association that made them potentially significant in the context of the surrounding community.” Despite their high ranking in the CHRS — ranking which proves the buildings are of high architectural and historical significance — most of the 19 churches are not designated Landmarks. Due to a 1987 amendment introduced by then Alderman Burt Natarus requiring church owner consent to Landmark a building, only a handful of Chicago churches are designated Chicago Landmarks. Because the churches lack Chicago Landmark or Landmark District designation, there is little availa- ble to protect them.

Since 2003, dozens of important houses of worship throughout Chicago have either been demolished or significantly altered. The loss of these incredible churches diminishes the character of the surrounding communities. Three years ago, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich wrote in the archdiocesan newspaper Catholic New World: “Demographics have shift- ed dramatically. Some of our parish buildings are in disrepair. We have fewer priests to pastor our faith communi- ties. The result is that we end up spreading our resources too thinly. We should not be afraid to face these realities.”—

RECOMMENDATIONS

Preservation Chicago is committed to ensuring the preservation of Chicago’s religious legacy. It will:

• Outreach to both the Archdiocese of Chicago and the City of Chicago to encourage Chicago Landmark Designa- tion of a number of historic buildings for protection against demolition and to make them eligible for Adopt-a- Landmark to help provide necessary restoration funds.
• Continue to proactively monitor vacant and abandoned religious structures throughout the city
• Continue to oppose inappropriate alterations and demolition
• Continue to encourage the city to amend the Chicago Landmarks Ordinance which currently allows owners of all houses of worship to opt out of the Chicago Landmarks Ordinance.
• Propose and advocate for policies that will encourage the restoration and repurposing of religious buildings of all faiths throughout the City of Chicago.

In April 2018 the City Council Zoning Committee approved Alderman Brian Hopkins’s ordinance to discourage “demolition by neglect” by fining property owners for letting historic properties or those within Landmark Districts deteriorate. Preservation Chicago advocated for the City Council’s formal enactment of Alderman Hopkins’s demolition by neglect ordinance. While the future of many Chicago’s Catholic churches is unknown, the city should proactively protect these architecturally and historically significant churches which are neighborhood landmarks and gathering places. Hopefully, with a strong ordinance in place, parishioners and preservationists would be allowed time to select the best use for the many churches projected to be closed.

According to canon law of the Catholic Church, if two or more parishes are merged the new combined parish may adopt a new name. While it may seem a small thing to some, Preservation Chicago recommends keeping the historic names of the Catholic churches, if possible. A name carries a lot of meaning. It can help tell the rich history of the neighborhood and parish.

Landmarks Illinois, a partner organization, has stated “many buildings that trigger a demolition delay due to their inclusion in the CHRS are architecturally significant but don’t meet more than one of two required criteria for Landmark designation due to lack of information regarding its original owner or architect. Yet these buildings often contribute to a neighborhood’s economy, historic streetscape, scale and character.” Preservation Chicago advocates for the City Council to amend the Chicago Landmarks Ordinance so that in special cases a Chicago Landmark designation based on one criterion, rather than two criteria, is possible. Preservation Chicago advocates for Chica- go’s Mayor and City Council to support an amendment to the Chicago Landmarks Ordinance that would again al- low the City Council to Landmark places of religious worship without the consent of the owner. This would allow the many Catholic churches included in the Archdiocese restructuring to be designated as a Chicago Landmark or to be located within a Chicago Landmark District. One idea could include an agreement that a select number of Archdiocese owned churches be landmarked in exchange for securing Adopt-a-Landmark funds for exterior repairs.

PRESERVATION CHICAGO ENDANGERED CHURCH WATCH LIST: The following churches have been added to the rapidly growing Preservation Chicago Endangered Church Watch List (listed from north to south):

St. Ita                                                           St. Barbara
St. Thomas of Canterbury                            Santa Lucia – Santa Maria Incoronata
St. Mary of the Lake                                     St. Mary of Perpetual Help
St. Stanislaus Kostka (Status TBD)             Nativity of Our Lord    
Notre Dame de Chicago                                St. Gabriel
Holy Family                                                   St. Michael Archangel
St. Adalbert (Chicago 7 2014 and 2016)    St. Camillus
St. Therese Chinese Catholic Church          St. Felicitas
St. Jerome Croatian                                     St. Joachim
All Saints – St. Anthony

PRESERVATION CHICAGO ENDANGERED CHRUCH WATCHLIST:

St. Ita Catholic Church (to be consolidated)
Architect: Henry J. Schlacks, 1924-1927
5500 N. Broadway, Edgewater, Edgewater (Community Area 77), 48th Ward
Orange-Rated

A monumental church located in the Edgewater community had modest beginnings. St. Ita’s first pastor, Father Crowe, was appointed on June 25, 1900 to establish a new congregation in Edgewater and St. Ita parish was found- ed the same year. After a century of sustained service and during its centennial year, a group of Roman Catholic parishes in Chicago, including St. Ita’s, were said be at risk of consolidations or closings of church buildings and schools by the archdiocese of Chicago.

These consolidations or closings have, since 1990, been periodically imposed on parishes which has shown sustained service to their communities in distinctive architectural complexes. As George Lane, S.J., implied in Chicago Churches and Synagogues: An Architectural Pilgrimage (1991), a series of Chicago’s Cardinals have ironically taken an interest in churches and parishes presently at risk, including “St. Ita Church 1924-27; 5500 North Broadway [1200 West]…French Gothic; Seating: 500.”

“In 1923 Father Crowe proposed the new church to Cardinal Mundelein who approved the plan and suggested the French Gothic style of architecture. The Cardinal took a great interest in the building. A large ‘M’ appears in the carved stone parapets all around the church. Although the plan of St. Ita’s was influenced by some features of the famous cathedrals of Chartres and of Brou in France, it was, for the most part, the original creation of the architect, Henry J. Schlacks.”

Long before construction began on Henry John Schlacks’s French Gothic masterpiece, brought about through the collaboration of Father Crowe and Cardinal Mundelein, Father Crowe celebrated the first Mass for the parish of St. Ita in the old Guild Hall on July 1, 1900. The first Mass was celebrated in a frame building of St. Ita Church on Christmas day, December 25, 1900. The frame building church was dedicated by Archbishop Feehan on June 9, 1901. On September 12, 1901, Father Crowe moved into the frame rectory which had been built at 1220 West Catalpa.

St. Ita School opened in the basement of the church on September 6, 1904, but with the parish increasing in

strength groundbreaking for a new school began at 5519 North Magnolia on April 2, 1906. On January 1, 1909, the Sisters of Mercy, who staffed the school, moved into a new convent next to the school building. All three stories of the brick school building were completed in September 1909.

On April 7, 1924, ground was broken for the present Church of St. Ita. This is architect Henry J. Schlack’s French Gothic masterpiece. On September 14, 1924, the cornerstone for the new church was laid after the old frame church had been razed. The first Mass celebrated in the present church occurred on April 17, 1927.

As George Lane, S.J., observed in 1991, the architecturally distinguished Henry Schlacks-designed church, a church which took three years to build, wound up being 186

feet long, 70 feet wide and 95 feet tall from the sidewalk to the top of the gable. The walls are four feet thick, and a whopping total of 3,500 tons of Bedford stone were quarried for the church. All that stone had to be quarried in In- diana and shipped to Chicago. The tower alone contains 1,800 tons of stone. It is, as George Lane has written, “an open, airy tower.” It has “delicate tracery, Gothic arches, finials, and gargoyles.” Like many of the at-risk church buildings of architectural distinction, St. Ita Church has long served as the chief focal point of its community.

St. Ita Church was dedicated by George Cardinal Mundelein on October 9, 1927, and Monsignor C. J. Quille was named pastor of St. Ita Parish on September 9, 1930, with Father Gerard C. Picard being named pastor of St. Ita on May 2, 1942.

Samuel Cardinal Stritch presided at the Golden Jubilee of the construction of the first Church of St. Ita Parish on November 18, 1951. With the church still strong, Father Raymond J. Morrison was named pastor of St. Ita Parish in May of 1968. The 50th Anniversary of Monsignor Picard’s Ordination was celebrated in the new Jubilee Hall on September 21, 1969, and on May 12, 1975, a Mass of Thanksgiving was celebrated to mark the 75th Anniversary of the St. Ita Parish. On February 11, 1976, Father Richard J. Feller was appointed pastor of St. Ita Parish. On Sep- tember 1, 1988, Father Laurence J. Maddock was appointed pastor of St. Ita Parish about two years before St. Ita Parish celebrated its 90th Anniversary.

The Centennial Year for St. Ita Parish began with the celebration of the Feast of Saint Ita on January 15, 2000. Francis Cardinal George presided at the Centennial Mass on November 19, 2000. On the same day, the new altar was dedicated and the Church was rededicated. During the first decade of the church’s second century, Father Ste-

ven W. Patte and Father David P. Pavlik were suc- cessively appointed pastor of St. Ita Parish before Father Jo Andre B. Beltran was appointed Pastor in July of 2012 and Father Bob Cook, was appoint- ed Pastor in July of 2016.

Despite that illustrious history of over 100 years, and despite the distinguished French Gothic archi- tecture of noted Chicago church architect Henry J. Schlack, St. Ita Parish is now in danger of a forced consolidation.

St. Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Church (to be consolidated)
Architect: Joseph W. McCarthy, 1917
4827    N.    Kenmore   Avenue,   Uptown,   Uptown (Community Area 03), 46th Ward
Orange-Rated

St. Thomas of Canterbury was consecrated in 1917, the same year that George Mundelein was installed as archbishop. For over a century this church has served Uptown. St. Thomas of Canterbury became a diverse Catholic faith community. It is situated six miles north of the Loop and three blocks west of Lake Michigan. The seed for the parish was planted in 1916. Of recent some 300 people come to worship on any given Sunday. Members are now drawn from all over the North Side and from Evanston. Sacraments have been celebrated in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Laotian each week. The Eritrean Catholic community has celebrated the Ge

-ez Rite liturgy on the first Sunday of each month. Still this parish is in danger of closing and being sold. St. Thomas of Canterbury is slated to be part of the new consolidated parish which includes St. Ita.

St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church (to be consolidated)
Architect: Henry J. Schlacks, 1917
4200 N. Sheridan Road, Buena Park/Uptown (Community Area 03), 46th Ward
Orange-Rated

Located on Chicago’s North Side in the Buena Park/ Uptown neighborhood, St. Mary of the Lake has been an evolving spiritual and social community blessed by diversity. Founded in 1901, St. Mary of the Lake Parish has provided spiritual nourishment, guidance and comfort for parishioners drawn from more than one Chicago neighborhood. A Catholic education has been provided for children by the parish preschool and grade school. St. Mary of the Lake Parish was established by Archbishop Patrick. A Feehan in September of 1901. Located in Buena Park, its community boundaries are Lake Michigan

on the east; Wilson Avenue on the north; Racine, Clark and the east line of Graceland Cemetery on the west; and Waveland Avenue on the south. In 1901, Buena Park was sparsely populated. At the time that Father John J. Dennison was appointed to organize the parish, with only 60 families identified as Catholics who attended church. Land was secured, and plans were formulated for a new building which was to be a combination church and residence. Groundbreaking on the original building occurred on November 20, 1901.

In April of 1913, Father Dennison announced plans to build a new church and rectory at the northwest corner of Buena Avenue and Sheridan Road. Before construction could begin, the Robert A. Waller home — which stood at 4210 North Sheridan Road — was purchased and moved to 1026 West Buena Avenue. The church was designed by Henry J. Schlacks, a Chicago native, who had already made a name for himself as a church architect. Schlacks chose the Italian Renaissance style of architecture for the church. He patterned the structure after the Roman churches of St. Paul Outside the Walls and Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major). The freestanding bell tower is a replica of the campanile of St. Pudentian Church in Rome. The altar’s pulpit and the altar rail reflect Henry Schlack’s creativity. Archbishop James E. Quigley laid the cornerstone of the present church on June 29, 1913. Archbishop Mundelein dedicated the church on May 20, 1917. At that time, the parish had 600 families. Work continued on the interior of the church for nine years. Ferdinando Palla of Pietrasanta, Italy, was awarded the

contract for all the marble work, and Professor Lamesi designed the shrines. The marble came from Carrera and was the same marble as that used by Michelangelo. The statues of St. Therese of Lisieux, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Jude, St. Rita, St. Anne, Sacred Heart, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, St. Agnes, St. Raphael and St. Anthony of Padua, the large Corinthian-order columns made of scagliola, the Corinthian capitals, and the triumphal arch are breathtaking. There are arches over the side altar and over the main cupola which are remeniscant of early Roman architecture. F. X. Zettler of the Royal Bavarian Art Institute in Munich, Germany, was commissioned for the stained glass windows. Also notable are the paintings and gold coffered ceiling. The church interior was completed in time for the XXVIII international Eucharistic Congress held in Chicago in the summer of 1926.

The parish school is situated on the east side of Kenmore Avenue, just north of Buena Avenue. The young architect, Joseph W. McCarthy, a native of New York, who grew up in Chicago and was taught by the Sisters of Mercy, de- signed a two-story school which had six classrooms on the second floor. The initial schoolhouse was noted for its lighting and classroom arrangement. The first floor of the school has a commodious and artistic auditorium which holds between 600-700 people. From its beginnings, the school has had a modern method of ventilation, and the school building has been considered fireproof. The Sisters of Mercy of St. Xavier’s administered and taught at the new school. From the 1920s to the 1960s, the Buena Park neighborhood continued to develop as a residential district. In 1928, Father Dennison was recognized for his role in nurturing the growth of St. Mary of the Lake Parish. He was named a Domestic Prelate with the title of Right Reverend Monsignor. He celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination on December 17, 1939. In 1930, the frame house that stood at 4220 North Sheridan Road was razed to make room for the new convent building and ground was broken in July of 1939. The spacious new facility was completed in December of 1939. The architectural firm of McCarthy, Smith and Eppig designed the convent in a Renaissance style. The Sisters’ former residence (the old Waler home) was razed, and the property on which it stood was graded as a playground and a parking lot.

On July 16, 1971, Most Reverend Nevin W. Hayes, O.Crm., Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago (under John Cardinal Cody), who had grown up on the South Side of Chicago in the St. Therese of the Infant Jesus Little Flower Parish, was ap- pointed pastor of St. Mary of the Lake Parish. Bishop Hayes purchased a building at 4221 North Kenmore Avenue in 1974 for use as a community center. St. Mary’s Community Center (now part of the former convent building) has be- come an important part of the neighborhood. Shortly after it began, Bishop Hayes was appointed pastor of St. Phillip Neri Church on the southeast side of Chicago. Reverend John C. Rosemeyer — who was administrator of Our Lady Gate of Heaven Church on the Southeast Side of Chicago from 1972 to 1973 — was named pastor of St. Mary of the Lake Parish on August 28, 1974. He had been associate pastor at the parish on two occasions, first from 1958 to 1963 and again from 1973 to 1974. Under his leadership, the sanctuary was renovated in 1976 in time for the parish’s 75th anniversary.

In Chicago Churches and Syna- gogues: An Architectural Pilgrimage (1991), George Lane listed two of today’s threatened churches as be- ing representative of the basilica form. One was St. Mary of the Lake Church (1913-1917), which George Lane listed at 4200 North Sheridan Road (1000 West). The other was St. Adalbert Church (1912-1914), which George Lane listed at 1636 West 17th Street (listed below).

St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church (potential for closure or consolidation)
Architect: Patrick C. Keeley, c. 1877-1881
1327 N. Noble Street, Pulaski Park/ West Town/West Town (Community Area 24), 2nd Ward
Red-Rated

As George Lane, S.J., observed in his excellent survey of Chicago’s houses of worship, Chicago Churches and Synagogues: An Architectural Pil- grimage (1991), “Just north of Divi- sion Street, the Kennedy Expressway swings around a huge basilica-like church with twin towers, and only one cupola. This is St. Stanislaus Kostka Church. The south cupola was struck by lightning and destroyed in 1964.” Efforts to reconstruct both tow- ers in the 1970s were shelved and highly simplified version of the north tower was reconstructed in the 1990s. The 1990s renovation removed the “perma-stone” added fifty years earli- er and restored the brick facades be- neath. The construction of the Ken- nedy Expressway threatened this church until the Polish community demanded the route be altered to spare this and others churches.

St. Stanislaus Kostka Church was founded in 1867 as the first Polish parish or “Mother Church” in Chica- go. The original church building survived the Chicago Fire of 1871. Thirty years later the church grew to include 8,000 families, totaling 40,000 people. There were 12 Masses each Sunday.

The parish of St. Stanislaus Kostka opened in 1867, and in 1871 Bishop Foley put the Resurrection Fathers in charge of the growing parish. As the flow of Polish immigrants continued into the neighborhood, a larger church was needed. The cornerstone of the present church building was laid in 1877, and the church was dedicated in 1881. It was designed by Patrick Keeley, a New York architect with a prolific careers which included the design of over 600 churches across the United States.

By 1897, St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish was the largest parish in the United States. Six Masses were held each Sun- day in the upper church and another six Masses were held in the lower church. St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish is considered the mother church of the many Polish parishes and was founded by Fr. Vincent Barzynski, C.R., during his pastorate (1874-1899). The church was in the heart of “Chicago’s Polish Downtown” also known as “Kostkaville.”

George Lane, S.J., in Chicago Churches and Synagogues: An Architectural Pilgrimage (1991), noted in his section on “St. Stanislaus Kostka Church 1877-81, 1327 North Noble Street (1400 West) [by] Architect Patrick C. Keely; Style: Renaissance; Seating: 1,500,” that the “building of the Kennedy Expressway in the late 1950s forced many parishioners to move out of the area. [In 1991 there were] 850 families in the parish: some Polish people who re- main, others of various ethnic backgrounds, and a large Mexican-American community.”

Despite such effects as those presented by the Kennedy Expressway, the parish has managed to serve the spiritual needs of parishioners who have come from a wide geographic area and who have represented many different ethnic groups. The large number of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans has brought a new vitality to the parish. Masses have been held in English, Spanish and Polish. The parish has operated an elementary school and has had a strong religious education program

In 2007, Cardinal Francis George designated St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish as the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy in Chicago, and in 2008 he blessed the iconic Monstrance, Our Lady of the Sign-Ark of Mercy, which has drawn many people to 24-hour Eucharistic Adoration at this historic church. In September 2011, St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish began a project of essential repair and restoration of the church building. The vision then expressed was that the parish would continue to be a beacon of hope for the next generations of Catholics in Chicago.

