I was baptized here--or so they tell me. I have no memory of that event but it's a plausible story…read moresince they brought me here every Sunday for a few years. I don't know the community nowadays but back in the day it was vibrant with social and fund-raising events. Monsignor Mroczkowski (try to pronounce that) was the pastor from 1967 to 1986. Look up his obituary to see some high powered Catholic clergy credentials. He was revered by parishoners and became Pastor Emeritus. He had a good voice and ran the choir. I think his degree was in Gregorian chant. That title was conferred by the Pope, so we didn't address him as Father, but Monsignor. This would be a holy place to me even if it were not an official holy place. So many funerals. My people are gone.

St Turibius is the place to be as a church. All the past, and current pastor that head the…read morechurch,preach and teach the teachings of Jesus Christ to its fullest scripture. You could learn alot about God.

Truly a beautiful place to pray and meditate. Fr. Loya is a person who radiates goodness and…read moreholiness. His church ceiling is a self created masterpiece. Enlighten yourself and don't miss this experience.

Very holy. if you are Roman Rite there is a very active singing of the liturgy, beautiful icons,…read more visitors are always welcome. this is the eastern rite of the catholic church. it is a lovely, traditional Byzantine liturgy.

This is not a review as such but the addition of historical information to the review of Christine…read moreB. I attended St. Clare of Montefalco school from 1938 to 1946. At that time, there were only two buildings on the property: the one now called The Old School, and east of it a condemned structure that had once been the parish church. The rest of the block up to 54th St. between Washtenaw and Talman was vacant and provided an enormous playground. At that time, the church was in the part of the Old School building nearest to 55th St. Those of us who attended St. Clare assumed that that part of the building was to have served as a gymnasium but had to become the church after the original church building was condemned. The basement of the Old School was where we could hold a school breakfast after first-Friday Communion, take part in Miss Green's dancing class, watch a movie, or put on a play. Boy Scout troop 411 was founded at St. Clare about 1943 and provided excellent opportunities for boys to develop personal character and abilities. The school consisted of 8 grades, a single class per grade. Our teachers were the good nuns of the Adrian Dominicans. Records of the Order of St. Augustine indicate that Rev. William L. Fink, O.S.A., was Pastor and Prior from 1939 to 1947. Fr. Joseph F. O'Malley, O.S.A, was Assistant Pastor from 1943 to 1951. I once upset Father O'Malley terribly. I arrived late for my first altar-boy assignment and he--having already started saying Mass--saw me about to come from the sacristy wearing a red cassock because none of the black ones fit me. He sent the other server to keep me from entering the sanctuary. The memory of his post-Mass vociferation is part of my life. Father O'Malley taught at St. Rita High School from 1951 to 1960, when he returned to St. Clare as Pastor.

This rating was determined by : The Architecture of the…read moreChurch The Website Meeting Father Celichowski, the Pastor Church Review #2 My quest to put a "face to the place" - - that is "Picture to the Page" - Yelp Business Page, of course! My day got off to a late start this morning but it turned out to be a good thing - - kind of a "Divine Timing" thing! I wanted to get some pictures of the church for my review. Not only was my timing great because the church was open and I was not disturbing any services, but also because I was able to chat with the Pastor, Father John Celichowski. He clarified a few of my memories and observations about St. Clare and now I feel a bit more confident presenting this review. MEMORY LANE /a little history As I mentioned in my St. Simon the Apostle review, most churches in the area were founded by immigrants of a certain ethnic background. I grew up near St. Clare of Montefalco Church and really was never aware of any strong ethnic origin. It seemed there were a number of Irish, although I also knew kids of Polish and Slovak descent that went to school here. This was in the 1950-60's. I attempted to find more information online but was not successful. Father Celichowski confirmed that the church was a blend of nationalities and mentioned Irish, German and Lithuanian in those earlier days. The neighborhood has changed since then and now the area is mostly Hispanic and most of the Hispanic people are Mexican - - and so are the parishioners of this Parish. I mentioned to Father that I believe the Sisters that taught the grammar school in the 1950-60's were from the Dominican Order in Adrian, Michigan. We then talked about the priests and he mentioned that the original order at St. Clare was Augustinians. Father Celichowski, Father Weller (Resident Priest) and Father Martinez (Associate Pastor) are OFM Capuchin. I did not think to ask when the order of priests changed at St. Clare. Online I found a Facebook page for nearby St. Rita of Cascia. It seems in 1909, St. Rita had three mission churches : St. Clare, St. Gall and St. Nicholas of Tolentine. All three eventually became separate parishes in the area. I had never heard this before and I thought that it was interesting. BUILDINGS of St. Clare of Montefalco St. Clare of Montefalco had the whole block - - 54th Street to 55th Street /Talman Avenue to Washtenaw Avenue. The church is at the corner of 55th and Washtenaw. The church was built in 1953. It was a beautiful church then and it still is. The rectory is north of the church. The "new school building" is in the middle of the block on Talman Avenue. I think it was probably built in the 1960's (I forgot to ask). A Tribune article in January 2001 said the school would close that year and the school - - as a parochial school - - did close. There is also the "old school building", which is on 55th Street near Talman. The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) now leases those buildings and it is Talman Elementary School. The convent was the building just north of the "new school". I am not sure how that building is presently used, but I think it might also be used by Talman School. I noticed that there is now a children's playground on the sw corner of 54th Street and Talman Avenue. PARKING There is plenty of parking in the lot on the north end of the block. The main entrance to the parking lot is about two thirds down Washtenaw Avenue, which is a one - way street going southbound. There is parking on the ne corner of 55th and Talman, but I think that might be part of Talman School. There is also street parking around the block. THE WEBSITE St. Clare has a pretty decent website - - if you can find it! It did not show up when I searched for it on my tablet. I found it in the Google Review of St. Clare of Montefalco Catholic Church. It shows up as a website for "St. Clare of Montefalco Parish Church". It lists the church hours and activities. There is also a nice page about the Ministry Staff. You find these when you tap the very, very small menu box under the top picture on the home page. It would be nice if they had a page with their history because I am sure it would be a bit more reliable than my recollections - - which are to the best of my memory and knowledge and what I remembered to ask Father Celichowski! FATHER CELICHOWSKI was very nice and helpful. At the end of our conversation, I mentioned that I had a difficult time finding their website - - so it just might be easier to find in the future. It was soon time for Father to hear confessions and so our conversation ended. I really appreciate that he took the time to speak with me because I pretty much interrupted him. He was very gracious. I took some pictures in and around the church. Some did not turn out very good, so I guess I will be visiting this church again in coming days. Church Review #2 Gage Park, My Neighborhood - Review #17

