St. Michael's Church in the
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
neighborhood of
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
is a
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
church staffed by the
Redemptorist
The Redemptorists, officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (), abbreviated CSsR, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brothers). It was founded by Alphonsus Liguori at Scal ...
order of
priests
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...
.
History
The parish was founded to minister to
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
and
Luxembourgish
Luxembourgish ( ; also ''Luxemburgish'', ''Luxembourgian'', ''Letzebu(e)rgesch''; ) is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide.
The language is standardized and officiall ...
Catholic immigrants in 1852 with its first wooden church completed that year at a cost of $750 (including the bell). The building stands at the intersection of Eugenie Street and Cleveland Avenue. The church was built as a haven for German immigrants who were outcasts in Old Chicago. In addition, the town's main church, St. Joseph's Church, was overcrowded. The Redemptorists were invited to administer the parish in 1860 and a large brick church was finished in 1869. When completed, its tower made it the tallest building in Chicago and the United States, a distinction it held until the old
Chicago Board of Trade Building
The Chicago Board of Trade Building is a 44-story, Art Deco skyscraper located in the Chicago Loop, standing at the foot of the LaSalle Street canyon. Built in 1930 for the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), it has served as the primary trading v ...
was completed in 1885.
The church was one of seven buildings to 'survive' the path of the
Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left mor ...
of 1871, albeit heavily damaged. While most of Old Chicago's infrastructure was made of wood, the church was made of brick which helped it survive the fire. Portions of the building survived—the stone walls of St. Michael's being the only structures standing in the Old Town area. The church was quickly rebuilt.
In 1871, just after the Great Chicago Fire, members of the parish formed the first
Luxembourgish-American
Luxembourgish Americans are Americans of Luxembourgish ancestry. According to the United States' 2000 census, there were 45,139 Americans of full or partial Luxembourgish descent. In 1940, the number of Americans with Luxembourgish ancestry w ...
organization in the United States, the Luxemburger Unterstuetzungs Verien (Luxembourg Mutual Aid Society).
There is a saying in Chicago that if you can hear the bells of St. Michael's, you are in Old Town.
When Mayor Richard J. Daley's urban renewal program began, it was the Old Town Triangle Organization of the Lincoln Park Conservation Association that took the lead in promoting urban renewal. St. Michael's like many other neighborhood institutions took advantage of the program to rehab and to expand.
Gallery
File:Statue Of St. Michael, Old Town.jpg
File:St Michaels Church in Chicago 2018.jpg, St Michaels Church interior in Chicago 2018
File:Photography by Victor Albert Grigas (1919-2017) CHICAGO 1250 img 005 (40156924922).jpg, The church as seen from Wells and North Avenue in the late 1960s
See also
*
Saint Michael: Roman Catholic traditions and views
References
External links
* http://www.st-mikes.org/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chicago Michaels Church, Old Town, Saint
German-American culture in Chicago
Michaels Church, Old Town
Redemptorist churches in the United States
1852 establishments in Illinois
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1869