I came here for their monthly free concert for the first time and was impressed with the beauty and…read morecraftsmenship that filled this space! The Concert: Every second Saturday of the month there is a free concert located here in St. James Chapel which is on the second floor of the Archbishop Quigley Center. The concerts ususally commence at 2:00 pm and are open to the public and they are FREE! The concert yesterday was Kaia a quartet of women playing string instruments. Apparently they performed here last year as well. The music was perfect for the setting as it was classically based including a rendition of "The Four Seasons" and some Argentinean influenced music. After the hour long concert individuals could purchase Kaia's music on a CD or as I did on CD Baby online... I love Kaia's classic Tango Music especially their redition of "La Cumparsita!" Listen to their clip of this by scrolling down their website below. See: http://www.kaiastringquartet.com Concert Schedule and Tour Information: https://www.windows.org The Space: St. James Chapel is truly an amazing space with its "40-foot-high stained glass windows, created by Robert Giles of the John Kinsella Company, (the windows) have been called 'the crown jewels' of Chicago's architectural treasures. Each window contains 20,000 to 45,000 pieces of antique English stained glass that together illustrate the Old Testament, the New Testament and church history." Source: https://openhousechicago.org/sites/site/st-james-chapel-at-archbishop-quigley-center/ There are also free tours with a docent on Saturdays from 9:00-11:00 am -I want to return to hear more about the history and art. FYI-The concert was packed...which was nice that so many people enjoyed this offering!

The seminary that was here when the Cardinal was a boy is gone. But this lovely Gothic style stone…read morechapel remains and it's beautiful stained glass windows are now restored. Lots of folks have had their weddings here and special events of the Chicago Archdiocese are often held here. It is also a favorite venue for concerts of classical music, most recently those organized by Ars Antigua, a local period instrument ensemble. While it is a lovely and meditative place to visit or to attend an event or concert at, there are numerous acoustical challenges in this reverberant space. Words spoken from the altar area are not easily heard distinctly. If you are not seated towards the front, music performed here can be riddled by its own echos. Also, due to its location so close to the hub-bub of Michigan Avenue and the Water Tower, there can sometimes be intrusive noise from the traffic below. But if you have the chance to be there, don't miss it!

Definitely recommend coming out of your way to head to Old Town and see St. Michael's Church. I was…read morein Chicago for the marathon and stumbled across the fact that I was in the city on the exact 150th anniversary of the Great Fire. I had heard a lot about the Great Fire during my 8th grade school field trip to Chicago. It felt so interesting to know that the exact same days I was there, the city was burning 150 years ago. My boyfriend and I kept looking up facts about the Great Fire during our stay in Chicago. We found that there are only 6 structures to survive the fire (oddly enough, the majority of them are churches...). We are Catholic, so we were excited to see that St. Michael's was among one of the surviving structures (it was mostly just the exterior walls that survived and they quickly rebuilt....but still really cool to be in a structure that survived it). We headed there for Mass on the Tuesday morning after the marathon. The priest also does confessions afterwards (or at least he did this particular day). We asked him to bless my boyfriend's St. Michael pendant which was really cool to have that blessed in this historic St. Michael's church! The parishioners are also so friendly and one of them was very helpful to us as we were trying to locate the priest after the Mass. She gave us the whole history of the church (handouts included!) and sent us off with a few restaurant recommendations for brunch. I also fell in love with Old Town, a cute historic neighborhood. Would totally want to live in this part of Chicago if I ever moved here! All told, definitely worth going out of your way, especially if you are Catholic.

Beautiful old church, well attended masses with good music and an outstanding organ. Local…read morelandmark, pleasant location to sit in front of for a picnic lunch or to sip a cup of coffee.

I'm sure this is a great place of worship, but I live across from this church and have to hear the…read morechurch bells obnoxiously ringing almost every day. Sometimes the neighboring churches choose to team up and all ring their bells simultaneously- and listen, if this were to happen for a short amount of time I wouldn't mind. However, it goes on for 10+ minutes! multiple times a day! it's especially irritating in the morning when I'm suddenly awakened by the extremely loud sound. I have absolutely no issue with the religious aspect of this ceremonial procedure as my father is a pastor- but being someone who's a light sleeper, it is impossible for me to rest and my landlord had never informed me that there was a church nearby when we first moved in. If I knew this information earlier, I wouldn't have moved in & signed my lease. I just don't want to keep waking up in a panic every few days because of the loud noise, this has caused a great deal of anxiety in my student life as well. Not being able to sleep negatively affects the rest of my day and my schoolwork.

