Remember My Church

Items

• List of the Luxembourger parishioners in German
  Luxembourgers settled in Chicago in the 1840s, some of them forming a tight knit community in the Summerdale neighborhood in Chicago. These Luxembourgers comprised of the original founders of the St. Gregory the Great Parish.
• Sarah Crow Oral History Clip
  Sarah Crow was interviewed due to her connection to and position as the artist- in- residence at St. Gregory the Great parish in Chicago, IL. Crow is a Catholic artist and contributes to the parish in many ways such as conducting tours and holding art workshops. In this interview, she was asked primarily about her role at the church and how she contributes to the community. She was able to provide an abundance of information about the history of art and architecture of St. Gregory the Great. Additionally, she describes the continued tradition of art at the parish, St. Gregory being labeled the “arts and cultural center” of the three parishes affiliated with Mary, Mother of God. In this clip, she answers the question; Can you recall a favorite memory or story involving your time as the artist in residence, perhaps teaching one of those classes?
• St. Gregory High School Activities in 1973
  These images depict a variety of activities from a 1973 high school yearbook, showcasing the vibrant student life and diversity of interests at the time. The first page includes snapshots of school assemblies and spirited events. We see a student, humorously "killed" for not eating a popular chocolate bar, and another playing his part in a Junior skit with a mop. The enthusiasm of the freshmen at their first assembly is palpable, as is the creativity of students impersonating the Bunkers, likely from the famous TV show "All in the Family". An alumni group is shown revisiting their high school days during a Homecoming Pep Rally, a testament to the lasting bonds and traditions that high school can create. The second page turns to the quieter side of student activities: chess and horseback riding. Chess, popular among the students, was played anywhere possible, symbolizing strategic thinking and competition. Although a ski club faced weather challenges, their spirit of adventure is noteworthy. The Faculty-Student Sailing Club highlights the collaboration between students and staff, with plans for Lake Michigan excursions emphasizing a sense of exploration and learning beyond the classroom. Together, these pages tell a story of a high school experience filled with laughter, learning, and the pursuit of a myriad of interests, from the performative to the intellectually challenging and the adventurous.
• St Thomas Bus Stop Advertisement
  This photo is a bus stop advertisement, taken sometime in the early 1980's, advertising the church. The bus stop ad has the address, phone number, mass times, and the services that it offers. This photo highlights the diversity that is present within the community of the church. This is shown by the tagline "Mass in 4 languages" and showing the different times in the different languages for mass. The different cultures present in the Uptown area were not only acknowledged but celebrated, and much of the church revolved around how diverse the Church was. It was a place where everyone was welcome and no one was turned away.
• St Thomas Pulpit
  This is an image of the pulpit at St. Thomas of Canterbury Church. It is the focal point of the Mass, at which prayers are delivered and the Eucharist is performed. It is often redecorated to coincide with the current season in the liturgical year. The arch of the pulpit is framed to focus on the crucifixion of Jesus, the core of Catholic beliefs.
• St Thomas of Canterbury Altar
  This was an image taken of St. Thomas of Canterbury's altar found in the front, left side of the church. With a statue of the Virgin Mary praying in the center, this altar is meant to show the unity of varying cultures. The structure of the altar is meant to portray asian influence, in order to juxtapose the Neo-Classical "American" influence of the Church itself.
• St Thomas Exterior
  This is an image of the front exterior of St. Thomas of Canterbury Church founded in 1916. The building is one of the only churches in the Chicago area which has the American Neoclassical architecture often seen in government buildings. Its beautiful red bricks and imposing columns allow it to shine in Uptown, where it supports its parishioners with diverse service offerings.
• First Simbang Gabi at St. Gregory 1987
  Since the 1980s, the Filipino community has been very active in the parish. The Philippines is home to the largest Catholic population outside the Americas and with the parish's rich history of welcoming immigrant and first generation American families it is home to a large Filipino American community. Beginning in 1987, the congregations of Filipinos began hosting the Simbang Gabi, which is a series of masses done in preparation for Christmas by Filipino Catholics.
• St. Gregory's Theater Group
  These images are of the St. Gregory's High School Theater Group in 1914. Each photograph presents different costumes used in the plays within that year. These photographs were part of the St. Gregory High School yearbook. Doing theater at St. Gregory was part of the extracurricular programs that they offered. The Priests and Sisters contributed to these extra curricular activities. Their goal is to make sure students learned “spiritually, academically, and culturally." On one of the pages, they titled it "School Entertainment—June 1914" and at the bottom wrote "Gregory Club Players." One the second page it states, "Pathway from School to Sisters' House" and "Players—June 1914."
• St. Gregory Bingo Games Assignments Sheet
  This is an assignment sheet for Bingo Games at St. Gregory the Great Church. For each Bingo night, different individuals were assigned to run the games. This spanned from December 17, 1939 until December 15, 1940. 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.
• Break Ground for St. Gregory High School Addition
  This is a newspaper page explaining the renovations being done to the St. Gregory High School. They planned on expanding the school by adding four stories to the building. Rev. Arthur F. Terlecke, who was the pastor of St. Gregory at the time, was excited to announce two new units being added to the High School. He explained that the renovations will cost around $600,000 (~ $6,966,513 as of 2024). In the photograph, Rev. Arthur F. Terlecke is standing in the middle with his committee.
