Holy Cross Church (Chicago), referred to in Lithuanian as ''Šv. Kryžiaus Bažnyčia'', is a historic church of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...

located on West 46th Street in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. Built by Lithuanian immigrants, it bears a striking resemblance to many of Chicago's so-called " Polish Cathedrals" by virtue of the common heritage

Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...

and

Lithuanians Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another million or two make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Uni ...

shared during the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

and reflected in their architectural tastes. Holy Cross merged with the nearby Immaculate Heart of Mary Church on 45th and Ashland to make one parish, Holy Cross - Immaculate Heart of Mary. In 2021, the parish was further united with two nearby churches.

History

At the turn of the 20th century, immigrants from

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

had been settling down in the Back of the Yards area for over a decade. Between 1870 and 1880, around 10,000 residents moved to Lake Township (referred to as "''Taunleikis''" by Lithuanians). Even after the township ceased to exist when it was annexed to the

City of Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1889, new residents continued settling in the area, which was economically tied to the

Union Stock Yards The Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., or The Yards, was the meatpacking district in Chicago for more than a century, starting in 1865. The district was operated by a group of railroad companies that acquired marshland and turned it into a central ...

. Lithuanian immigrants formed a distinct settlement in the vicinity of the intersection of 47th Street and Ashland Avenue, in addition to the blocks northwest of that intersection. By February 6, 1902, a group of Lithuanians formed the Society of St. Vincent Ferrer. A committee, consisting of Lithuanians, was created, and the group approached Archbishop Quigley with a desire to create a Lithuanian parish. Quigley agreed to the request, and on February 1, 1904, ten lots on 46th Street between Hermitage and Wood Streets were purchased by the Society of St Vincent Ferrer. On June 16, 1904, Alexander Skrypko started organizing the new parish. Holy Cross was founded in 1904 as a "

national parish National parish is a type of Catholic parish distinguished by liturgical rites or nationality of the congregation; it is found within a diocese or particular Church, which includes other types of parishes in the same geographical area, each parish ...

" for

Lithuanians in Chicago Lithuanians in Chicago and the nearby metropolitan area are a prominent group within the "Windy City" whose presence goes back over a hundred years. Today the Chicago area possesses the largest Lithuanian community outside Lithuania,Čikago ...

living in the

Back of the Yards New City is one of Chicago's 77 official community areas, located on the southwest side of the city in the South Side district. It contains the neighborhoods of Canaryville and Back of the Yards. The area was home to the famous Union Stock Ya ...

area, most of whom were employed at the nearby

. By 1909, Skyrpko, referred to as "Skripka", was being assisted by Reverend Ezerskis. On October 26, 1913, Quigley laid the new church's cornerstone. The church was completed in 1915, and the first mass celebrated in it occurred on Wednesday, September 15, 1915, the feast day of

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows ( la, Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows ( la, Mater Dolorosa, link=no), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names ...

. The parish fell on hard times in the 1970s after the closure of the stockyards, resulting in a merger with the neighboring parish of The Immaculate Heart of Mary. In 2004 the parish celebrated its 100-year anniversary, and in 2021, the parish was united with two nearby churches,

St. Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers ...

and St. Michael, into Holy Cross and SS. Mary, Joseph, and Michael Parish as part of an archdiocesan Renew My Church planning process. Today, the parish is largely

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

and uses both churches for

worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. It may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adoration, praise, and praying. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition ...

as well as a wide variety of activities, with around 3,000 parishioners turning out for

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

each weekend.

Holy Cross today

Today, mass at Holy Cross is held 2 days each week, with other services held at the nearby Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. Currently, only

Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...

services are given at Holy Cross. The church previously held services in English, but these services are now mainly given in Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Mass Schedule

This is a schedule listing the services held at Holy Cross as of Summer 2020. Note that the services held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church are not included in this list. All times listed are local. The Sunday service marked with an asterisk (*) includes music that is performed by the local Children's

Choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

and the

Marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

Ensemble.