This church is absolutely beautiful. Originally built for the French immigrants in the…read moreneighborhood (incroyable, n'est-ce pas?!), this church held services completely in French for many years until it integrated English into the sermon. Services are now offered in English and in Spanish to cater to those living in the neighborhood (au revoir, les français). The church recently underwent huge renovations to clean and beautify many of the paintings and stained glass windows. If you want to go inside a beautiful, European Catholic church, go to Notre Dame. The rich blue and gold tones create a warmth unlike anything I've experienced before. The paintings and windows are gorgeous - just absolutely stunning. And everything culminates up at the top of the building with a beautiful, painted dome. Honestly, just go have a look inside. It's gorgeous. For many years, the UIC Choirs have used this church to conduct their fall and spring concerts and the parish members and priests have always been friendly and accommodating. The acoustics in this space are wonderful and we always manage to put on a great show, especially in the spring when we sing an entire mass with an orchestra. I highly recommend coming to see this church if you ever go on a tour of the neighborhood. It's a pretty odd place to have such a beautiful church, considering there's almost nothing over here except the UIC Pavilion and some houses.

This amazing church is truly a place that is very welcoming and a must see on the south side of…read moreChicago. Just a few blocks east of the Dan Ryan Expy.on 71st street, St Columbanus is easy to access. Parking is a breeze as usually you can park directly in front or in their parking lot on the side. No problems! Historically, this church was founded by Irish immigrants whose lasting presence is seen in the memorial plaque of WWll heroes in the front grounds. Al Capone is said to have donated the money for the exceptionally beautiful stained glass windows and possibly the altar as well. Al Capone along with his mother lived around the block on Prairie Street, in this once Irish neighborhood called Park Manor.' The interior of the church is breathtakingly Gothic architecture that is bright and towering to the heavens above. Aside from the glorious stained glass windows are the deep and very moving Stations of the Cross, that are so beautiful and have survived the test of time. Fabulous statues of religious significance and a baptismal font made from a portion of the altar rail of St. Columbanus. The congregation is full of the Holy Spirit and are beautiful people that will reach out to you and make you feel welcomed and at home. Father Matt is a welcoming priest also and you will like him too. Kevin Morris sings and leads the congregation in song with his beautiful voice. Don't let the 10 O'clock news continue to scare you from uniting with people and visiting this fabulous church with the spirit of God working in our midst. This is a fabulous church! They do not build churches like this anymore. Great architecture!

This is a great church. They welcome you with open arms and plenty of love.. they have a lot of…read moreactivities for the kids. Father Matt is wonderful. He will pray. Pray for you. Pray with you always always have a smile always welcoming you into the parish. It's amazing..

I haven't been to church in a while. I am still trying to work through some hurts that haven't…read morefully healed. I'm not Catholic. I don't know the tenets. I don't live on the South Side. This place is nowhere near my home. Yet, I was drawn to this church. I dunno why. Maybe just...because. If churches, cathedrals, are supposed to be monuments - testaments - to God's grace, mercy, power & majesty...well, whoever built this one got it right. It's located in Pilsen and, as evidence of the neighborhood's Slavic and Mexican communities, has scripture and sentiment written languages befitting the people it serves. The inside is stunning: stained glass as far as the eye can see, lacquered pews, flying buttresses, colossal painted ceiling, ornate carvings and etches. No detail was spared and there's beauty in every view. I walked through the doors and into the sanctuary and I was the only person there. In that magnificent stillness, I felt so small but so cared for. I felt vulnerable but protected. I felt like crying...but I also felt like rejoicing. Was it a religious experience? Maybe. Was it God? Perhaps (I'd like to think so). Was it what I needed? Absolutely. In that beautiful stillness, I felt a penetrating peace that filled my heart. I have no snarky anecdotes. I have no bitter words. I have only an appreciation to have experienced...something...I can't quite put into words.