As Father Anthony Bus, C.R., pointed out in his February 10, 2019, piece, “Annual Catholic Appeal 2019,” written for the church bulletin, “Saint Stanislaus Kostka Parish the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy,…1327 N. Noble St., 1 block West of the Kennedy at Division St.,” each Catholic parish is asked each year to contribute to other parishes in the city: “In a couple of weeks we will make our personal pledges to the Annual Catholic Appeal. The Archdiocese assigns us a goal of 6 [percent] of our previous year’s offertory income. For Fiscal Year 2017-2018, St. Stanislaus Kostka’s offertory income was $351,930. Therefore, our target for the 2019 Appeal is $21,116. Anything we contribute over and above the $21,116 goal will come back to St. Stanislaus Kostka. In other words, if we contribute $61,116 to the Annual Appeal, the parish will receive $40,000 in return. Not only are we supporting other Archdiocesan schools, parishes and religious programs in need, but we benefit from the Appeal as well. As I remind you every year, the Archdiocese has been very generous in support of St. Stanislaus Kostka in the past years of my pastorate when we were in need. Our generosity to the Appeal is a gesture of gratitude for assistance we’ve re- ceived as well as an expression of our generosity in helping other parishes and schools in their mission and minis- tries…We will make our pledges on the weekend of February 16 and 17th…”

It is obvious that parishes are able to rejuvenate if given time to do so and once rejuvenated can contribute to other parishes which are in need. It seems more time should be given parishes to rejuvenate rather than forcing them to close or merge. The church is also notable as it is open 24 hours a day.

Notre Dame de Chicago (to be consolidated)
Architect: Gregoire Vigeant, 1889- 1892
1334 W. Flournoy Street, University Village/Little Italy, Near West Side (Community Area 28), 25th Ward
Red-Rated

Located at 1334 West Flournoy Street in the University Village / Little Italy area of the Near West Side (Community Area 28) in the 25th Ward, Notre Dame de Chicago cele- brates Mass several times both on weekends and during the week. Mass is celebrated in a church which was built between 1887 and 1892. This late 19th century church replaced an earli- er church which was built in 1865 on a different site. The parish itself dates back to 1864 and the small French- speaking community on the Near West Side that helped to establish the church. The new church building was designed in the Romanesque Revival style by French Canadian architect Gregoire Vigeant. The Greek cross lay- out, the hipped roofs and square domes, and the emphasis on height given by the two cupolas and lantern

show a French influence. The church has lovely stained glass windows, rich blue and gold tones, a beautiful white altar and a lovely dome.

The Archdiocese of Chicago gave control of the church to the Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament in 1918. The Inter- national Eucharistic Congress of 1926 was hosted by the church. Notre Dame de Chicago represents a significant part of French immigrant history to Chicago. The church had services completely in French for many years until it integrated English into the sermon. Services and the Sacrament of Baptism are now offered in English and in Spanish. For historical as well as architectural reasons, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 7, 1979. The church is accommodating and has a parking lot in the back and an elevator to accom- modate strollers, wheelchairs and elderly parishioners. There is a garden in the back for use in meditation. The University of Illinois in Chicago Choirs have used the church to conduct Fall and Spring concerts, as the church has wonderful acoustics. Notre Dame’s Parish School is “Children of Peace,” an Archdiocesan Catholic / Christian School which serves the Illinois Medical District and Metropolitan Chicago. The present location on 1900 W. Taylor Street is the result of a consolidation of three Catholic Schools in 1994 — Holy Trinity, St. Callistus and Holy Fam- ily. The children named the newly formed school and stated they wanted to bring a feeling of strong and loving peace to their community. The school features a 15 to 1 teacher to student ratio in the traditional and Montessori programs and a 5 to 1 teacher to student ratio in the deaf and hard of hearing program, besides having diverse classrooms. Students of all faiths and backgrounds are accepted and come from over 30 different communities within the Chicago area.

Holy Family Church (to be consolidated)
Architects: Dillenburg and Zucher, John Mills van Osdel, 1857-1860, 1866 John Paul Huber (Tower), 1874
1080 W. Roosevelt Road, University Village/Little Italy/Near West Side (Community Area 28), 25th Ward Red-Rated

Holy Family Church’s history is very much aligned with Chicago’s history, growth, changes and challenges over 162 years since the construction of the church began 24 years after the city’s 1837 incorporation. Founded by Rev- erend Arnold Damen, S.J. (Damen Avenue’s namesake), the church and its contents survived the Chicago Fire of 1871. It is the only grand-scale semi-public building and interior to remain unchanged and unaltered from the ear- liest days of the city’s history. The church even predates the Old Chicago Water Tower and Pumping Station on Michigan Avenue, one of Chicago’s most treasured civic Landmarks.

Holy Family Church was constructed between 1857 and 1860 by architects Dillenburg & Zucher and John Mills van Osdel, Chicago’s first architect. Expansions took place within its first few years, including the addition of the

transepts and the relocation of the entire south wall 40 feet to the south in 1865-1866. The tall corner tower was designed by John Paul Huber and added to the church in 1874, atop an earlier brick and stone base. The immense 235-foot tower was said to be the city’s tallest structure until 1890— essentially, the height of a 23-story building.

Other remarkable features of the interior include the three grand altars hand-carved by Anthony Buscher in 1865, which were once illuminated by gas jets after its con- struction and electrified in 1899. Buscher and his nephew, Sebastian, carved the stat- uary, the side altars of the transepts, the confessionals and other objects for the church in the 1860s. The round clerestory windows of the high sanctuary nave were crafted by the Carse Company of Chicago in 1860 and are thought to be the oldest art

glass windows in the city. The magnificent organ screen and its carved biblical figures are attributed to Charles Oliver-Dauphin of Montreal, Canada and one of only several works that remain of Dauphin. The original organ was lost, but it was replaced in recent years by a reconstruction of Buxtehude’s his- toric “Frobenius” organ relocated from St. Mary’s Church in Helsingor, Denmark.

Holy Family Church was called “the Cathedral of the Prairie,” as the church dominated the early communities of what would later be called Chicago’s Near West Side. After being threatened with an uncertain future in the 1990s, it also became known as “The Miracle on Roosevelt Road.” Fr. George Lane, S.J., Fr. Jack Lane, S.J. and the Holy Family Preservation Society were able to save the church and restore it to its former glory un- der the direction of Vinci-Hamp Architects in the 1990s. The scope of restoration also included its original historic colors and stencils representing its 1890 decoration.

Holy Family has served parishioners since 1857 as Chicago’s second-oldest Catholic church, but it is nonetheless threatened with an ending of its Sunday morning Mass. Cardinal Blaise Cupich’s decision to have the giving of Mass ended at the church was handed down to parishioners on February 20, 2019, but without the cardinal there to answer questions. The decision announced that Holy Family will be folded into Notre Dame de Chicago Church at the start of July under a new parish, with one pastor and one pastoral staff. The announcement was made by Rev. Jason Malave, the liaison for Cardinal Cupich’s Renew My Church initiative. Cost-cutting measures have included consolidation and closings in the archdiocese’s 97 parish groupings. As many as eight parishes have closed altogether under Cardinal Cupich’s plan. Rev. Malave said that a council of 31 priests was consulted on the parishes. Eight or nine meetings have been held since September to discuss the changes.

Despite its popularity with parishioners and its fiscal health, Sunday morning Masses are planned to end although Sunday evening Mass and weddings may continue to be celebrated. Holy Family is owned by the Society of Jesus, or Jesuit Community, in Chicago. Its land is owned by the adjacent St. Ignatius High School. Holy Family is the mother institution of adjacent St. Ignatius College Prep and Loyola University Chicago in Rogers Park and down- town. This building should be considered for Chicago Landmark Designation.

St. Adalbert Catholic Church (to be closed) (Chicago 7 Most Endangered 2014 and 2016)
Architect: Henry J. Schlacks, 1914
1636 W. 17th Street, Pilsen, Lower West Side (Community Area 31), 25th Ward, Orange-Rated

In May of 2016, the Archdiocese of Chicago decreed that St. Adalbert Parish in Pilsen would be merged with the neighboring St. Paul Parish. In October of that year, the Archdiocese announced an intended sale of St. Adalbert Church at 17th Street and Paulina Avenue.

Originally constructed for a Polish congregation in the Pilsen neighborhood, St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church is a Renaissance Revival complex designed by noted church architect Henry J. Schlacks, who worked for a time in the architectural office of Adler & Sullivan. It is the Mother Church of the South Side Polish Community. The church was completed in 1914. Its soaring 185-foot twin towers are the highest structures in Pilsen and easily recognizable throughout the neighborhood. The red and white interior walls, stained-glass windows depicting the patron saints of Poland, and 1890s decor all communicate the architectural taste appealing to the Polish working-class immigrants who attended the church. Recently, St. Adalbert Church has served a mostly Mexican-American community. Mass is held in English and Spanish on a weekly basis. A Polish Mass is celebrated once a month.

With their local Mass threatened by the potential closure and sale of the church, parishioners organized the St. Adalbert Preservation Society and the Society for St. Adalbert and campaigned against the Archdiocese’s decision. Anne Maselli, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese, wrote that the Archdiocese is “committed to finding an alternative use for St. Adalbert Church and property and will be soliciting proposals from a broad range of potential us- ers.” In 2016, Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, claimed shifting demographics and a shortage of priests have spread the financial resources of the Archdiocese too thin to avoid parish closures and mergers.

The parish was founded in 1874. The earlier church structure, located to the west of the current church, was re- placed by the current St. Adalbert in 1912. The two churches stood side by side until the 1970s. The current church is not only a fine example of Renaissance Revival architecture but also a chronicle of Polish history. The central figure of the church is a large statue of St. Adalbert. Its murals, stained glass windows and even its interior color scheme all celebrate important Polish national heritage.

Fronting the street, the two buff-colored brick towers are ornamented with finely detailed terra cotta, pierced by arcades and capped by copper cupolas. Visitors enter through a portico defined by a series of polished granite Corinthian columns. Once inside, the interior is a soaring rectangular space based upon the form of Roman basilica.