Architecture

The

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

church, designed by

Joseph Molitor Joseph Molitor (14 February 1874 – 26 August 1917) was a Czechs, Bohemian-born architect with a noteworthy legacy in church architecture. Early life Molitor was born Josef Molitor on 14 February 1874, the Catholic Church, Catholic feast day ...

, was completed in 1915. Chicago's Lithuanian churches were designed in the spirit of the architecture of the

as a statement affirming Lithuania's culture, and reaffirming ties to their former homeland. Its twin towers soar above the

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

houses and two-flats of the

neighborhood. The church features

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

s and ceramic tiles on the floor imported from Lithuania. The church is covered with paintings, statues, and

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows. The ornate

stations of the cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

are by renowned painter

Thaddeus von Zukotynski Thaddeus (Latin ''Thaddaeus'', Ancient Greek Θαδδαῖος ''Thaddaĩos'', from Aramaic תדי ''Ṯaday'') is a male given name. As of the 1990 Census, ''Thaddeus'' was the 611th most popular male name in the United States, while ''Thad'', ...

, whose work at the church was later restored by Chicago artist Sr. Mary Stanisia. A lofty dome covers the church's vast interior that was richly decorated in 1951 by Lithuanian artists who had sought refuge from the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. Most notable among them was

Adolfas Valeška Adolfas Valeška (15 March 1905, in Kybartai – 11 May 1994, in Kaunas, Lithuania) was a Lithuanian stained glass artist, painter, stage designer, and museum director who worked in Lithuania and in Chicago, Illinois. Valeška graduated fr ...

who executed four

oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...

s that depict scenes from Lithuanian and

American history The history of the lands that became the United States began with the arrival of the first people in the Americas around 15,000 BC. Numerous indigenous cultures formed, and many saw transformations in the 16th century away from more densely ...

. The

vaulted ceiling In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...

is supported by marble columns located near the walls and it is lined with more than 2,000

light bulb An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the soc ...

s that brighten the church, each within a rosette. The brightly colored

windows were installed in 1943 and 1944 by the Chicago firm of Arthur Michaudel depicting scenes from the life of

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

and a number of

saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...

. There are also two

choir loft A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

s as well as an organ with over 1,700 pipes. The church's architecture helped ease the transition from predominantly Lithuanian to

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

congregations since both ethnic groups would have found the

stylings familiar to churches in their own countries of origin. Holy Cross's architect, Joseph Molitor, also drew up the plans for two neighboring

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

churches in the

area of Chicago founded by

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

an immigrants: St. Joseph's church for

and the now-closed Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church for

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

Holy Cross in architecture books

Holy Cross is featured in a number of books on

Chicago architecture The buildings and architecture of Chicago reflect the city's history and multicultural heritage, featuring prominent buildings in a variety of styles. Most structures downtown were destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 (an exception being t ...

and

church architecture Church architecture refers to the architecture of buildings of churches, convents, seminaries etc. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by borrowing other architectural styles as ...

. The following is a list of books that feature Holy Cross's architecture.

Books on Chicago architecture

*
The AIA Guide to Chicago
by Alice Sinkevitch (Harvest Books 2004)

Books on church architecture

*
Chicago Churches and Synagogues: An Architectural Pilgrimage
by George A. Lane (Loyola University Press 1982) *
The Spiritual Traveler: Chicago and Illinois: A Guide to Sacred Sites and Peaceful Places
by Marylin Chiat (Hidden Spring 2004) *
Heavenly City: The Architectural Tradition of Catholic Chicago
by Denis R. McNamara (Liturgy Training Publications 2005) *
The Archdiocese of Chicago: A Journey of Faith
by Edward R. Kantowicz (Booklink 2007)

References

External links

*
Archdiocese of Chicago

Official Parish Website
{{Coord, 41.8108, -87.6691, type:landmark_region:US-IL, display=title Roman Catholic churches in Chicago Chicago HolyCrossChurch Chicago HolyCrossChurch