I'd love to get married (sigh)…read more Umm... I mean I'd love to get married in this church. If I were catholic or in fact getting married. Beautiful church, The deacon and the priest were very nice and offered us a brief history of the church. Even if you're not religious you can appreciate the beauty of this place. It has a lot of history that gives you so much to think about. This is the kind of church you can come into when you have a lot going on, sit in one of the pews and just reflect.

I was referred here by a friend who used to be a member before moving out of state. Initially I was…read moregrateful at seeing the diversity of the congregants. I like also that there were a number of young families around who would come to mass. I think that the school is growing and doing very well. But after a few months I realized that the community is kind of....blah. People aren't that welcoming, the masses can be really dry, and the homilies can be long and hard to follow. I was willing to give the church another chance when a new pastor was appointed but honestly it was nothing new. Just another priest who loves to hear himself speak. I'm not in a great place with my faith and finding it difficult to fit into parishes that don't engage me where I am. And so many church leaders just aren't open to feedback on how things could be better, and I don't see a natural way to give that feedback. Wish I could recommend as I dont know that there are a lot of other "liberal" type parishes in the city. But after enough bad experiences I don't recommend Old St Mary's/OSM.

I was hesitant after reading reviews to attend mass at this church but now that I have, I must…read moreprovide a rebuttal to some of the previous reviewer comments. First, the church is very welcoming. I went to 4pm Sunday mass and Father Rich stood outside the door, greeted me and opened the door for me to enter. People were friendly, saying hi to each other before mass during greeting time as well as during the sign of peace. There was plenty of seating and inside the church was simple and elegant. Father Rich spoke with passion and such kindness. This was one of the best masses I have attended in a long time. If I lived here I would be a happy parishioner for certain!

I can't say enough good things about the priests and the community of the Shrine. They take…read morewonderful care of their flock, of which I have become a member. They make themselves available to the faithful for spiritual guidance, and offer the sacraments reverently and faithfully. Thanks to all the Canons there!

Their Traditional Latin Mass is very well done. The priests care very much about the liturgy…read more Sermons are solid. People are very friendly and welcoming.

Alright, I'm a parishioner so I felt I had to represent. I'm not exactly sure what a "repressed…read moregay" or lesbian churchgoer looks like, so I can't say and really, what does that have to do with Church anyway? Having belonged to several parishes, I'm also not sure what a "typical family Catholic Church" looks like either. Aren't they all kinda based on family? What consistently makes me love this place is the neo-Gothic architecture and the two organs. It's worth it to come in and just see and hear those. A mass is a mass. It's surely not for everybody. And it's not entertainment, really, so expect a good solid Sunday mass (I have never reviewed a mass before...I guess there's always a first). The 11 o'clock is the "high" mass--nothing but bells and smells here but it's traditional and that's why we do it. And the "sing song" choir music happens to be a rounded choir repertoire featuring classical and contemporary composers. In my opinion, it's music typical in quality and caliber to what one may find at a Cathedral. Again good music, but religious music--there will be chant, there will be a distinctive sound...there will be no inclusion of Jars of Clay or clapping. There will be no percussion instruments. 4:30 on Sunday is much more contemporary music played on the piano with acoustic guitar and a more pop-ish sound (although still Catholic music--nothing you'll find on a "worship" CD. It always cracks me up when people call church "a downer." Yes...if you expect it to be the Super Bowl every week then it will, indeed, be a downer. But I've always found this church to have a real sense of community and an awareness of its location in an urban setting in the middle of Boys Town. This isn't a suburban parish and I'm always thankful for that.

I've been a parishioner for about 3 years and I enjoy going to Mass here very much. I try and check…read moreout the 11am mass during non-summer Sundays since I find the choir amazing and a real uplift during Mass. It does sometimes cause the Mass to go over a little, but honestly, the difference between an hour and 1h 10 mins is really nothing. And singing is like praying twice (or something like that), so it's like your praying three times here. :P The architecture here is also nice - the somewhat hidden chapel is very beautiful. They do an architecture tour once in a while and it's interesting to learn about the stained glass windows and all the statues - some which have a close bond to Chicago. I haven't had any major sacraments here, so I can't comment on anything administrative wise, but as far as churches go, it serves its purpose!