Originally constructed for a Polish congregation in the Pilsen neighborhood, St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church is a Renaissance Revival complex designed by noted church architect Henry John Schlacks (1867-1938). A native Chicagoan, Schlacks attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and then worked for a time in the offices of Adler and Sullivan before starting his own architectural practice. Schlacks founded the architecture department at the University of Notre Dame. Besides St. Adalbert Church, he designed St. Anthony, St. Boniface, St. Clara on Woodlawn Avenue, St. Gelasius, St. Ignatius, St. Ita, St. John of God, St. Mary of the Lake, St. Paul, Angel Guardian Croatian Catholic Mission Church and St. Martin of Tours churches in Chicago. For the latter, whose plans were supplied by a German architect, Schlacks was the supervising architect. Schlacks also designed St. Nicholas Church in Evanston, St. John Lutheran Church in Forest Park, St. Edmund Church in Oak Park, St. Peter Church in Skokie, St. Joan of Arc Church in Indianapolis, Holy Name-Mater Dei Church in Topeka and St. Mark Church in Cincinnati.

As is the case with many of the Roman Catholic churches presently under threat, the 1914 St. Adalbert Catholic Church is easily recognizable. It has served as a focal point for the Pilsen area of the Lower West Side, and its parishioners still want it to continue in that capacity. On June 26, 2018, the parish issued a piece entitled “St. Adalbert and Renewal” which is still accessible on the Internet at savestadalbertchurch.org under the banner, “Save St. Adalbert Church: Please Help Save a Pilsen Treasure…Contact Archdiocese & the Vatican…”

Not just a church building has been put at risk at St. Adalbert. The church, former rectory, former convent, school building (rented to a Charter School in recent years) and parking lot form a large campus. The campus occupies the west half of the city block between West 16th and West 17th Streets, from Ashland Avenue to Paulina Street.

Of this site, Blair Kamin, architecture critic at the Chicago Tribune, wrote in 2016: “[T]he 102-year-old church effectively marries the austere basilica form of early Christian churches with baroque flourishes that symbolize Polish national identity. What could have been an eclectic jumble is instead a powerful monument. It’s no coincidence that the church’s richly coffered ceiling and its interior walls are painted red and white, the colors of the Polish flag. The patron saints of Poland are represented in the stained glass windows around the nave. Mural paintings at the head of the nave depict great events in the religious history of Poland, including the wedding of Jadwiga, the Polish queen.”

The architectural complex contains a distinguished church building many of whose features testify to the Polish part of the history of Chicago. However, the testimony is not just of Polish history but also of Roman Christian cul- tural history. Denis R. McNamara, architectural historian and faculty member at the Liturgical Institute of the

University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, wrote in Heavenly City: The Architectural Tradition of Catholic Chicago, that St. Adalbert’s in- terior “uses the large, closely spaced columns and small arch- es found at the fourth-century St. Paul Outside the Walls Ba- silica in Rome;” it has “double choir lofts common to many Polish churches” and an “elaborate baldacchino over the high altar [that] derives from the Polish Baroque tradition” and “its altar reveals a monumental display of stone carving similar to the Baroque reredos- es of Poland….Schlacks combined his preference for early Christian basilicas with the tall Baroque  towers  desired  by

Polish parishes as a statement of national identity.” St. Adalbert should be considered for Chicago Landmark Des- ignation.

St. Therese Chinese Catholic Church & School (originally Santa Maria Incoronata) (to be consolidated)
Architect: William F. Gubbins, 1904
218 W. Alexander Street, Bridgeport, Armour Square (Community Area 34), 25th Ward Orange-Rated

The Archdiocese has deter- mined that St. Therese will assume responsibility for St. Bar- bara School as of the 2019-2020 school year. St. Therese Chinese Catholic School is located at 247 West 23rd Street, Chica- go. The church has undertaken some renovations in recent years, adding air conditioning and a lift for people who have difficulty with stairs. The church has seen its parishioner base double in the past six years. Its school is a two-time recipient of a national award issued by the United States Department of Education. Both the parish and the school are financially solvent. The school is at its capacity. Despite these facts, it has been recommended that  St.  Therese  parish  be downgraded to a worship site and the school is being asked to take on a second school campus that would require significant financial investment in order to operate. Some 2,714 people have signed the change.org petition message that reads, “Cardinal Cupich, Bishop Casey, Superintendent Rigg, Fr. Jason, and the Archdiocese of Chicago: Let St. Therese Chinese Catholic Church and School STAND ALONE.” Besides half a dozen different Asian cultures, Chicago Italians have attended the church and school. The church building in which those different groups harmoniously attend services is notably an architectural jewel. St. Therese offers Masses, baptisms, weddings, and CCD/RCIA classes in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. Monthly Masses are celebrated in Indonesian.

St. Jerome Croatian Catholic Church (to be consolidated)
2823 S. Princeton Avenue, Bridgeport/Armour Square (Community Area 34), 11th Ward Christian O. Hansen, 1885
Not included in CHRS

St. Jerome Croatian Catholic Church is situated in Salem Lutheran Church’s former building. The initial congregation was organized in 1868. From 1870 to 1885 the congregation worshipped in a building located on Busnell Street (now 23rd Place). In 1885 the congregation moved to the east side of Princeton Avenue. The new site was between 28th and 29th Streets. In 1922 Salem Lutheran Church moved to 74th Street and Calumet Avenue, at 318 East 74th Street in the Park Manor neighborhood on the South Side. The Princeton Avenue building was sold to a Roman Catholic congregation. In an Internet-accessible communication of the ELCA Archives there is an image of the church building as first constructed.

The historic church building which belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago is located in the Armour Square neighborhood in Chicago’s South Side, at 2823 South Princeton Street. Worship services have been per- formed in both Croatian and English.

J. E. Quigley, Archbishop of Chicago, requested the Holy See send a Croatian priest to work among the Croatians of Chicago. Father Leo Medic, OFM, arrived in the United States in May 1912. He organized 5,000 immigrants from Dalmatia, Banovina, Istria, Slavonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The parish’s original church and rectory were purchased from German Protestants located on 15th Street near Wentworth Avenue. After discussion of whether to call the church Croatian or Dalmatian, the Archbishop proclaimed St. Jerome a Croatian Church.

By 1997, the parish had a total of 1,050 parishioners. Students in the K-8 grammar school totaled 168, and the Croatian school enrollment totaled 50 students taught by five teachers. Saint Jerome School has been in operation for 80 years. The nuns who have taught have belonged to the Adorers of the Precious Blood. A contemporary principal has been a lay person. On November 28, 2018, the Archdiocese of Chicago made a public announcement of Cardinal Cupich’s decision about the future of Catholic parishes in the neighborhood of St. Jerome parish. Eight parish groups have served the parish, including Holy Name Society, St. Jerome’s Auxiliary, The Altar and Rosary Group, and Mary’s Society. Each of the churches threatened with consolidation or closure involves a number of groups as- sociated with the church which will be affected by the consolidation or closure decision.

In 1932 a parish book contained information and photographs which communicated the storied history and life of the church.

All Saints – St. Anthony Catholic Church (to be closed)
Architect: Henry J. Schlacks, 1913
518 W. 28th Place, Bridgeport, Bridgeport (Community Area 60), 11th Ward
Orange-Rated

Romanesque or “Norman” in style, All Saints
– St. Anthony Catholic Church is one of the magnificent churches of the Bridgeport Com- munity with its soaring towers and amazing detailed brickwork and mosaics. Immense in scale, the structure is a landmark in the com- munity and was designed by Henry Schlacks, one of Chicago’s most noted architects. St. Anthony of Padua was consolidated with All Saints in 1968 and renamed at that time.

A communication of All Saints – St. Anthony Parish recently announced that St. Therese Chinese Mission and St. Barbara Parish will unite into one parish and one parish school operating out of the existing campuses on Alexander and Throop Streets. St. Mary of Perpetual Help and All Saints – St. Anthony Parish will unite to form one parish operating out of the current St. Mary campus. The communication stated, “The existing property at AS-SA will be closed no later than June 2020.”

The earlier message read: “The faith communities of St. Jerome Croatian and Santa Lucia
-Maria Incoronata will unite to form a new parish. St. Jerome will serve as the active worship site, and Santa Lucia – Santa Maria Incoronata Church will close no later than June of 2020. The name of the new parish will be determined by the combined parish communities within the next year.”

In addition, there was this announcement: “Nativity of Our Lord and St. Gabriel will be united to form one new parish, with both churches open as worship sites. The name of the new parish will be deter- mined by the combined parish communIties within the next year.”

The decision maker in such developments was indicated by this message: “Cardinal Cupich has requested additional time for further discussion and consultation regarding the parishes of All Saints – St. Anthony, St. Barbara, St. Mary of Perpetual Help and St. Therese Chinese and the Archdiocesan Center for Chinese Apostolates. Therefore, a decision regarding these parishes will be delayed until at least mid-January.”

As mentioned previously, the decision regarding All Saints – St. Anthony Parish has been made and communicated as of February 2019. More detailed information on the parish has been made by Father Peter in a bulletin article.

As far as schools are concerned, a segment in the church communications made on the Internet by the All Saints – St. Anthony Church came under the ironic title: “Renew My Church: BCC Grouping Update for schools:” St. Jerome School will serve as the parish school. Santa Lucia School will close effective June 30, 2019. Bridgeport Catholic Academy and St. Gabriel School will unite as one school with two campuses to serve the new parish formed by Nativity of Our Lord and St. Gabriel. Each campus [will be led] by its own principal reporting to the new pastor of the new, unified parish. St. Therese Chinese School will assume responsibility of [or for] St. Barbara School, retaining campuses at both school properties under the leadership of St. Therese school and name.” As mentioned under “St. Therese Chinese Church” in this Preservation Chicago publication, this new responsibility was not sought by the St. Therese Chinese parish which already was achieving a union of Chinese and Italian Catholics, as well as others. As to the unwelcome announcement by the Archdiocese which has been relayed on the Internet by the All Saints – St. Anthony Parish, the following was added in the initial “Renew My Church” message: “School leadership structure will consist of one principal with two administrators, one at each site. The school will be led by the current St. Therese Chinese school principal. The current St. Barbara principal will serve as an administrator at St. Barbara campus.”

