St. John Cantius, Chicago, Illinois - Christmas in Chicago (Kind of Late for) Advent Series, Part 4

Here is the last stop for the 2014 Christmas season Chicago Church Chase.  Here we have a parish like Sts. Hyacinth, Mary of the Angels, and Stanislaus Kostka, originally Polish.  Like St. Mary of the Angels especially, this church came dangerously close to being shuttered in the late 20th Century and has survived.  The biggest thing that makes this parish unique is that it has transformed into possibly Chicago's best known home for the Latin Mass.  Take a close look up the aisle and you'll see that there is only a high altar here.

Gothic temporary Nativity scene.  The poinsettias complement the generally dark complexion of the church wonderfully. 

"Jezusowi dopomaga szymon cyrenejczyk."  (Polish)

"Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus." (English)

Even with the presence of the Latin Mass, signs of the original Polish presence still abound.

A stunning display of the Pietà. 

Side altar devoted to Our Lady of Częstochowa and Child.

St. Mary.

St. Clare of Assisi.

If I had more photos in focus from these confessionals, I would have made a post featuring them alone.  Here we see a pair of ornate confessionals with a statue of Jesus consoling a sinner in the middle.  A closer look at this statue allows for deep looks at the sorrow of the sinner and the merciful response in Jesus' face and posture.  I don't compare a lot of reconciliation stations, but this one is impressive in display and I think it gives the visitor a chance to take stock in the importance of the Sacrament (or even the concept) of Reconciliation for many.

St. Lawrence, with a gridiron representing his death as a martyr.

Another, perhaps hidden gem at St. John Cantius:  Tucked away from the church proper is an incredible 1/3 scale replica of the Gothic altar at St. Mary's Church in Krakow, Poland.  This replica of the 15th Cenutry Wit Stwosz was completed by Michal Batkiewicz in 2003 [1].

Not even the floors escape the artistic influence.

St. Cecilia.

While the Polish residential districts were of incredible scale around the church in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, much of the area around St, John Cantius is now industrial or grounded under the Kennedy Expressway (Interstates 90 and 94).  It is the Latin Mass that makes this parish thrive today, and folks come from all over Chicagoland to attend Mass here.

It is clearly late for wishing a Merry Christmas, but I hope you and yours have had a joyous and safe Holiday Season and that your 2015 is full of blessings and enough exploration to keep things interesting.  Thanks for reading this and my other posts!

St. John Cantius Parish

825 N. Carpenter Street, Chicago, IL 60642

http://www.cantius.org/



Additional Sources
[1] McNamara, Denis R.,. Heavenly City: The Architectural Tradition of Catholic Chicago, Chicago, IL: Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 2005, 52.

Merry Christmas!

From St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church in Chicago.

With my camera battery practically dead, I stumbled into this church, which they keep open 24 hours a day.  I happened to go in only minutes before a Mass and for a small of a crowd as there was (maybe two dozen folks, it wasn't an actual holiday) I was able to experience one of the more elegant services that I have seen.  The decor and the lighting in the church only helped this matter.  As I recall, the lights were either off or heavily dimmed in the nave, which forced the eyes up to the splendidly decorated altar.

One more "Advent" post will come out sometime in the next couple weeks.

St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish

The Sanctuary of Divine Mercy

1351 W. Evergreen Avenue, Chicago, IL 60642

http://www.sanctuaryofthedivinemercy.org/

St. Michael in Old Town & Assumption, Chicago, Illinois - Christmas in Chicago Advent Series, Part 3

After visiting three churches on my Christmas Chicago Church Chase, my camera's battery began to die.  I managed to take a few photos at three more churches, two of which you see here.  These first photos are from St. Michael in the Old Town neighborhood.

The Poor Souls Altar, which depicts a soul being raised from Purgatory [1].

St. Catherine of Alexandria.

The Sacred Heart Altar.  Sts. Alphonsus Ligouri & Teresa Avila flank Jesus on this altar [2]. 

The Infant of Prague. 

Our Mother of Perpetual Help Altar [3].

St. Michael's is one of Chicago's older parishes.  In fact, the church building that preceded the present structure succumbed to the Chicago Fire of 1871.  That building was one of the tallest in Chicago at the time, with a steeple reaching 200 feet (larger than the still-standing famous water tower on North Michigan Avenue).  This building, erected shortly after the fire, points higher still, with the 290-foot tower dominating the Old Town neighborhood [4].

