St. Joseph's ( pl, Kościół Świętego Józefa) is a historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in Chicago, Illinois at 4821 South Hermitage Avenue. Founded in 1887 with the current church building dating to 1914, Saint Joseph's is a prime example of the Polish Cathedral style of churches in both its opulence and grand scale. Along with St. John of God and

Holy Cross Holy Cross or Saint Cross may refer to: * the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus * Christian cross, a frequently used religious symbol of Christianity * True Cross, supposed remnants of the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified * Feast ...

, it is one of three monumental religious edifices that dominates the skyline of the Back of the Yards neighborhood. The parish survived archdiocesan budget cuts in 1990, and, in 2021, was merged with several local churches into a single parish. Today, St. Joseph serves a multicultural community.

History

Julius Frank Maria und Josef mit dem Jesusknaben

Initially a mission of

St. Mary of Perpetual Help St. Mary of Perpetual Help ( pl, Kościół Matki Bożej Nieustającej Pomocy) - historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It is a prime example of the so-called Po ...

, St. Joseph's was organized in 1887 as the first Polish parish in the Back of the Yards. Its patron saint proved very appropriate as the parish long served a congregation of

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 ...

workers near the Union Stockyards. In the beginning of the 20th century, the Polish population in the Back of the Yards increased so greatly that two other Polish parishes were formed from St. Joseph's parish—St. John of God, in 1906, and Sacred Heart, in 1910. Like most of the Poles who settled in Chicago's

Southwest Side The South Side is an area of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. It lies south of the city's Loop area in the downtown. Geographically, it is the largest of the three sides of the city that radiate from downtown, with the other two being the north and we ...

, many of the first parishioners of St. Joseph's were Gorals, or Polish Highlanders, from the

Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...

. In 1914, the current church building was officially dedicated. In the early 1950s, the church was redecorated by artist

John A. Mallin John A. Mallin (was born ''Johann Malinkowitsch''; April 14, 1883 — January 9, 1973) was a Czech-American mural and fresco painter in the Chicago area in the 20th century. He painted many church interiors for the Archdiocese of Chicago, often wo ...

. Although the Union Stockyards, a major employer in the area, closed in the early 1970s and some Polish immigrants subsequently left Back of the Yards, St. Joseph's still celebrates mass in Polish. In 1990, St. Joseph was one of four Back of the Yards parishes to survive diocesan budget cuts. The others - Sacred Heart of Jesus at 4600 South Honore Street, St. Rose of Lima Church at 1456 West 48th Street, Sts. Cyril and Methodius at 5009 South Hermitage, and St. Augustine Church at 5045 South Laflin, closed that year. In 1996, restoration works at St. Joseph's were initiated. The following year, the status of shrine was given to St. Joseph Church. In 1998, the Shrine of Saint Joseph, Patron of Family Life, was officially dedicated. In 2000, St. Joseph's restoration was completed, and on June 4 of that year, the Shrine of Saint Joseph was rededicated. St. Joseph celebrated its 125th anniversary with a Mass and celebration on September 1, 2012. In 2015, the parish received a relic of Pope John Paul II, recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church. For many years, a dirt lot occupied the spot where a convent once stood. In August 2015, when the new St. Joseph Plaza, adorned with a paver stone rosary, was inaugurated in its place. Two years later, on March 19, 2017, the parish received a relic of

Saint 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 of ...

. In October 2017, the parish celebrated its 130th anniversary. To commemorate the event, a procession involving three religious images of the Virgin Mary -

Our Lady of Zapopan Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regula ...

, Our Lady of Talpa, and

Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos (English: Our Lady of Saint John of the Lakes) is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated by Mexican and Texan faithful. The original image is a popular focus for pilgrims and is located in ...

- was held. Other events, including a peace walk and an outdoor mass, were held to mark the occasion. On February 10, 2019, the formal installation mass for the church's current pastor was held. In 2021, the church was united with two nearby parishes, St. Michael and

- Immaculate Heart of Mary, into Holy Cross and SS. Mary, Joseph, and Michael Parish as part of an archdiocesan Renew My Church planning process.

St. Joseph's today

In 2012, Saint Joseph's parishioners were 75%

Mexican-American Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

, with the remaining 25% consisting of Americans, Polish-Americans, and African-Americans. St. Joseph's offers mass every day of the week, with services in Polish, English, and Spanish.

Mass Schedule

This is a schedule listing the services held at St. Joseph Church as of Summer 2020. All times listed are local.

Architecture

The initial church structure is now Saint John Paul II Hall. The current

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 was designed by Joseph Molitor in 1914 with a seating capacity of 1,200. Molitor also created the plans for two neighboring Roman Catholic churches in the Back of the Yards neighborhood of Chicago founded by Eastern European immigrants— Holy Cross Church which served a

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

congregation and the now-closed Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church, constructed by a Bohemian congregation.

St. Joseph's in architecture books

Books on Chicago architecture

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Books on church architecture

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References

External links

Archdiocese of Chicago

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church (Chicago) Religious organizations established in 1887 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1914 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States JosephsChurch NewCity JosephsChurch NewCity Polish Cathedral style architecture 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States 1887 establishments in Illinois