St. Barbara Catholic Church (to be consolidated)
Architects: Henry Worthmann and J. G. Steinbach, 1914
2859 S. Throop Street, Bridgeport, Bridgeport (Community Area 60), 11th Ward
Orange-Rated

Constructed by Worthmann + Steinbach, one of Chicago’s noteworthy firms in a Renaissance style, St. Barbara Catholic Church successfully marked its centennial in 2010, and although there was painting and restoration of the interior of the church by the Oosterbaan & Sons company in 2012, St. Barbara School and Church have had their consolidation with another parish and school announced in unwelcome fashion.

When the St. Barbara School was first built, the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis entered. The order administered successfully to many immigrants. Growth led to a school addition being completed in 1924. At that time, an auditorium, a six-lane bowling alley and a kitchen were added. Six new classrooms accommodated a two-year commercial high school.

During a 1990s restoration effort, St. Barbara cleaned, repaired and fully restored its stained glass windows. The parish placed four new stained glass scenes in the front church towers in 1999, replacing plain glass panes. In 2001, despite its academic performance, St. Barbara High School closed. The portions of the building previously

used by the high school were then adapted to enhance the offerings of St. Barbara Elementary School. There were then additional facilities for science, technology and the arts.

St. Barbara’s in Bridgeport was one of eight parishes in the Chinatown, Bridgeport and Canaryville neighborhoods beset by a 2018 announcement of closings. In November of 2018, possible parish closures or parishes to be consolidated involved All Saints – St. Anthony, St. Barbara, St. Gabriel, St. Jerome Croatia, Santa Lucia-Santa Maria Incoronata, St. Mary of Perpetual Help, Nativity of our Lord and St. Therese Chinese Catholic. Elementary schools serve St. Barbara, St. Gabriel, St. Jerome, Santa Lucia-Santa Maria and St. Therese. In November of 2018, one scenario had St. Therese merging with All Saints and St. Barbara (the latter set to close). Another potential merger involved St. Gabriel and Nativity of our Lord. Nativity of Our Lord is the longtime church home of the Daley family.

The Parish Office of St. Barbara Parish is at 2859 South Throop Street. St. Barbara Parish began more than a cen- tury ago. The nearest Polish parish, St. Mary of Perpetual Help, was bulging at the seams, so Pastor Rev. Stani- slaus Nawrocki obtained approval to buy land for a new parish along Throop Street. In 1910, his younger brother, Rev. Anthony Nawrocki, became the first pastor of the new St. Barbara parish. Mass and the sacraments were cele- brated in the basement hall of the school while construction of the church took place. The domed, Renaissance-style church had no pillars in the interior so that sight lines were clear for the 1,200 possible worshippers. The dedication and consecration of the church took place on July 5, 1914. Architects Henry Worthmann and J. G. Steinbach were either German or Austrian. They also designed St. Mary of the Angels, St. Hyacinth, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church. A twin of St. Barbara is Our Lady of Tepeyac (originally known as St. Casi- mir). According to Parish Historian Walter J. Podrazik and Heartland Historical Research Service’s Grace DuMelle, another Worthmann and Steinbach design is First Lutheran Church of the Trinity in Bridgeport.

Santa Lucia (St. Lucy) – Santa Maria Incoronata (St. Mary Incoronata) (to be closed)
Ray Basso, 1950s
3022 S. Wells Street, Bridgeport, Armour Square (Community Area 34), 11th Ward
Not included in CHRS

The early beginnings of Santa Lucia Church and its development as a parish must start with a vision seen by Fr. Joseph J. Lazzeri. During the early years of World War II, Fr. Joseph, who was pastor of Santa Maria Incoronata, purchased a neighborhood hall at 3022 S. Wells Street.

Santa Lucia has been located at 3022 S. Wells Street since the 1950s. Founded by the Scalabrini Fathers, Santa Lucia began as an extension of Santa Maria Incoronata Parish in 1943 to accommodate the growing population of Italian immigrants living in the parish. In 1953 the Archdiocese of Chicago approved the separate administration of Santa Maria Incoronata, and Santa Lucia (St. Lucy) became a parish on her own in a former dance hall converted to a church. Fr. Primo Beltrame, CS, was then named the first pastor of Santa Lucia Church.

As the years went by, there was increased concern for Catholic education for area children. In May 1960, the Arch- diocese of Chicago gave permission to construct a school. Santa Lucia School was dedicated on November 26, 1961

by Albert Cardinal Meyer and was staffed by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Now in a wave of parish consolidations or closures these parish churches, congregations and schools have been put at risk.

St. Mary of Perpetual Help Catholic Church (to be consolidated)
Henry Engelbert, 1889
1039 W. 32nd Street, Bridgeport (Community Area 60), 11th Ward
Orange-Rated

In his illuminating book, Chicago Churches and Synagogues: An Architectural Pilgrimage (1991), George A. Lane, S. J., noted that St. Mary of Perpetual Help Catholic Church was designed by Henry Engelbert to seat 1,100 in the Byzantine – Romanesque styled church. To Father Lane, “Of the many steeples, spires, and domes in Bridgeport, St. Mary’s dome is by far the largest and most impressive.”

The huge dome is of wood construction. It has ornamental copper covering. The apex of the dome rises 113 feet above the floor of the church. Beneath it lies a church building of brick construction. The windows and arches are Romanesque. Besides the central dome, there are domes and half domes, arches, columns and pilasters. These are lavishly deco- rated. They lead up to the white marble altar in the chancel.

In 1961, John A. Mallin was involved in the church’s redecoration, with the result that below the traditional painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help above the main altar there are pictures of saints of Poland. From left to right, these depicted saints are St Stanislaus Kostka, St. Kunegunda, St. John Cantius, St. Adalbert, St. Stanislaus (bishop and martyr), St. Casimir, St. Hedwig and St. Andrew Bobola.

In 1926 there was installed a four-manual Austin organ. When George Lane went to vis- it the church he found the organ still in use. Such sustenance is found in many of the churches presently being forced to consolidate or close through some incompletely disclosed bureaucratic decision-making process.

George Lane, S.J., found the organ to contain “a great organ, swell organ, choir organ, echo

organ, solo organ, pedal organ, and floating string division playable on eve- ry manual.” He noted that the pipes ranged up to 32 feet.

He recalled that the church he fondly called “St. Mary’s” had been originally a mission of St. Adalbert’s. St. Mary of Perpetual Help was established as a parish in 1886. It served the Polish Catholics of Bridgeport. As the immi- grant population swelled, the parish grew. An elementary school and a high school served the new residents. The Sisters of St. Joseph administered the schools. The Chicago diocesan clergy served the worship needs of the parish. When George Lane arrived in 1990, he observed that “Msgr. Edward J. Smaza” had been “pastor of the church since 1950.” He observed a parish plant occu- pying most of a city block. He observed the continuing strength of the parish. He found it “active with services in Polish and English.”

Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church (to be consolidated)
Architect: Patrick C. Keeley, 1885
653 W. 37th Street, Bridgeport, Bridge- port (Community Area 60), 11th Ward Not included in CHRS

“In the year of our Lord 1868, Archdio- cese of Chicago Bishop James Duggan recognized a spiritual need in the Ham- burg and Union Stock Yards district of Chicago,” according to parish history.

Bishop Duggan appointed Irish-born Fr. Michael Lyons (1828-1881) to found a parish to serve the people occupying what would soon be known as the Bridgeport neighborhood.

Masses were offered in the stables adjacent to the stockyards. The parish was named appropriately since its inception mirrored the birth of Jesus in a stable.

Eight years later, property was acquired for a more permanent house of worship, and the current church’s corner- stone was laid October 28, 1876 by Bishop Foley. The church structure was designed to seat 1,200 people. A mag- nificent church and its adjacent buildings were erected under the leadership of Fr. Joseph M. Cartan (1847-1907), the third pastor of Nativity of Our Lord. This was also the longtime religious home to Mayor Richard J. Daley and Mayor Richard M. Daley family. Mayor Richard J. Daley’s funeral was held at Nativity of Our Lord.

For a long time the church stood in the eyes of its parishioners “tall and proud in its magnificence and beauty at the same corner of 37th Street and Union Avenue.” To them it served as “a beacon and pillar in this unique neigh- borhood.” With the passage of years, parishioners remained of the opinion that “[t]he original mission of Nativity of Our Lord Parish to bring souls closer to God is still met today and will continue to be met for ages to come.”

To the parishioners, “Tens of thousands of souls have been nourished and continue to be nourished by this great parish. Countless young people have been educated in our parish school. Many have seen their children, grandchil- dren and great-grandchildren graduate from Nativity of Our Lord School and Bridgeport Catholic Academy.”

St. Gabriel Catholic Church (to be consolidated)
Architect: Burnham & Root, 1888
600 W. 45th Street, Canaryville, New City (Community Area 61), 11th Ward
Orange-Rated

Designed by the architectural firm of Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root, the architects of the landmark Rookery, Monadnock, and Reliance Buildings, Saint Gabriel Parish is an amazing structure and volume with its soaring corner tower and high-gabled facades. Its located in the heart of Canaryville, a small community of several third- and fourth-generation Irish immigrants. The neighborhood is proud of its Irish roots. Family ties have run deep in the parish and in the school. Saint Gabriel is a hidden gem. It is tucked away amid century-old homes. A visitor to the neighborhoods surrounding Canaryville might miss this church, the way visitors to Chicago might miss the other parishes mentioned here, parishes with their respective sites of significance.

