St Thomas of Canterbury is one of three churches under Mary Mother of God that was organized by Chicago Archbishop George W. Mundelein. The church was originally established in 1916 in Uptown, formerly known as Wilson Avenue District. The church is built in a unique manner, designed by Joseph W. McCarthy. The Neoclassical style that the church was created in makes it stand apart from the classical Gothic or Byzantine style that most Catholic churches are built in—St Thomas is the only church in Chicago that is built in this style.
The structure, formerly a bank, was an unmistakably American building that evoked many different cultures and regions. The intention of this was to symbolize the melting pot of lifestyles that were present with the church's community. The church has a very diverse population, with multiple masses in different languages such as Spanish and Vietnamese to appeal to the large amounts of Hispanic and Asian migrants moving to the area at the time—masses in these languages are still held to this day.
