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The Shrine of Christ the King, formerly known as St. Clara and St. Gelasius Church, is a historic
In 2004, then-Archbishop of Chicago Francis George invited the canons of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest to take over St. Clara, who established the Shrine of Christ the King in the church and situated the headquarters of the Institute's American Province there. The Institute began working on the interior of the church, and hosted community and cultural events which began to bring the church building back into the Woodlawn community.
On October 7, 2015, the building was struck by another fire, eliminating most of the work that had been done on the church since its 2004 take-over. The shrine was nearly demolished yet again after being declared to be in 'hazardous condition', but was formally given to the Institute by the Archdiocese for work to continue on February 28, 2016. By 2020, $4 million had been invested into repairing the church, installing a new roofing system, new drainage, and reinforcement of the existing walls.
Notable architect William Heyer has been contracted for the restoration of the building, part of which will include placing a greater focus on the high altar, where an image of the Infant Christ the King will be enthroned against a sunburst background. Other side shrines will be dedicated to the Annunciation, the Nativity of Jesus, Nativity, the Epiphany (holiday), Epiphany, the Mary, mother of Jesus, Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Francis de Sales, Thomas Aquinas, Benedict of Nursia, Thérèse of Lisieux, Therese of the Child Jesus, and the Crucifixion of Jesus, Crucifixion.
In February of 2021, the Institute announced the acquisition of what was formerly the school building of St. Clara to serve as a center of parish life for the shrine, calling it the Holy Family House. The building will specifically serve the needs of the faithful of the shrine, as opposed to the administrative needs of the Province.
The shrine has been the site of protests against Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Blase Cupich's implementation of the 2021 motu proprio ''Traditionis custodes, Traditionis Custodes''. Since August 1, 2022 the celebration of public Masses and Sacraments is suspended.
Chicago City Council Alderman, Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, advocated for the resumption of Mass at the Shrine in a May 9 letter to Cardinal Cupich.
The Shrine Landmark's Instagram Page
Shrine Landmark's Website
Architectural Renderings of the Restored Shrine
{{coord, 41.7785, -87.5958, type:landmark_region:US-IL, display=title Roman Catholic churches in Chicago Roman Catholic churches completed in 1927 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Church fires in the United States Churches used by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest
The Shrine of Christ the King, formerly known as St. Clara and St. Gelasius Church, is a historic Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
church of the Archdiocese of Chicago in the Woodlawn neighborhood. It is now the National Headquarters of the American Province of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, who are restoring the church after a 2015 fire.
History
Founding
The original church was built to serve theCarmelites
, image =
, caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites
, abbreviation = OCarm
, formation = Late 12th century
, founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel
, founding_location = Mount Car ...
and their growing parish of St. Clara, which had been founded in 1894, to serve the majority-German community in Woodlawn following the population boom of the World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordi ...
. Notable architect Henry Schlacks Henry John Schlacks (July 4, 1867 – January 6, 1938) was primarily known as an ecclesiologist in a 19th Century sense of the word, meaning one who designs and decorates churches. He was from Chicago, Illinois, and is considered by many to be t ...
was contracted to design a new church, which is distinctively Renaissance Revival. When it was finished in 1928, it cost the equivalent of $7 million in 2016 or $ in . With the canonization of Thérèse of Lisieux
Thérèse of Lisieux (french: Thérèse de Lisieux ), born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin (2 January 1873 – 30 September 1897), also known as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (), was a French Catholic Discalced Carmelite ...
in 1925, the church also became the site of the National Shrine to Therese of Lisieux.
Decline
Major demographic change in the Woodlawn neighborhood began withHansberry v. Lee __NOTOC__
''Hansberry v. Lee'', 311 U.S. 32 (1940), is a famous and commonly-used case in civil procedure classes for teaching that ''res judicata'' does not apply to an individual whose interests were not adequately represented in a prior class ac ...
, which prohibited racially-restrictive clauses in real estate contracts. By 1960, Woodlawn was majority African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
. Father Tracy O'Sullivan, the pastor of the parish during this time, was involved in gang outreach and worked for nondiscriminatory affordable housing. The church was renamed St. Clara-St. Cyril in 1969, to reflect the consolidation of 2 parishes.
An April 1976 fire destroyed most of the original interior of the church, and parish membership struggled for the following decades. in 1990, a third parish, Holy Cross, was closed and merged into St. Clara, and the parish was renamed Pope Gelasius I, St. Gelasius, for the pope of African heritage, in a nod to the membership of the parish.
By June 2002, the number of regular worshipers had fallen below 100 per week, and the church was closed and slated for demolition. However, the greater Woodlawn community protested and petitioned for the building to be protected under the Chicago Landmarks Ordinance, and it was designated as such in 2004.
Institute of Christ the King
In 2004, then-Archbishop of Chicago Francis George invited the canons of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest to take over St. Clara, who established the Shrine of Christ the King in the church and situated the headquarters of the Institute's American Province there. The Institute began working on the interior of the church, and hosted community and cultural events which began to bring the church building back into the Woodlawn community.
On October 7, 2015, the building was struck by another fire, eliminating most of the work that had been done on the church since its 2004 take-over. The shrine was nearly demolished yet again after being declared to be in 'hazardous condition', but was formally given to the Institute by the Archdiocese for work to continue on February 28, 2016. By 2020, $4 million had been invested into repairing the church, installing a new roofing system, new drainage, and reinforcement of the existing walls.
Notable architect William Heyer has been contracted for the restoration of the building, part of which will include placing a greater focus on the high altar, where an image of the Infant Christ the King will be enthroned against a sunburst background. Other side shrines will be dedicated to the Annunciation, the Nativity of Jesus, Nativity, the Epiphany (holiday), Epiphany, the Mary, mother of Jesus, Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Francis de Sales, Thomas Aquinas, Benedict of Nursia, Thérèse of Lisieux, Therese of the Child Jesus, and the Crucifixion of Jesus, Crucifixion.
In February of 2021, the Institute announced the acquisition of what was formerly the school building of St. Clara to serve as a center of parish life for the shrine, calling it the Holy Family House. The building will specifically serve the needs of the faithful of the shrine, as opposed to the administrative needs of the Province.
The shrine has been the site of protests against Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Blase Cupich's implementation of the 2021 motu proprio ''Traditionis custodes, Traditionis Custodes''. Since August 1, 2022 the celebration of public Masses and Sacraments is suspended.
Chicago City Council Alderman, Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, advocated for the resumption of Mass at the Shrine in a May 9 letter to Cardinal Cupich.
References
External links
The Shrine Landmark's Instagram Page
Shrine Landmark's Website
Architectural Renderings of the Restored Shrine
{{coord, 41.7785, -87.5958, type:landmark_region:US-IL, display=title Roman Catholic churches in Chicago Roman Catholic churches completed in 1927 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Church fires in the United States Churches used by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest