Remember My Church

Items

• Icon of Mary with candles
  This is a photograph taken of a display in St. Thomas of Canterbury. There is an artwork of Mary and Jesus in a frame and underneath it an array of electric candles for people to 'light', of which some are on. The artwork is a piece of textile art in a Latin American style. In it, Mary is wearing a blue shawl with gold stars on it over a pink robe. She is praying and her eyes are closed. Underneath Mary is baby Jesus, wearing magenta. His arms are outstretched and he has a joyful expression. Only the top half of him is visible because the artwork is cut off by a few inches of fringe or unraveling thread on the top and bottom. Surrounding both Mary and Jesus is a two-toned gold halo, and behind them is a white background of the fabric on which the artwork was made.
• Interiors of St. Thomas of Canterbury
  These are two pictures of the interior of St. Thomas of Canterbury. The first is a picture of the altar decorated for Easter, with plants like Easter lilies spread out around it. The altar is empty with a white tablecloth on it with gold decorations. Behind it is a gold pyx, or communion box, flanked on either side with a little flower arrangement. Behind the pyx is a statue of Jesus on a pedestal, holding a cross draped with a white fabric. Encircling the altars is several white and gold pillars, holding up an arch partially obscured by a lit chandelier. On the white arch is the sentence "Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus" in gold with decorative crosses on either side. The second picture shows the pews, which are dark brown wood, and part of the ceiling, which is made up of several large square tiles held up by blue, white, and gold pillars. Some of the ceiling tiles have fans or chandeliers hanging from them.
• Religious Icons in St. Thomas of Canterbury
  This is a set of 3 images of a wall in St Thomas of Canterbury and the artworks on it. The first is the wall in full, with four distinct artworks. On top is a statue of Mary and baby Jesus, both sitting on a throne and wearing crowns. Jesus is also holding a bible and Mary is holding a flower. Below that statue to the left and right are paintings of saints praying. They are each labeled in their Latin names. On the left is "Sanct Ioann Wall" (Saint John Wall) and "Sanct Ioann Iones" (Saint John Jones). On the right is "Sanct Thom More" (Saint Thomas More) and "Sanct Ioann Fisher" (Saint John Fisher). These two artworks are shown in detail in the second and third images. Beneath both of them in the middle is a painting of a religious service with several people in prayer and priests. In front of that painting is two white orchids.
• St. Thomas Beckett Drawing in St. Thomas
  This is a picture of a colored pencil drawing taken from a room in the rectory of St. Thomas of Canterbury. In it, St. Thomas is laying on the ground with a broken and bloodstained sword on his neck, representing his martyrdom. Instead of a body is a stylized version of the name Beckett in all red, which is another name for this saint. To the top left of him is the name St. Thomas and to the top right is a crowd of people with weapons. In the bottom right is a short bit of notation, reading "61/72, JAZ, 70". Around St. Thomas in faint text is a quote near his head with blood spilling onto it. It reads "I give my life to the law of God above the law of man those who do not the same how should they know what I do? How should you know what I do?" and an attribution to T.S. Eliot's "Murder in the Cathedral"
• Martyrdom of St. Thomas of Canterbury
  This is an image in St. Thomas of Canterbury Church depicting the namesake saint's murder. In it, St. Thomas is praying with the top of his head cut off by the threatening soldiers around him, and his mitre and part of his head is bleeding out on the ground. Above the artwork is a plaque reading "Martyrdom of St. Thomas of Canterbury, In Memory of Delia Pluemer, Dedicated November 29, 2009."
• Interview with Christopher Grant: Lifelong St. Gregory's Parishioner and Credit Union Chairman
  Lifelong St. Gregory’s parishioner and credit union chairman Christopher Grant provides insight into the credit union and life as a member since the 60s. Grant’s community has always been centered around St. Gregory’s since he started school there as a child. He has been heavily involved his whole life, holding various positions of power such as Chairman of the Finance Council and President of the Parish Council. He discusses his experience running the St. Gregory’s credit union for the past 35 years and their dedication to running a faith based organization. Grant also details some of the challenges the credit union has faced since the merger into Mary, Mother of God. He has many ideas for outreach and attracting more members. He shares his hopes for St. Gregory’s future, wanting more people to experience the church he calls home.
