5 star rating is based on: Historical value of the Church…read more Attendance of Funeral Mass (Oct. 2018) Review #1 of church reviews in the area. I noticed pages for many churches, but no photos and /or reviews. Review pages always are more interesting with a picture and it is always nice to have a review, so I intend to provide these in the coming year. The churches that were built in this area, mostly in the early 1900's, usually had an ethnic background. The ethnic origin of St. Simon the Apostle is Slovak. History and The Buildings of the Parish The Church/Original School Is located in the middle of the block on the north side of 52nd Street between California and Fairfield Avenues. It was a practical design to accommodate the basic needs of the parishioners : the church on the ground level for worship and a grammar school on the second floor to provide the children with a quality, Catholic education. The church is still used for worship--according to the website I found, the Masses are in English, English /Slovak and Spanish. The neighborhood is now prodominently Spanish-speaking. I have heard that the Slovak speaking parishioners come here from other areas. I believe the second floor is used for other purposes. It has not been used as a school since about 1961. A separate school building was built in the middle of the block on California Avenue. The "new" school has not been a Catholic school for awhile now either. I believe it is a charter school now. The rectory is west of the church and I believe that it still functions as a rectory. The convent, which is east of the church, used to house the Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. They taught in the school. They are long gone and the convent is no longer a convent. A little building in the parking lot located north of the church, used to be the grammar school restrooms. The school children used to have to go outside to get to the restrooms. This was not fun, especially in the colder weather. Although there are less stalls, the restrooms are still located there for any church - goer who might need it. MY MOST RECENT EXPERIENCE Last October, I went to the funeral Mass of probably one of the few remaining children of the original foundering families of this church. She was 95 years old. It was really a beautiful service. The priest was very good. Her grand-son-in-law (not a parishioner) gave the eulogy. It was a truly beautiful tribute to this woman, her church and her neighborhood. In Conclusion It is nice that this church seems to have been able to hold it's own, since many parishes have been closing in recent years. Speaking of closed, I could not get pictures of the interior at this time because the church was closed when I took the outside pictures. Laura K's review gives some description of the current inside of the church. Church Review #1 My Neighborhood, Gage Park - Review #13

I must say, I can't help but have a soft-spot for the parish that I have been a part of for nearly…read more23 years. The church itself is beautiful. It is red brick, built in the 1920s - not all that special from the outside. The inside has the perfect mix of vintage pillars, wood pews, and statues, with modern design and decor. It was repainted and had new carpeting installed in the 90s, and it still holds up to this day. The stained-glass windows and perfectly painted statues are something to see. It was the first official Slovak church in the neighborhood, and now serves English, Spanish, and Slovak-speaking people. The parish as an organization has been run more than adequately by a group of very competent people. For the past two decades, Fr. Kub and his pastoral associate have made sure that the church strives in tough times. Some people have been taken aback by our pastor's blatant and fervorous attitude, but I can respect a leader that doesn't hold anything back and communicates the needs of his church. I like his homily style, which is full of facts and history about why and how celebrations came to be; I find that more fascinating than a made-up story that just retells the homily. The man speaks 3 languages - English, Slovak, Spanish - can't touch that! And it doesn't hurt that Mass usually doesn't last more than 45 minutes. I am both worried and saddened that this era will come to an end this summer when our pastor retires. He was there all the years I went to St. Simon School, and he gave me my first Communion and married me. He also baptized both my sister and her baby. Our lovely Bishop Gustavo has taken it upon himself to meddle in the official procedures of selecting a new pastor and is trying to get his buddy in our church. If that happens, I don't want to even think about the possibility of what's to come. Please pray for us!

CANNOT BELIEVE THIS PLACE CLOSED DOWN. I had the BEST memories here. Yes, it was a small school but…read morethat is what made it great. I am still BEST friends with the girls I became friends with in first grade. This place needs to come back.

Never went to school here, but I attend church here while I was living with my grandmother in the…read moreearly 1950s. There are lots of great memories here, but I haven't gone to the school because because they did not have Special Education School for the mentally retarded. I DO NOT like Archbishop Cupich, because he is a weird asshole, of closing down every single catholic church in Chicago! He is one big ass DUMMY who think he is Dick Biondi, by his Get Rich Scheme, and wants to be the richest archbishop throughout in the whole entire Chicagoland area.