Saint Gabriel Parish celebrated its 130th Anniversary. Father Maurice Dorney was St. Gabriel’s first pastor. Fa- ther Dorney had the foresight to purchase 20 lots (from 45th to 46th and Lowe) for $500 to build the church, school, convent and rectory for Saint Gabriel’s. While pastor, Father Dorney graduated from law school. Known within “the Yards,” Father Dorney was a friend to laborers and company owners. He procured jobs and helped avoid strikes, according to a parish account. Father Dorney was gifted with a block of stock from the head of National Livestock Bank, according to the account. After two decades the dividends grew to $68,000, and the money was spent “for the welfare of the church and assisting in the schools of Saint Gabriel.” Father Dorney traveled to Ireland in 1887. He

was said to be “instrumental in the exoneration of Charles Stewart Parnell (champion of home rule for Ireland) who was accused of complicity in a murder.”

A church bulletin, “St. Gabriel’s Trumpet,” with the distribution date of February 24, 2019, reported a recent Mass attendance of 363, and the finances reported in the same par- ish do not scream out for consolidation or clo- sure of the parish and its school.

St. Michael Archangel Catholic Church (to be consolidated)
Architect: William J. Brinkmann, 1909
8237 S. South Shore Drive, South Chicago, South Chicago (Community Area 46), 7th Ward
Orange-Rated

St Michael’s was founded in 1892 to serve Polish immigrants who flocked to America’s shores in search of work to build a better future for themselves and for their children. For a century or more the faith community formed from these immigrants expanded to include Croatians, Slovaks, and later Mexican and Mexican Americans, Nigerians, African Americans, Asian Americans, Haitians and Filipinos who have worshipped together within this soaring, highly ornamented Gothic church, resembling a grand catherdral.

The present St. Michael’s is the third church building constructed to serve the people of this area, having been completed in 1909 under the pastorate of Bishop Paul Rhode. Bishop Rhode was the first Polish American to be consecrated auxiliary bishop of Chicago. Bishop Rhode later became the Bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The church’s architecture and expansive interior is Gothic in style. It features two soaring steeples that rise over the South Side of Chicago, which can seen towering over the community, truly “the cathedral of South Chicago.” The architect was William J. Brinkmann.

The main altar reredos and two side altars are constructed of butternut and bird’s eye maple wood. The central statue of St. Michael, the two incensing angels and the statues on the side altars were sculpted and painted by hand. A beautiful and rare communion rail is carved in oak with a white marble top. The interior of the church can seat approximately 1,100 people. This is truly a landmark worthy of saving and a gateway to South Chicago.

Of interest to lovers of music is the grand piano which belonged to famed composer Ignace Jan Paderewski.

A shrine to Our Lady of Czestochowa, the National Patron of the people of Poland, is located in the sanctuary. The shrine was constructed in Poland in the early 1960s.

The Magnificent stained glass windows were made by F. X. Zettler of Munich, Germany. Of special note are the two transept windows on the east and west sides of the church. These windows have been considered by some in the parish to be perhaps the largest most beautiful stained glass windows in the Archdiocese of Chicago. The window

on the east side of the church depicts the Pentecost event — the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Virgin Mary and the Apostles. The window on the west side of the church gives imagery to the vision of Saint Michael the Arch- angel at the Last Judgment.

Among other churches in Chicago which claim to house relics, St. Michael’s enshrines a relic said to be of St. Cyprian, Bishop and martyr.

St. Camillus (to be Closed)
Architect: Unknown, 1921-1923
5426 S. Lockwood Avenue, Vittum Park, Garfield Ridge (Community Area 56), 23 Ward
Not included in CHRS

The old St. Florian Mission was reorganized as the national parish of St. Camillus in October of 1921. St. Camillus was established as a Polish parish in 1921, and a complex was developed over the years for St. Camillus at 55th and Lockwood Avenue on the Southwest Side of Chicago. Construction on the present St. Camillus Church began in 1922. The modern brick edifice was joined to an existing combination building at 55th Street and Lockwood Avenue, and a wing was added to the west side of the church. The wing helped give the church symmetry. For a recto- ry, the church used an apartment building which it acquired. The parish school attracted 300 children by 1925. After Father Boleslaus J. Kasprzycki became the leader of the church, a new building project was underway. A three- story structure was added to the original wing on Lockwood Avenue. The church complex serviced the parish for a number of years. In a history of St. Camillus Church published in The New World of May 24, 1935, the parish membership was given as 320 families. The school had 260 enrollees. On December 12, 1937, Father Kasprzycki celebrated his Silver Jubilee of Priesthood.

The Reverend Joseph J. Mackowiak was appointed pastor of the parish in July of 1957. He came from Bridgeport where he had been an assistant at St. Barbara Church. Father Mackowiak continued Monsignor Kasprzycki’s plans for enlargement of the parish complex. Ground was broken for two new buildings on August 17, 1958. A new rectory was constructed at 5426 South Lockwood Avenue. A combination building was constructed at 5434 South Lock- wood Avenue. It contained eight classrooms and residential accommodations for 12 sisters. Bishop Hillinger dedicated the new parish buildings on October 25, 1959. Six hundred students were enrolled in St. Camillus School at the time.

The Golden Jubilee of St. Camillus Church was celebrated on October 17, 1971. John Cardinal Cody presided at a special Mass of Thanksgiving. In attendance at a parish dinner dance were more than 650 parishioners and their friends.

At the request of the parish Building Committee, Cardinal Cody granted permission on November 28, 1973, for the enlargement of St. Camillus Church. This permission led to a newly renovated church blessed by Bishop Abramowicz at a Concelebrated Mass which took place on September 22, 1974. Despite changes in its leadership thereafter, the parish saw a new classroom opened and third floor renovations which reopened two classrooms closed for more than 20 years. The parish attained a membership of approximately 1,000 families.

Despite this history of success and despite the August 2003 assumption of pastoral duties at St. Camillus parish by Father Waclaw (Wenceslaus) of St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr — Lucjan Lech, a priest of the Discalced Carmelite Fathers Order — this church and its history are threatened by consolidation. St. Camillus has recently been home to three Discalced Carmelite Fathers, including pastor and Rev. Waclaw Lech, OCD; resident and Rev. Jack Chodzynski, OCD.

St. Felicitas (closed)
Architect: George S. Smith, 1918
1526 East 84th Street, Marynook, Avalon Park (Community Area 45), 8th Ward Not included in CHRS

For over 100 years, the Catholic Community of Saint Felicitas has served within the Archdiocese of Chicago. In its current Mission Statement, the church announced itself as a “predominately African American Parish Community, whose Mission is to be prophets; ministers of the Gospel; instruments of peace; and celebrants of joy, regardless of race, age, gender or denomination….” Recently there occurred planning for the celebration of Saint Felicitas’s 100th anniversary. Three celebratory events were planned for 2018 and 2019. So proud of its architecture, the par- ish put up on the Internet a photograph gallery which displays the church’s architectural features. The photo- graphs show the kind of sacred space with which Chicago has been blessed, space in which a church could grow rather than instead have its parishes or congregations consolidated or closed. The church has closed and merged with St. Ailbe.

St. Joachim (closed)
Architect: George S. Smith, 1896
700 E. 91st Street, West Chesterfield, Chatham (Community Area 44), 8th Ward Not included in CHRS

St. Joachim Catholic Church at 700 East 91st Street has announced on an Internet site labeled “Mass Times” the following: “The last Mass was celebrated at St. Joachim yesterday, December 16, 2018, after 124 years and 5 months of faithful ministry in the Burnside community of Chicago.” The church sits at the corner of 91st Street and Langley Avenue. Prior to the recent announcement, the church was planning to stay there for some time to come. The Chamber of Commerce indicated that this church had what it put as “an annual sales volume of $1M – 1,999,999.”

There was recently described for “St. Katharine Drexel Parish of Chicago Church” at 9015 South Harper Avenue a consolidation event on Wednesday evening of March 22, 2017. This was an “Evening of Reflection in Church” per- taining to “St. Ailbe, St. Felicitas, and St. Joachim.” The guest speaker was Mr. Todd Williamson, Director Office for Divine Worship, Archdiocese of Chicago. The parish described as “St. Katharine Drexel Parish of Chicago at St. Ailbe Church,” a parish whose church, St. Ailbe Catholic Church, celebrated its 125th Church Anniversary on November 19, 2017, raises the issue of church and parish names and the issue of the identity of individual congregations, especially with regard to where those congregations have long been used to worship. The continuity of these congregations is put at risk when they are forced to have their parishes consolidate with others or, worse, forced to have closed their congregations and their architectural house of worship. The church has closed and merged with St. Ailbe.

LIST OF CLOSED OR DEMOLISHED ROMAN CATHOLIC CHRUCHES AND PARISHES IN CHICAGO 

Old St. Mary (Demolished)
Madison and Wabash and various Loop sites
1833 – 1871, First recorded Balloon Frame Building ever constructed
2nd Building c.1865 – 1971, 9th and Wabash, Demolished
Downtown Chapel c.1961 – 2002, Wabash and Van Buren, Demolished
New Church opened 2002 to present, 15th and Michigan

Old St. Peter (Demolished)
Clark and Polk Street
Parish: 1846 to present
Old Church constructed 1863—1865 Demolished 1953
Moved to 110 W. Madison – 1953 to present

St. Bridget (Demolished)
S. Archer Avenue and S. Grady Court
Parish: 1847 – 1990
Church demolished c.1990 for highway expansion

St. Louis
Polk Street and Shennan Street
Parish: 1850 – 1871
Church destroyed by the Chicago Fire

St. James (Demolished) (Chicago 7 Most Endangered 2013)
E. 29th Street and S. Wabash Avenue
Parish: 1855 – 2013 Church constructed 1875 – 1880
Church razed in 2013. Parish moved to historic school chapel 2011.