• Oral History of Fr. Alejandro, OFM Conv.
  Fr. Alejandro, a conventual Franciscan and pastor at Mary, Mother of God, discusses the impact of the merger, the conventual Franciscans, his own personal struggles, and how the church has grown as a result of the merger. He shares how Mary, Mother of God has provided a space for the Franciscans to perform their mystery to a larger community, connecting them to their roots. He discusses the challenges that come with operating a parish with multiple churches, especially being unable to help everyone. The diversity within the parish has grown immensely, and each church brings their own specialities. Despite not having interest in being a pastor, Fr. Alejandro came in when the parish was in need. He discusses the difficulties that come with being in charge of administering help and making the best choices for the parish. He concludes by sharing the importance of the Franciscan order.
• Stephanie Held Oral History
  In this oral history, I decided to interview Stephanie Held, church coordinator at Mary, Mother of God Parish. In this interview, Stephanie discussed the future of the three parishes as one, the reactions to the merging of the parishes, and much more. Stephanie was a great candidate for our Remember My Church project due to her closeness to not only the parishes but also to the parishioners. Stephanie herself attends all three parishes and therefore has her own opinions on this topic. She believes the Mary, Mother of God parish has a bright, positive future and gives us insight into parish events.
• Stained Glass Windows of St. Ita
  The stained glass at St. Ita are a main staple of the church with them being present from inside and outside of the church. The stained glass is made with over six million individually stained glass pieces. The imagery depicted allows for people to understand the story of Christ if they are not able to read or are not familiar with the story of Christ. The art was part of the church designed by Henry J. Schlacks. The stained glass windows give a wonderful glow when the light hits them and shine through, representing God's light shining on the parishioners within. The St. Ita site on the Mary, Mother of God website gives a detailed account of each and every stained glass window that is present in the church.
• Daniel Lagacy Oral History
  Daniel Lagacy is the director of music and liturgy coordinator for the Mary, Mother of God parish. He has worked at St. Ita for over 20 years and has continued his role into the merger. In this interview, we discussed his religious and musical career within the church, and how this has intersected with the Mary Mother of God merger. In addition, this interview gives an insight into community building within the church, and how the church’s history has impacted the merger. This interview is roughly an hour and twenty minutes long. It took place in person in the St. Ita Rectory. “The interview took place as part of the Gathering Places project at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. For more information, see https://uwm.edu/gatheringplaces.”
• A Letter to the Parishioners of Saint Ita 1954
  In this letter from Pastor Gerard C. Picard sent to parishioners, it discusses Saint Ita's plan to expand their school to make more room for the students. Within the letter, it states that the school expansion would cost around $700,000 and would hopefully be finished within 30 months. Since the school expansion had such a high cost, the letter asked for donations and promoted their Fundraising Drive to raise money.
• Saint Ita School Fourth Grade Class 1968
  This is an image of the Saint Ita School's fourth grade class, pictured in 1968. It was taken by Saint Ita School officials but was found on the "St. Ita Grammar School Chicago Alumni" Facebook group. St. Ita School is no longer in operation. St. Thomas of Canterbury School now resides in the building and is administered by Northside Catholic Academy.
• Saint Ita School Graduating Class of 1959
  Pictured here is the Saint Ita School graduating class of 1959, making this the 55th class to have graduated from this school since its opening in 1904. This image was taken by Saint Ita School officials, but was found on the "St. Ita Grammar School Chicago Alumni" Facebook group. St. Ita School is no longer in operation. St. Thomas of Canterbury School now resides in the building and is administered by Northside Catholic Academy.
• The Saint Ita School Football Team 1967
  Pictured is the Saint Ita Grammar School Football team that played during the school year in 1967. This image was taken by Saint Ita School officials, but was found on the "St. Ita Grammar School Chicago Alumni" Facebook group. St. Ita School is no longer in operation. St. Thomas of Canterbury School now resides in the building and is administered by Northside Catholic Academy.
• The Saint Ita School Cheer Team 1975
  This is an image of the Saint Ita School Cheer Team, pictured in 1975. This image was taken by Saint Ita School officials, but was found on the "St. Ita Grammar School Chicago Alumni" Facebook group. St. Ita School is no longer in operation. St. Thomas of Canterbury School now resides in the building and is administered by Northside Catholic Academy.