Our son is in his second year of pre k here. The change in how much he's learned since starting is…read moreamazing to see. The teachers are wonderful, caring, supportive, and genuinely invested in his growth. It gives us so much peace of mind knowing he's in such a positive, nurturing environment. We couldn't be happier with our experience.

Mission presentation at St Symphorosa church for Our Lady of the Broken. Inspiring address by radio…read morepersonality Kevin Matthews about his renewal of faith and rediscovery of redemption. Interesting, informative, and entertaining, with plenty of encouragement to practice the faith.

i went here for grade school and I occasionally come here for Sunday service…read more So, aside from the typical father Paul sermons where he repeats the same, nearly exact sermons from last year, this parish is on the low end of ok. Still with just-graduated teachers and support staff, this (current) staff really doesn't boast any super qualities to place it above Daniel or Kedzie. Church service is all right with the new pastor, but just that- all right. typical and mundane service/reflection. The school will provide the basic foundation but really nothing too spectacular; especially coming from a jaded Catholic. Would I come here if my folks weren't invested in the parish; most likely not- too drab and sleepy. If you are big on tradition; then this is it. :edit 12/27/07: After seeing Fr Paul repeat the same Christmas homily for the past 14 years, I've boosted this up two more stars. why? tradition. every Christmas you can expect to hear Father Paul talk about the Pacific Coast Highway trip with 3 other priests. A long road trip with a stubborn driver wanting to milk out as much driving time as possible has lead to them trying to find a motel for the night but having no luck. Equating that with the story of Mary and Joseph still is funny, even though Fr Paul has lost more than a few steps in his story telling/homily.

why does the pastor allow his dogs to run around the church? They were there when my cousin was…read morebaptized and it was not only distracting but inappropriate. The one dog was scooting his ass on the carpet in back. So sick

I graduated from here around 5 ish years ago. This school is a bit expensive with an outrageous…read moreamount of money to pay for education. There are sports and clubs provided, which can be fun for everyone! Just keep in mind, bullying does occur more at this school than it should.

From the owner: Our Mission Statement It is the mission of St. Nicholas of…read moreTolentine School to. . . ™ Engage students in a quality Catholic education. ™ Inspire a community that develops and values each individual's gifts and talents. ™ Empower students to make a positive impact on their family, school, and community.

I'm going to miss the teachers and staff. Nice school..love the alterations made to the school. As…read morefor the students..they need to grow up, seriously.

If I can rate this without any stars, than I would definitely do that. It is terrible, the students…read moreare immature and rude. The teachers don't give a care about the students, yes, there are some that actually teach and act like teachers, but for the most part...Just because you have a degree doesn't make you a great teacher.

Rating based on Church appears to be well attended…read moreParish has an elementary school Website Church Review #3 This review will complete my reviews for the three Catholic churches in the Gage Park neighborhood. MEMORY LANE / a little history As I mentioned in my review of St. Clare of Montefalco, St. Gall was one of three mission churches of nearby St. Rita of Cascia in 1909. It eventually became it's own Parish. It was started by Augustinians. First parishioners were predominantly Irish and German, some Polish and Italian. Although there seems to be some varying info about St. Gall on the internet, there is agreement that he was an Irish monk. It seems he also had Germanic ties and I found this rather interesting. It is now predominantly Hispanic, mostly of Mexican heritage. BUILDINGS The Church is located on the SW corner of 55th and Kedzie. It was built in 1956 and I found an article that described it as having a "UFO look" to it. It certainly had a unique look for a church in this area in the 1950's. The rectory and the elementary school (5515 South) are on Sawyer Stree (one block west of Kedzie Avenue). There is a playground on the SE corner of 55th and Sawyer. PARKING There is a large parking lot south of the church on Kedzie Avenue. There is also street parking. OBSERVATIONS I have noticed that this church seems well attended when I passed by at times of church services. St. Gall still has an elementary school, so they must be doing something right - - most Catholic elementary schools in the area have been shut down over the past 20 - 30 years. They have a website that can be accessed easily enough, but I noticed that when you click on some options it says "No page found". There was a calendar for the month listed on the first page of website as of this review. Church Review #3 Gage Park, My Neighborhood - Review #25

It's a small church that has bilingual and spanish services. I prefer the bilingual service, yet…read morehave attended both and they are equally wonderful. It's a great community and people are very caring and accepting of others. Welcoming to newcomers!

