This church in Rogers Park was designed by architectural genius Henry J. Schalacks and built in 1917. To have in mind the Gesu, mother church of its patron, St. Ignatius Loyola and his Jesuits in the Eternal City, as designed by Michelangelo himself, was a tall order--fulfilled here. Its Corinthian style exterior in grey Bedford stone is imposing with six massive columns, each hewn from a single block, topped by a six-story bell tower.

There are no columns inside to obstruct a worshipper's view of the holy sacrifice. Its breathtaking interior to most visitors is their "Rome away from Rome."

A baldachino over the original altar is reminiscent of St. Peter's Basilica, and Munich-style stained glass windows edify as well as illuminate. There are oil paintings on the ceiling with side chapels the size of some churches.

The original Charles Chambers paintings of Mary and Joseph are here, with their famous "Jesus, Light of the World." Various shrines tell the ethnic diversity of the parish today: Lord of the Miracles, Peruvian shrine; Our Lady of the Clouds, revered in Ecuador and Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of Mexico.

Everything here works together to raise the heart and mind heavenward to the source of all beauty and a four-manual 1924 Kilgen pipe organ says it with music.

Pastor: Father John J. Cunningham
Masses: Saturdays 5 p.m./ Sundays 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.; 6 p.m. in Polish.
Parish founded: 1926
Seating capacity: 1,050
Phone: (773)545-8840
Photo by: David V. Kamba