St. John Cantius Church (Chicago)
Saint John Cantius Church | |
---|---|
Groundbreaking | 1893 |
Completed | 1898 |
Construction cost | $130,000 |
Specifications | |
Capacity | 2,000 |
Length | 230 feet (70 m) |
Width | 107 feet (33 m) |
Materials | Rusticated Limestone and Brick |
Clergy | |
Pastor(s) | Rev. David Yallaly, SJC[2] |
Saint John Cantius Church (
With monumental
The unique baroque interior has remained intact for more than a century and is reminiscent of the sumptuous art and architecture of 18th century Kraków. Of all the
History
The arrival and settlement of Polish immigrants in the area, known as “
Designed by Adolphus Druiding, St. John Cantius Church took five years to build. Work commenced in the spring of 1893. The cornerstone was laid and blessed in July of that year as 50,000 people attended the ceremony. By December, only the crudely finished basement church was completed. The new parish community held its first Mass in the basement on Christmas Eve.
When the edifice was complete, Archbishop Patrick Feehan performed the blessing and dedication ceremonies on December 11, 1898. The parish flourished and reached its peak in 1918 with about 23,000 parishioners and 2,500 children in the school.
The parish retained its Polish character for years, but the building of the Kennedy Expressway which cut through the heart of
A revival of the parish began in the late 1980s by Fr. Frank Phillips, C.R., who became pastor. Fr. Phillips helped to spark a renewal and attract parishioners, as well as financial resources. With improved finances, Fr. Phillips could begin restoring the physical church to its original glory while preserving the many treasures the parish already had. In 1998, with the approval of Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Fr. Phillips founded a new religious community of men, the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, which now staffs the parish.
A gentrification of the surrounding neighborhood has further contributed to the renewal of the parish. The area that was once known as the “Polish Patch,” is now called “River West,” a developing area with town homes and luxury lofts.
Today, St. John Cantius Church has become a focal center of
. The Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, founded at St. John Cantius Church in 1998, offer the liturgy of the Roman Rite in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms.Several famous Poles have visited the church. In March 1989, the parish hosted a visit by
Although the parish's school has closed, the building now houses the Chicago Academy for the Arts, often called the "Fame" school and compared with New York City's High School of Performing Arts.
In December 2021, St. John Cantius announced that in accordance with Cardinal Cupich's implementation of Traditionis custodes, it would cease celebrating the Tridentine Mass at Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, during the Paschal Triduum and the first Sunday of the month beginning in January 2022.[4]
Architecture
The Church building's design is by
The interior is in the Baroque style. Eight stone columns support the vault. The present decoration is the result of several interior decorations within the first forty years of completion.
The church's main altar, as well as its matching two side altars reputedly originate from the
An inlaid
In 2003, work was completed on a replica of the renowned
A permanent exhibit of sacred art is located in the church's north tower. The collection's centerpiece is a Neapolitan "presepio" (Italian for
St. John Cantius in literature and film
St. John Cantius was featured in two films that were both shot in the summer and fall of 1990. The first was a made-for-television movie, entitled Johnny Ryan. The second was a major Hollywood film entitled, Only the Lonely, directed by John Hughes and starring Maureen O'Hara and John Candy.
St. John Cantius also serves as the backdrop for Steffi Rostenkowski's great realization in Nelson Algren's work Never Come Morning where, night after night, she heard the iron rocking of the bells of Saint John Cantius. Each night they came nearer till the roar of The Loop was only a troubled whimper beneath the rocking of the bells. "Everyone lives in the same big room", she would tell herself, as they rocked. "But nobody's speakin' to anyone else, an' nobody got a key".[5]
St. John Cantius in architecture books
St. John Cantius is featured in a number of books on
See also
- Polish Cathedral style
- Poles in Chicago
- Adolphus Druiding
- Tadeusz Żukotyński
References
- ^ Pashman, Manya Brachear (April 20, 2016). "St. John Cantius chosen America's Most Beautiful Church". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ "Parish Staff". St. John Cantius Church. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ "Meet the Canons". St. John Cantius Church. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "Statement Regarding the Policy of the Archdiocese of Chicago for Implementing Traditionis Custodes" (Press release). St. John Cantius Church. December 27, 2021. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ISBN 978-1-8931-2101-0.
External links
Media related to St. John Cantius Church (Chicago) at Wikimedia Commons