Rating based on: *Architecture…read more *Beauty of Church Property *Church Office Oh, Yelp! You have me discovering and learning so many things about the old neighborhoods that I lived in/near over many decades! MEMORIES St. John's Parish Polish National Catholic Church - for nearly 50 years, whenever I would think of this church, I would think of my good friend's husband. I thought he was a parishioner in younger days. So I gave her a call, thinking they might have some info to share. We haven't chatted for a long time and we were due for a chat anyway. As it turns out, his only connection to the church was an aunt that went there--years ago. They didn't have any extra info about the church, but we did have a fun conversation. I have no idea why this thought/church connection stuck in my mind for all these years. I guess I was somewhat fascinated that this church was similar yet different from the Roman Catholic Church and my friend was the first one to bring this church to my attention. I never went to St. John's or bothered to find out more about it--up until now. THE PRESENT For decades, I have driven past this church and never really noticed it--I must have been focused on the road ahead of me... Lol. While WALKING down Kedzie Avenue this past Sunday, I was pleasantly surprised to finally take note of St. John's. I wasn't quite sure if it still was St. John's Parish Polish National Catholic Church. Many of the churches in this area have changed hands over the years. So a couple of days later (9/3 /19), I called the church office. My phone call was answered quickly and efficiently. I talked to Laura and she was very pleasant and helpful. I learned that this is indeed still St. John's Parish Polish National Catholic Church, however, there are no longer any Polish parishioners. The church services are now said in Spanish to accommodate the current parishioners. The church is also known as Parroquia San Juan Bautista. All Masses are said in Spanish. Sunday: 8:00 AM; 12:30 PM & 5:00 PM Tuesday to Friday: 6:00 PM Saturday - May thru September: 6:00 PM PNCC-The Polish National Catholic Church I did a little research to find out a little more about the PNCC. Although the Polish National Catholic Church was founded by Polish-Americans, it welcomes people of all backgrounds. It seems to me, St. John's Parish PNCC/"Parroquia San Juan Bautista" is an example that the PNCC is not just for people of Polish heritage! I liked the timeline about the church history on it's website. I also liked the website's presentation of current information. The Church website is www.pncc.org Wikipedia offers additional information: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_National_Catholic_Church SHORT STORY about start of the PNCC - the way I understand it: In the late nineteenth century, dismayed Polish immigrants in the U.S. were not happy with treatment by the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy (mostly German and Irish). Lack of Polish bishops and priests, not being allowed to teach Polish in the Parish schools and disputes over who actually owned the church property led to dissatisfaction and a feeling of exploitation. Father Franciszek Hodur, a Polish immigrant and Catholic priest, understood the complaints and became a leader in the struggle with the U.S. Roman Catholic Church. In 1897, Polish immigrants founded an independent Polish church body. It's headquarters was in Scranton, PA. Fr. Hodur is regarded as the founder and first bishop by the PNCC. In 1914, the Lithuanian National Catholic Church was formed and later merged with the PNCC. The PNCC beliefs are listed on their website. The beliefs I find most interesting are those that contributed to the separation from the Roman Catholic Church : "Parish Owned Property Church property is owned by the people who purchase, build and maintain it" "Language of Worship Masses are celebrated in the language of the people, so that all worshipers can understand God's message" Back to St. John's/San Juan Bautista Laura at the Church office was so very nice. She offered to show me the inside of the church during office hours. I hope to be sharing some pictures of the inside of the church in the near future. If you speak/understand Spanish, this seems like a very nice Parish--worthy of consideration and definitely a visit. And even if Spanish is not your language, it is a Church worthy of a visit--but don't wait 50 years like I did for your first visit! God Bless! Church Review #4 Brighton Park Neighborhood - Review #5

Great church. I always come for the carnival, and it's worth coming, even though there isn't a lot…read moreof carnival rides. The staff are nice and friendly. It's a church that I will come back to because of their carnival.