St. Patrick
E. 95th Street and S. Commercial Avenue
Parish: 1857 – 1987

Old St John (Demolished)
W. 18th Street and S. Clark Street
Parish: 1859 – 1962
Church was razed in December 1962

St. Columbkille (Demolished)
W. Grand Avenue and N. Paulina Street
Parish 1859 – 1975
Merged with Holy Innocents, Holy Rosary, Santa Maria Addolorata,
and St. Boniface in 1975. Demolished 1975.

St. Boniface (Chicago 7 Most Endangered 2003)
W. Chestnut Street and N. Noble Street
Parish: 1862 – 1990, Church constructed 1902
Closed on June 30, 1990

St. Anne (Demolished)
W. Garfield Boulevard and S. Wentworth Avenue
Parish: 1865 – 1990, Church constructed 1875
Consolidated with St. Cecilia and St. George to form St. Charles
Lwanga in 1971. Closed in 1990. Demolished 1994.

Annunciation (Demolished)
W. Wabansia Avenue and N. Paulina Street
Parish: 1866 – 1978
Congregation joined St. Mary of the Angels, St. Stanislaus Kostka, St.
Hedwig, or St. Aloysius after last Mass on June 25.
1978. Closed in 1978. Church was razed in October 1978.

St. Paul (Demolished)
W. Lexington Street and S. Clinton Street
Parish: 1866 – 1871
Merged with St. Patrick after Church destroyed by the Chicago Fire

St. Wenceslaus (Demolished)
W. De Koven Street and S. Desplaines Street
Parish: 1866 – 1955
Merged with Holy Guardian Angel in 1955

St. Jarlath (Demolished)
W. Jackson Boulevard and S. Paulina Street
Parish: 1869 – 1969
Closed after deemed unsafe in 1969. Church was razed in September
1969.

Old St. Stephen (Demolished)
W. Ohio Street and N. Sangamon Street
Parish: 1869 – 1952
Merged with Santa Maria Addorata. Church was razed in 1952.

St. Stanislaus Church (Demolished)
(Renamed Sacred Heart in 1873)
W. 19th and S. Peoria St.
Parish: 1872 – 1959
Merged with Providence of God. Partially demolished. Front façade remains standing.

St. Anthony of Padua
W. 28th Pl. and S. Wallace St.
Parish: 1873 – 1968, Constructed 1913-1915
Consolidated in 1968. Merged with All Saints and renamed All Saints- St. Anthony. Scheduled to be closed.

All Saints (Demolished)
W. 25th Pl. and Wallace St.
Parish: 1875 – 1973
Consolidated in 1968. Merged with St. Anthony of Padua and renamed All Saints-St. Anthony. Church was razed in 1973.

St. Agnes (Demolished)
W. Pershing Road and S. Washtenaw Avenue
Parish: 1878 – 1991
Consolidated with St. Joseph & St. Anne in 1991. Renamed Our Lady of Fatima.

St. Mel (Demolished)
W. Adams St. at S. Kildare Ave.
Parish: 1878 – 1941
Consolidated in 1941. Merged with Holy Ghost and renamed St. Mel- Holy Ghost, which is now closed.

St. Augustine (Demolished)
Near 51 Street and South Laflin Street
Parish: 1879 – 1990, Church constructed c.1893
Closed on June 30, 1990

St. Rose of Lima (Demolished)
W. 48th Street and Ashland Avenue
Parish: 1881 – 1990
Closed in June 1990

Holy Rosary
E. 113th Street and S. King Drive
Parish: 1882 – 2008
Now Greater Tabernacle Cathedral Church of God in Christ

St. Jean Baptiste (Demolished)
W. 33rd Place and S. Wood Street
Parish: 1882 – 1892
Church was razed in 1902

St. Malachy
W. Washington Boulevard and Oakley Boulevard
Parish: 1882 – 2005
Parish merged with Precious Blood in 2005

St. Peter and Paul
E. 91st Street and S. Exchange Avenue
Parish: 1882 – 1987

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
W. 31st Street and S. Aberdeen Street
Parish: 1883 – 1990
Closed on June 30, 1990. Now Monastery of the Holy Cross, since 1990.

St. Laurence (Demolished)
E. 72nd Street and Dorchester Avenue
Parish: 1883 – 2002, Church constructed 1911, Demolished 2014

St. George (Demolished)
W. Pershing Road and S. Wentworth Avenue
Parish: 1884 – 1969
Consolidated in 1969. Merged with St. Cecilia.

Holy Trinity (Demolished)
W. Taylor St. and S. Wolcott Ave
Parish: 1885 – 1990
Closed on June 30, 1990. Merged with St. Charles Borromeo.

St. Cecilia (Demolished)
W. 45th Street and S. Wells Street
Parish: Jul. 28, 1885 – 1971
Consolidated in 1971. Merged with St. Anne to form St. Charles Lwanga, which closed in 1990.

St. Charles Borromeo (Demolished)
W. Roosevelt Road and S. Hoyne Avenue
Parish: 1885 – 1968
Closed and razed in 1968. Merged with Holy Trinity.

St. Louis de France (Formerly St. Ambrose)
E. 117th Street and S. State Street
Parish: 1886 – 1973
Closed on February 23,1973. Merged with All Saints, which closed in 1989. Now Bethel Apostolic Faith Church.

St. Martin de Tours (later St. Martin de Porres)
W. 59th Street and S. Princeton Avenue
Parish: 1886 – 1989, Constructed 1894-1895
Consolidated on JuIy 1, 1989. Merged with St. Justin Martyr, St. Raphael, Sacred Heart, St. Bernard, and St. Carthage. Renamed St. Benedict the African. Sold and became Chicago Embassy Church. Currently vacant.

St. Bernard (Demolished)
W. 65th Street and S. Harvard Avenue
Parish: 1887 – 1990
Consolidated on July 1, 1989. Merged with St. Justin Martyr, St. Raphael, Sacred Heart, St. Carthage, and St. Martin; renamed St. Benedict the African.

St. Vitus
W. 18th Place and S. Paulina Street
Parish: 1888 – 1990 Closed on June 30, 1990.
Currently Chicago Commons Guadalupano Family Center.

St. Brendan (Demolished)
67th and Racine
Parish: 1889 – 1988
Closed in 1988. Merged with St. Bernard in September 1988.

St. Monica (Demolished)
36th and Dearborn
Parish: 1889 – 1924
Closed on December 6, 1924. Merged with St. Elizabeth.

Blessed Sacrament
W. Cermak Road and S. Central Park Avenue
Parish: 1890 – 1991
Currently Blessed Sacrament Youth Center

St. Nicholas
W. 113th Place and State Street
Parish: 1890 – 1973
Church closed and merged with All Saints

Holy Cross
E. 65th Street and S. Maryland Avenue
Parish: 1891 – 1990
Consolidated on June 30, 1990. Merged with St. Clara-St. Cyril and renamed St. Gelasius. Currently owned by The Light Of The World, Church Of The Living God Pillar And Ground Of The Truth.

SS. Cyril and Methodius
W. 50th Street and S. Hermitage Avenue
Parish: 1891 – 1990, Constructed 1912-1913
Closed on June 30, 1990. Currently Chicago New Life Seventh-day Adventist Church.

St. Ludmilla (Demolished)
24th and Albany Ave.
Parish: 1891 – 1990
Consolidated on June 30, 1990. Merged with St. Casimir and renamed Our Lady of Tepeyac.

Our Lady of Lourdes
W. 15th Street and S. Keeler Avenue
Parish: 1892 – 2005
Currently Pentecostal Church of Holiness

St. George (Lithuanian) (Demolished)
W. 33rd Street and S. Lituanica Ave
Parish: 1892 – 1990
Closed on June 30, 1990. Demolished in 1993.

St. John the Baptist
50th Pl. and Peoria St.
Parish: 1892 – 1989
Currently Ebenezer House of Prayer

St. Mary of Mount Carmel
W. Marquette Road and S. Hermitage Avenue
Parish: 1892 – 1976
Currently St Andrews Temple Of Faith Truth & Love Baptist Church

St. Matthew (Demolished)
W. Walnut Street and N. Albany Avenue
Parish: 1892 – 1974
Closed and razed in 1974. Merged with Our Lady of the Angels, St. Malachy, and Our Lady of Sorrows.

Our Lady of Angels
W. Iowa Street and N. Hamlin Avenue
Parish: 1894 – 1990
Consolidated on June 30, 1990. Merged with St. Francis of Assisi and renamed St. Francis of Assisi Our Lady of Angels. Currently the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels.

Sacred Heart (Demolished)
W. 70th Street and S. May Street
Parish: 1894 – 1989 Consolidated July 1, 1989.
Merged with St. Justin Martyr, St. Raphael, St. Martin, St. Bemard, and St. Carthage. Renamed St. Benedict the African.

St. Clara
E. 64th St. and S. Woodlawn Avenue
Parish: 1894 – 1969
Consolidated in 1969. Merged with St. Cyril and renamed St. Clara-St. Cyril. Currently called Shrine of Christ the King
Currently under reconstruction following a significant fire

Holy Ghost (Demolished)
W. Adams St. at S. Kildare Ave.
Parish: 1896 – 1941 Consolidated 1941. Merged with St. Mel and renamed St. Mel-Holy Ghost. Merged in June 1988 with Resurrection and St. Thomas Aquinas and renamed St Martin de Porres.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Vicariate (Demolished)
W. 13th Place and S. St. Louis Avenue
Parish: 1898 – 1979
Closed 1979. Merged with St. Agatha.