Assumption Catholic Church is in the River North neighborhood, only blocks from such iconic landmarks as the Hancock Tower and the Magnificent Mile.  Originally founded for the Italian community, its location within downtown brings all types of visitors near and in the church [5].

Perhaps most striking in my short visit were the stained glass windows, which depict a mix of older, more traditional religious events and more recent periods in the history of the Catholic Church.  Above are views of one of these windows, where St. Frances Xavier Cabrini makes her landing in New York Harbor.  St. Frances Xavier Cabrini moved on to Chicago and much of her life's work was performed through this church and the nearby Assumption School that she helped to run [6].

              

Left: Jesus and His Sacred Heart in a vision to St. Mary Alacoque.

Right: Pope John XXIII calling the start of Vatican II, with Chicago's bishops and archbishops near the bottom of the window [7].

St. Anthony of Padua with Child and St. Patrick.

St. Michael in Old Town Catholic Church

1633 N. Cleveland Avenue Chicago, IL 60614

http://www.st-mikes.org/

Assumption Catholic Church

323 W. Illinois Street, Chicago, IL 60622

http://assumption-chgo.org/Home.asp

Additional Sources
[1] http://www.st-mikes.org/89
[2] http://www.st-mikes.org/90
[3] http://www.st-mikes.org/92
[4] http://www.st-mikes.org/15
[5] http://assumption-chgo.org/WA.asp?dseq=41
[6] http://cabrinishrinechicago.com/mother-cabrini/
[7] http://assumption-chgo.org/rp.asp?dseq=43

St. Mary of the Angels, Chicago, Illinois - Christmas in Chicago Advent Series, Part 2

St. Mary of the Angels is certainly one of the most iconic of Chicago's Catholic Churches.  Most people see its proud dome and twin towers while speeding by (or while being caught in traffic) on the nearby Kennedy Expressway (I-94) northwest of the Loop in Downtown Chicago.  At a closer level, finer details emerge, like these angels lining the main roof of the church.

Side note (a proper post will describe this later): Roamin' Catholic Churches is on Instagram!  I started taking photos while on a trip last month.  I bring it up here because my first Instagram post came from this church!

The layout inside the church, with the large done and barrel vaulting, along with the largely light-toned interior give St. Mary of the Angels a very elegant look.  A seminarian from a neighboring parish described the interior as being like "Angel Food Cake."  I think it's easy to see why.

"Gloria in excelsis deo..."  (Latin)

"Glory to God in the highest," for those you you who just sing the line at Christmastime (like me).

Fairly dramatic (and pretty) window display.  There is a dedication near the bottom of the middle window, "Parafia Sw. Stanisława Kostki," or the Parish of St. Stanislaus Kostka, the mother church of all Chicago's Polish parishes.  With that is seems safe to assume we have the Virgin and Child facing St. Stanislaus Kostka, who is in the left window.

St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei.  Opus Dei (Latin for "God's work") priests have administered the parish since 1991, as St. Mary of the Angels was on the brink of meeting the wrecking ball [1][2][3].  Restorations in the years since have helped pull the church from the cliff of destruction and are helping cement the church as an icon of the Bucktown neighborhood.

        

Left: St. Mary as Mother of the Fairest Love and Child.
Right: Depiction of the Pietà.

"Jezus upada po raz pierwszy.  Oddz Sw. Barbary."  (Polish)

"Jesus falls the first time.  Branch of St. Barbara/" (English)

"Congregatio a  resurrectione domini nostri jesu christi"  (Latin)

"Congregation of  the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ" (English)

Jesus & the Sacred Heart, with more Latin to translate above if you are a little ambitious.

'Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus." (Latin)

"Holy, holy, holy." (English)

The Assumption of St. Mary is the focal point of the dome above the altar.

Look closely above the columns (or click on the image to see a larger version), you can see a papal tiara in the terra cotta among other religious insigniia. 

It is safe to say the exterior of St. Mary of the Angels deserves it's own blog post.  Angel statues, the towers, the dome, the significance of this building to the gentrifying Bucktown neighborhood...there are lots of ways to talk about this church.

St. Mary of the Angels Parish

1850 N. Hermitage Avenue Chicago, IL 60622

http://www.sma-church.org

Additional Posts on St. Mary of the Angels:

Holy Thursday Night - Agony in the Garden  http://roamincatholicchurches.blogspot.com/2014/04/holy-thursday-night-agony-in-garden.html

Additional Sources

[1] http://www.sma-church.org

[2] http://www.josemariaescriva.info/section/biographical-profile

[3] http://www.opusdei.org/en-us/