• Eighth Annual Hardey-Ita Basketball Tournament Flyer
  The Saint Ita school had annual basketball tournaments against Hardey prep. The pamphlet was created by Saint Ita Parish, but was found on the "Saint Ita Grammar School Chicago Alumni" Facebook page. St. Ita School is no longer in operation. St. Thomas of Canterbury School now resides in the building and is administered by Northside Catholic Academy.
• St. Thomas Letter from Bishop Clemens
  This letter is to Father Michael Rochford from Bishop Clemens. The letter details the history of himself with the Church, and his connection to Chicago and St. Thomas. He speaks about how he lived in Chicago and served the Church under Father William Rogers. He talks about how his new mission in India is to spread Catholicism in the underdeveloped area. He was requesting funding for this project if there were any willing donors. This letter shows that the church sticks with people in many ways, as this letter was written in 1981, and Bishop Clemens left the church in 1964 to move back to India. It also highlights the diversity that comes with St Thomas, with its parishioners representing communities from around the globe.
• St. Gregory's 1st Annual Ministry Fair
  This is a flyer of the 1st Annual Ministry Fair at St. Gregory in 2004. The Stewardship Council and Ministry Leaders have created this to engage with the community. The event went on from 9 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon. It was held at St. Gregory's High School Cafeteria. Some things they were offering at this fair were "prayer, music, worship & spirituality, parish oversight," etc. The flyer has colorful balloons as the background. The Parish believed that having time for play is an essential for the “Parish family.” Each week the Parish provided a schedule with different activities on the bulletin board or in the parish paper. Some of these activities included festivals, boy/girl scouts, bowling, BINGO, etc.
• A General Edition of the The Chimes of Saint Ita Church
  In this edition of The Chimes, it gives parishioners Mass schedules in English and Spanish, as well as the Sunday, daily, and Holy Day Mass schedules. This bulletin also serves as a resource for the scheduling of Sacraments. Many years of this bulletin are missing from the collection, and the specific year of this one is unknown.
• The Chimes of Saint Ita Church (1960s)
  For this edition of The Chimes, the Church features Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, and Lucy. Many years of this bulletin are missing from the collection, and the specific year of this one is unknown.
• The Chimes of Saint Ita Church, Thanksgiving Edition (1960s)
  In this edition of the Saint Ita Chimes, the church gives an insight to Thanksgiving prayer and invites parishioners to receive the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Many years of this bulletin are missing from the collection, and the specific year of this one is unknown.
• St. Gregory's Architectural Facts
  Brochure/info sheet given to church visitors at St. Gregory the Great with information about the historic building, items in the church, and some of the physical features of the church that make it unique. Much of the original build and decorations remain with the church today. Many items were imported from Germany and hand carved and painted. Despite the changing demographics of the church, the influence of the culture of the first parishioners is still seen in the interior. It was very important to the original churchgoers that the architecture and art of the church remained in a traditional northern European/German style.
• St. Gregory's Activities and Organizations 1978
  This is the parish activities list from St. Gregory's 75th anniversary booklet published in 1978. The activities and organizations listed show the parish made an effort to include activities that would appeal to parishioners regardless of age or gender. The offerings include social clubs, faith and prayer groups, educational opportunities, games, scouting, and even a credit union. St. Gregory’s served as a major gathering space for the Catholic community in Andersonville. The resources provided would be incredibly important to the parish population it served. Though not all, some of these resources, such as the credit union, remain today.
• St. Gregory's Podium
  This is the podium used in St Gregory the Great church services. It was hand carved out of wood in Germany in the early 20th century. It has been at the church since it was first built. The podium features a spiral staircase and multiple saints carved around including the one pictured. It was one of the most detailed works of functional art I saw at the church.
• St. Gregory the Great Church in Andersonville
  This is a photo of the exterior of St. Gregory the Great church. Built in 1904 and commissioned by Luxembourgers, the church has served the neighborhood of Andersonville for over a century. It was built in the Norman Gothic architectural style, making it a beautiful example of the Gothic Revival architectural movement in Chicago.