Presentation B.V.M. (Demolished)
Springfield Avenue between Polk Street & Lexington Avenue
Parish: 1898 – 2005, Constructed 1903-1904.

St. Salome
E. 118th Street and S. Indiana Avenue
Parish: 1898 – 1990, Closed on June 30, 1990

St. Stephen
22nd Place and Wolcott Avenue
Parish: 1898 – 2002
Currently part of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School

Holy Guardian Angel (Demolished)
W. Cabrini Street and S. Blue Island Avenue
Parish: 1899 – 1963
Location is on University of Illinois at Chicago campus

St. Finbarr (Demolished)
W. 14th Street and S. Harding Avenue
Parish: 1900 – 1969
Closed and razed in 1969. Merged with Our Lady of Lourdes.

St. Joseph
E. 88th St. between S. Marquette Avenue & S. Saginaw Avenue
Parish: 1900 – 1987

St. Willibrord
S. Edbrooke Avenue between E. 113th Place and E. 114th Place
Parish: 1900 – 1989

Assumption B.V.M (Demolished)
W 60th Street and S. Marshfield Avenue
Parish: 1901 – 1990, Closed on June 30, 1990

Our Lady of Good Counsel
3532 S. Hermitage Avenue
Parish: 1901 – 2008

Our Lady Help of Christians (Formerly Our Lady Mercy)
W. Iowa Street and N. Leclaire Avenue
Parish: 1901 – 2005

St. Raphael
W. 60th Street and S. Justine Street
Parish: 1901 – 1989, Consolidated on July 1, 1989. Merged with St. Justin Martyr, St. Martin, Sacred Heart (May St.), St. Bernard, and St. Carthage and renamed St. Benedict the African.

St. Michael the Archangel
2327 W 24th Place
Parish: 1903 – 2003

Holy Cross
W. 46th Street and S. Hermitage Avenue
Parish: 1904 – 1983, Constructed 1913-1915
Consolidated in 1983. Merged with Immaculate Heart of Mary Vicariate. Renamed Holy Cross-Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Our Lady of Hungary (Demolished)
E. 93rd Street and S. Kimbark Avenue
Parish: 1904 – 1987

Sacred Heart
11652 S. Church Street
Parish: 1904 – 1979
Closed in 1979. Merged with St. Walter. In November 1982 the Church became the Sacred Heart Mission of Holy Name of Mary.

St. Basil (Demolished)
W Garfield Boulevard and S. Honore Street
Parish: 1904 – 1990, Constructed 1925-1926
Consolidated on June 30, 1990. Merged with Visitation and renamed St. Basil Visitation.

St. Dominic (Demolished)
W. Locust Street and N. Sedgwick Street
Parish: 1904 – 1990
Closed on June 30, 1990. Razed circa 2017.

St. Michael the Archangel
1644 W. Wabansia Ave.
Parish: 1904 – 1970
Closed in 1970. Merged with Annunciation.

St. Philip Benizi (Demolished)
Oak Street and Cambridge Avenue
Parish: 1904 – 1965
Closed 1965. Merged with St. Dominic.

St. Veronica (Demolished)
School and Whipple St.
Parish: 1904 – 1991
Consolidated in 1991. Merged with St. Francis Xavier and renamed Resurrection.

St. David (Demolished)
W. 32nd Street and S. Emerald Avenue
Parish: 1905 – 1995

All Saints
E. 108th Street and S. State Street
Parish: 1906 – 1989
Consolidated on February 23, 1973 with Holy Rosary, St. Louis of France, and St. Nicholas. Established as All Saints. Closed in 1989. Currently Universal Community Missionary Baptist Church.

Our Lady of Vilna (Demolished)
2323 W. 23rd Place Parish: 1906 – 1987

St. John of God (Demolished)
52nd and Throop Street
Parish: 1906 – 1992, Constructed 1918. Demolished 2011. Facade and parts of chuch moved to St. Raphael the Archangel, Old Mill Creek, IL

St. Joseph (Demolished)
730 W. 17th Place
Parish: 1906 – 1968
Closed in January 1968. Merged with Providence of God Church.

Holy Rosary
W. 108th Street and S. Perry Avenue
Parish: 1907 – 1973
Closed in February 1973. Merged with All Saints Church. Currently Chicago Beacon of Joy Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Resurrection (Demolished)
W. Jackson Boulevard and S. Leamington Avenue
Parish: 1909 – 1988
Consolidated in 1988. Merged with St. Mel-Holy Ghost and St. Thomas Aquinas. Renamed St. Martin De Porres.

St. John the Baptist (Demolished)
Burley Avenue 91st Street
Parish: 1909 – 1993

St. Thomas Aquinas
W. Washington Boulevard and N. Leamington Avenue
Parish: 1909 – 1988, Constructed 1923-1925
Consolidated in 1988. Merged with Resurrection and St. Mel-Holy Ghost. Renamed St. Martin De Porres

Our Lady of Pompeii
W. Lexington Street and S. Lytle Street
Parish: 1910 – 1994
Status changed from parish to shrine in 1994.

Sacred Heart of Jesus
S. Wolcott Avenue and W. 46th Street
Parish: 1910 – 1990, Closed June 30, 1990

Sacred Heart
W. Huron Street and N. Oakley Boulevard
Parish: 1911 – 1990, Closed in June 1990.
Currently Bell Tower Loft Condominium Association.

St. Francis de Paula
E. 78th Street and S. Dobson Avenue Parish: 1911 – 1991
Currently New Life Covenant Church Southeast
St. Sebastian (Demolished)
W. Wellington Avenue and N. Dayton Street Parish: 1912 – 1990, Closed on June 30, 1990

Holy Trinity
1850 S. Throop St. Parish: 1914 – 2004
SS. Cyril and Methodius
W. Walton Street and N. Kildare Avenue Parish: 1915 – 1987

Our Lady of Solace
W. 62nd Street and S. Sangamon Street
Parish: 1916 – 1988
Consolidated in September 1988. Merged with St. Martin, now closed.

St. Angela (Demolished)
W. Potomac Avenue and N. Massasoit Avenue
Parish: 1916 – 2005, Church constructed in 1949, Demolished in 2018.

St. Justin Martyr
7033 S. Honore Street
Parish: 1916 – 1989, Consolidated July 1, 1989. Merged with St. Martin, St. Raphael, Sacred Heart, St. Bernard, and St. Carthage. Renamed St. Benedict the African.

St. Theodore (Demolished)
6209-6215 S. Paulina Street
Parish: 1916 – 1976
Merged with St. Brendan

St. Callistus
Bowler and Leavitt Street
Parish: 1919 – 1994
Closed on July 1, 1994. Merged with Notre Dame. Currently chapel of Chicago Hope Academy High School.

St. Carthage (Demolished)
W. 73rd Street and S. Yale Avenue
Parish: 1919 – 1989
Consolidated on JuIy 1, 1989. Merged with St. Justin Martyr, St. Raphael. Sacred Heart, St. Bemard, and St. Martin. Renamed St. Benedict the African.

St. Peter Canisius
W. North Ave and Leclaire Ave
Parish: 1925 – 2007, Currently closed and mothballed.

St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (The Little Flower)
W. 80th Street and S. Wood Street
Parish: 1925 – 1993
Currently Greater Mount Hebron Baptist Church.

St. Ethelred
W. 88th Street and S. Paulina Street
Parish: 1926 – 2007, Acme Missionary Baptist Church

St. Fidelis (Demolished)
1405 N. Washtenaw Ave., Parish: 1926 – 2006

San Marcello Mission
617 W. Evergreen Street, Parish: 1927 – 1974

St. Joseph Mission (Demolished)
1413 W 13th St., Parish: 1933 – 1960

St. Hedwig Mission
2445 N. Washtenaw Avenue
Parish: 1939 – 1990
Closed on June 30, 1990. Currently a private residence.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Vicariate
4515 S. Ashland Avenue
Parish: 1940 – 1983
Consolidated in 1983. Merged with Holy Cross. Renamed Holy Cross- Immaculate Heart of Mary Vicariate.

St. Francis Xavier Cabrini
S. Sacramento Boulevard and W. Lexington Street
Parish: 1940 – 1987
Currently Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.

St. Mel-Holy Ghost (Originally St. Mel)
W. Washington Boulevard and N. Kildare Avenue
Church constucted in 1910-1911, Consoilidated with Holy Ghost in 1941. Closed in 1988. Consolidated on June 30, 1988. Merged with Resurrection and St. Thomas Aquinas. Renamed St. Martin De Porres. Currently New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church since 1993.

Our Lady of Fatima Mission
3051 N. Christiana Avenue
Parish: 1944 – 1990, Closed on June 30, 1990

Our Lady of the Cross Mission (Demolished)
2849 W. Chase Ave.
Parish: 1948 – 1987

Our Lady of the Gardens
E 133rd Street and S. Langley Avenue

Ford City Catholic Center
7601 S Cicero Ave.
Parish: 1969 – 1989

St. Clara-St. Cyril
E. 65th Street and Woodlawn Avenue, 1969 – 1990
Consolidated on June 30, 1990. Merged with Holy Cross and renamed St. Gelasius.

St. Charles Lwanga (originally St. Anne) (Demolished)
Garfield Blvd. and Wentworth Ave. 1971 – 1990
Closed on June 30, 1990. Demolished 1994

St. Gelasius (Currently, Shrine of Christ the King)
Woodlawn, South of 64th St.
Parish: 1990 – 2002
Built as St. Clara in 1924, then merged with St. Cyril, Now being reconstructed following a significant fire.