St. Mary of the Angels Chicago, IL

Notice that you cannot see the glass in the windows from the outside. There was something covering them- my guess is to protect them from the elements

Went to mass on Sunday for the first time in a while. St. Mary of the Angels is on the Catholic Reporters top 11 churches to see in Chicago. It was built in 1897 by Polish immigrants but due to a shortage of building materials and other delays, was not completed until 1920. See below for the full excerpt from Catholic World Report. 

I love the lights!

I found this to be the most unusual part of the church...a modern mural?? I don't know that I've ever seen a mural in a church like this with an American flag.

St. Mary of the Angels is a parish in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago originally established by Polish immigrants in 1897. The building of the church was delayed for years due to a variety of factors, including shortages of manpower and materials during World War I. The church was finally completed, and Chicago Archbishop (later Cardinal) George Mundelein dedicated the structure in 1920.

It’s an impressive edifice, both inside and out, that sits prominently on the Kennedy Expressway as you head toward downtown Chicago. It is a large church, seating 2,000. If you’re a Steven Seagal fan, St. Mary’s served as the backdrop for his 1988 movie Above the Law. 

St. Mary’s is built in the Italian Romanesque style, modeled after churches in Rome. It is cruciform—the shape of a cross—and its exterior features include twin bell towers, a large central dome, and nine-foot statues of angels that surround its rooftop. Its entrance portico is supported by four sets of tall columns; it has images of the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt on the right and Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey on the left. 

Inside, there is a vast collection of beautiful artwork, a feast for the eyes wherever you look. Features include colorful paintings, statues, and stained glass windows. The interior of the central dome declares, “Glory to God in the Highest and Peace on Earth to Men of Good Will,” with stained glass windows of the 12 Apostles above. As with any historic building, maintenance is a constant challenge; work is currently underway to stabilize the dome.  

You’ll see many statues and images of the saints; one window, for example, features St. Francis of Assisi receiving the stigmata and a statue in the rear has him holding a skull, reminding us of the passing nature of life. To the left of the altar is an image of St. Therese of Lisieux, a new saint when the church was being decorated. You’ll also see images of angels throughout the interior.

The church has a clearly defined theology in its architecture, Nell noted during our tour, with a central focus on the tabernacle. It is relatively rare among American churches in that it still has altar rails, a clear dividing line between the holy place occupied by the congregation and the holy of holies occupied by the priest as he celebrates the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. There is marble on top of the altar rail, which matches the marble on the top of the altar. 

Like many old churches, St. Mary’s has a raised ambo. As it was built in the days before sound systems, the priest was raised above the people so that his voice would project throughout the church. The interior of the church also has a double row of arches, and an organ in the rear. The stained glass windows feature the Stations of the Cross. In addition to its main altar, there are four side altars. 

In its heyday in the 1920s, St. Mary’s was home to 1,600 families, but by the 1960s the parish went into a period of decline. An often-cited factor is the construction of the Kennedy Expressway in 1960, which ran just a few blocks away from the church and split the neighborhood the parish served in two. 

Due to its extensive maintenance needs, St. Mary’s was slated for closure in 1988. Large and small donors stepped up to save the church, and, in 1991, Chicago Cardinal Joseph Bernardin entrusted care of the parish to Opus Dei priests. Rarely do Opus Dei priests staff parishes, but in this case they did so at the request of the archdiocese. 

Today, St. Mary’s is more than just a magnificent building, but also a place where the Catholic faith is taught and fostered. Masses are celebrated in English, Spanish, and Polish, and confessions are readily available. Its priests are known for their orthodoxy, and the parish draws many large families. The parish still offers a grade school, and has a program for inner city youth. 

St. Mary’s is an ideal place to start when taking a Chicago church tour, as it has much of the best of what a Catholic parish can offer.