• St. Gregory's Coed High School
  This is a newspaper page explaining the Coed High School system at St. Gregory in 1940. Their new High School was renovated to cover almost the whole block — this included the church itself, the High School, Deaf School, Gymnasium, Parish Center, etc. The image presented is of the St. Gregory High School. To celebrate this new era for the St. Gregory High School, they created an abstract event. On the photograph on the left, Rev. Arthur F. Terlecke is holding biretta, along with the prayers of Cardinal Stritch. The photograph on the right side is of the abstract event.
• Fire Guts Old North Side Church
  This is a newspaper page explaining the fire that went down at the St. Gregory the Great church in 1951. The image presented on the page is of the St. Gregory chapel covered in smoke. The fire had affected both the church and the school. The fire started on the second floor and moved quickly within the building. It got to the point where the roof even collapsed. The newspaper also stated that repairs would cost approximately $100,000 (~ $1,201,276 as of 2024).
• An Artist's Voice: Oral History with Sarah Crow
  Sarah Crow was interviewed due to her connection to and position as the artist- in- residence at St. Gregory the Great parish in Chicago, IL. Crow is a Catholic artist and contributes to the parish in many ways such as conducting tours and holding art workshops. In this interview, she was asked primarily about her role at the church and how she contributes to the community. She was able to provide an abundance of information about the history of art and architecture of St. Gregory the Great. Additionally, she describes the continued tradition of art at the parish, St. Gregory being labeled the “arts and cultural center” of the three parishes affiliated with Mary, Mother of God. This interview was conducted over phone and was about twenty minutes in length, transcribing to about five pages.
• St. Ita's weekly mass schedule
  This is a screenshot of St. Ita's weekly mass schedule. It can be found on the Mary, Mother of God website. It lists the times for both the English and Spanish mass services. It showcases the diversity of services offered at St. Ita, which demonstrates their commitment to serving their community to the best of their abilities.
• Domingo De Ramos de la Pasión Del Señor
  This is a link to the recording of the 2024 Easter Sunday of the Lord's Resurrection/Domingo de Ramos de la Pasión del Señor Spanish service. This video can be found on the Mary Mother of God Facebook page. It was initially published as a live stream and is now available as a video.
• Oral History with Leroy Blommaert
  This interview is with Leroy Blommaert, a long time parishioner of St. Ita's Church. Leroy speaks about his time with St. Ita's since he joined the parish in 1965, including the time he spent as an usher as well as a money counter at the church. He also discusses how the parish has changed over time, commenting on the merger and his thoughts on the future of the community. Blommaert also speaks about the church architecture and how he values it. His favorite part of the church is the design of the building because it stands out against its surroundings due to its nature in the French Gothic Style.
• Student Penmanship Practice
  These are notes from a St. Gregory's student, Corinne Adams, who attended in the 1910s. Many schools during this time placed much emphasis on proper penmanship. These papers show practice with writing specific letters, names, checks, and even full stories.
• Saint Ita Auction List in 1991
  This auction list (1991), shows different items or events that parishioners were able to bid on at one of their auction and supper nights. Items include objects, such as a clock or a Sox jacket; experiences, such as movie tickets or a party; and certificates for various businesses.
• Handwritten St. Thomas Note
  This letter from Lynn to Tom was seemingly attached to a folder containing historical documents about St. Thomas of Canterbury Parish.
• Saint Ita 90 + 1 Auction/Supper Event
  A popular fundraising event that took place at Saint Ita's Parish was their auction and supper events, this one taking place on October 19, 1991 in the Jubilee Hall. At this 90 + 1 event, the evening started with a silent auction, then led to a buffet sponsored by Lady Ann Catering, and ended with a live auction.
• St. Thomas Uptown News clipping
  This is a newspaper clipping from 1982 which discusses some of the financial strains that St Thomas was put in during their time in the church. During this period the soup kitchen was vital for the poorer members of Uptown. Financial struggles led to cutting back on projects, like a winter shelter which was previously hosted in 1981. Rev. William Johnson, who was passionate about the project, felt the city was shirking responsibility, leaving it to churches. He saw it as a broader social issue beyond just Uptown, Edgewater, and Rogers Park. Johnson advocated for collaboration with other churches or neighborhood organizations, rather than tackling it alone.
• Palm Sunday Pamphlet
  This is a newsletter for the Palm Sunday Mass in Vietnamese at St. Thomas of Canterbury. Along with instructions for the congregation, the pamphlet also provides the antiphon, or refrain, in both Vietnamese and English. The item was originally in Vietnamese, but has been translated using an image translation program.
• St. Thomas Vietnamese Newsletter
  This newsletter to the Vietnamese Catholic Community at St. Thomas details the organization's acquisition of a house near St. Thomas specifically for the purpose of providing a space for their community. They express plans for intense renovation, requiring many volunteers to turn the run down house into a flourishing community center. The item was originally in Vietnamese, but has been translated using an image translation program.
• Picture of Father Crowe
  Father Crowe was the founding reverend of St. Ita's church. He gathered 53 parishioner families and held the inaugural mass in the guild hall before the church even had its own frame building. During the ensuing frame building, Father Crowe established the convent that would run the school in the basement of the frame church. Eventually, the parish would grow so much that Father Crowe would plead the archdiocese to commission a church to be designed and built. This church was built in the French Gothic style and it is still standing over 100 years later. Crowe unfortunately died after being struck as a pedestrian in a hit and run. This image memorializes him and his contributions to St. Ita.