This is a solid Bible-based congregation of the LC-MS. Traditional, reverent worship. A warm,…read morewelcoming congregation.

SFX is a wonderful Catholic Church. The feeling of community is alive & well. Their school is top…read morenotch. Where you fortunate enough to grow up in a communtiy where you knew everybody by name? This is that kind of a community. I couldn't and wouldn't want to raise my kids anywhere else.

My husband and I were married at St. Francis in June of 2010. The Church, itself, is beautiful…read more There is a high ceiling with a mural painted at the top, a large organ in the back balcony, and an alter that is minimally decorated but has marble pillars. The church is clean, well lit, and has a superior sound system. We wanted to be married in a Catholic church, even though my husband is not Catholic. This church was very understanding of our religious differences, and did not pressure conversion, pre-marriage counseling (although they recommended it), or a traditional ceremony. They seemed to understand relationships of the present time. The parish staff was wonderful throughout our entire experience. Maureen, who handles the weddings, was friendly and helpful. She responded to all questions (no matter how simple they were) in a timely manner. We also worked with Allen, the parish music director, who was friendly and also willing to help us out by singing some of the songs himself. On our wedding day, the church also provided us with two "day of" helpers. These ladies were also friendly and helpful. St. Francis has three ministers, so my husband and I went to some masses before to see how each of them conducted mass. We decided on Father Hoffman. He was very kind, and had great sense of humor. The mass he conducted on our wedding day was simple but relevant to our relationship. We couldn't have imagined a better ceremony. The only negative to St. Francis is the amount of money for additional instrumentalist, which is a separate professional company recommended by the church. My husband and I chose a violinist and trumpet player for an additional $200 each. Again, though, Allen was willing to do some of the other parts of our songs to save us money. Our wedding day was beautiful and surpassed what I would have possibly dreamed. I highly recommend St. Francis-Xavier if you're looking for a catholic wedding ceremony.

Saint Isaac Jogues Church is a dynamic Catholic community serving Hinsdale, IL and the surrounding…read morearea. It has an excellent school that has pre-school through 8th grade. The masses are beautifully celebrated and the congregation is active and engaged. If you have not been for awhile, it is time to come back. You will be welcomed.

I love going to this church. It's so beautiful and the sermons are always beautiful and well…read morethought out.

A very pretty church, indeed…read more The Shrine is the oldest continuing Italian American Catholic church in the city of Chicago. If you're in the Little Italy neighborhood you must visit.

A very beautiful church!!! Most Catholic churches have the stained glass windows and statues with…read morecandles. This church had all that, but they also had streams of ribbon flowing from the ceiling to the floor. Whoever did the decorating of the church did a great job! They even offer handouts of a self-guided walking tour of the stained glass windows. The people here are very nice as well as we were greeted by a few people working here.

We attended a funeral mass here Saturday, October 17th for a relative. I was very disappointed…read more Also, I have to say that I was appalled that the two priest who presided over this funeral mass NEVER had a face mask on. The deceased died from Covid and was cremated before the services. Once he went in the hospital his loved ones never saw him alive again. He was in the hospital approximately 2 weeks. This catholic church told them they could not have a eulogy for him. I found this heartbreaking for everyone. The family, loved ones, extended family and friends needed to hear a eulogy. They needed these words from a loved one or someone to add closure to this. I have defended my Catholic church over many controversies over the years but I think this is a disgrace. I can't forgive this. Could they not allow 10 minutes for a eulogy?

St. Thomas More Church is one of the Churches that has not lost its Tradition and Reverence for the…read moreMass. The Priests here know the faith and are not "push overs" for people who want to be more liberal in the way the Mass is celebrated. I attend the Latin Tridentine Mass here and the people who attend that Mass are very warm. The Mass is also celebrated at times as Ad Orientum which is refreshing for a Novus Ordo Mass. I don't live in this Parish but I travel to get here so that I can assist at a reverent Mass. So if you want true Tradition and reverence in a Mass, this is the place for you. God bless the Priests in this Church! Update: There is a new pastor at this parish. He does not know how to say the Latin Mass. He doesn't even help distribute holy communion because he does not know the Latin prayer to say during the distribution to each person. The only Mass given Ad Orientem is the Latin Mass. None of the other Masses are given ad orientem. I feel this parish is going backwards in terms of the way the Masses are given/said. There are no altar boys for the Latin Mass but it is in the works for some boys to be trained to serve on the altar at the Latin Mass. It's a good thing there is at least one priest who just learned the Latin Mass and he hopes to get better at saying the Latin Mass. So please pray for Fr. Matthew.