THREATENED: Final Mass Held at St. Michael the Archangel Church Before Being Closed by Archdiocese of Chicago

“Sitting at the corner of 82nd Street and South Shore Drive for more than a century, thousands of footsteps into St. Michael the Archangel Parish are fading into history as a final mass was celebrated Sunday before the venerable building is closed.

“‘It’s amazing structure, really the cathedral of South Chicago,’ Ward Miller of Preservation Chicago said. ‘It’s so unfortunate that this is being closed by the Archdiocese of Chicago when this is still a viable parish.’

“Miller came to the church Saturday to lobby for landmark status of the building and to celebrate his family’s history. St. Michael’s is where his great-grandparents were married in 1895.

“‘These are landmarks and gateways to communities. The faithful built these churches with pennies, nickels and dimes and they were given to the Archdiocese to steward and maintain, and when that can’t happen anymore we need to think of other solutions,’ Miller said.

“US Steel, a large employer at the time on the Southeast Side made large donations as well to help contruct the Gothic revival structure as a place for many of its Polish immigrant workers to worship.

“‘A whole sense of community is lost here. It’s more than just a faith-based place of worship and house of worship, it’s a gateway to these communities, it’s a cornerstone to these communities,’ Miller said. ‘These are true landmarks in our community and when they’re closed, not only do we lose a religious site but we lose all the services, the human services, the counselors, the food and the food pantries.'” (Lewis, WGN Chicago 9, 10/30/21)

Watch the full story at WGN Chicago 9

WATCH: St. Michael the Archangel Church celebrates a final mass, Sean Lewis, WGN Chicago 9, 10/30/21