A Catholic Church Like No Other
The architecture and interior of St. Thomas of Canterbury stands in contrast to most Catholic churches in the Chicago area. In fact, it was the first of its kind to be built in the Neoclassical style as opposed to the Gothic or Byzantine styles that most Catholic churches are built in. Archbishop Mundelein commissioned Joseph W. McCarthy to design a combined church-school building. The archbishop requested this “pure colonial” style as it was “the only distinctively American architecture.” This style reflected the attitudes of the parish founders who were “urbane, affluent people who were first and foremost Americans.” The building was completed June 24, 1917.
Quoting from "St. Thomas Sixty-Year Commemorative History." Click here to learn more about the development of the church.
St. Thomas' Interior Decorates Its Colonial Framework With Catholic Regalia
The Diverse Cultural Influences of St. Thomas' Worshipping Spaces
Though the exterior the church was done to convey the founding parishioner’s desire to assimilate with American culture, St. Thomas’s worship spaces are meant to accommodate every culture which calls the parish home. Near the sanctuary's neoclassical columns, for instance, sits a statue of Mary underneath a structure that is reminiscent of an Asian pagoda. Other pieces of sacred art include an icon of Mary done in the Greek Orthodox style as well as a depiction of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a depiction significant to Americans of Mexican descent. The varying styles seen throughout the interior reflect the eclectic nature of the parish.
Honoring St. Thomas
The Mark of the Franciscans
With the creation of Mary, Mother of God in 2019, the Conventual Franciscan Friars of Saint Bonaventure Province now staff all three churches. As such, decorations recognizing the work of Franciscans now adorn the walls of each of the churches in Mary, Mother of God.
