St. Kilian Church
8725 S. May St., Chicago

Worshippers from Nigeria, Ghana, Haiti, as well as African-American parishioners who moved here in the 1960s have all made St. Kilian “home.”

Originally an Irish/German community, this second church was designed by McCarthy, Smith & Eppig in 1937, when $175,000 could buy regal elegance.

The rererdos in the sanctuary is formed by four solid black walnut pillars, 40 feet high, with a canopy that declares “Ecce Agnus Dei.” The original altar is of black and gold marble, and gold-leaf walls with stenciled Celtic designs catch the candlelight like foil. Antique stained-glass windows were designed by Gianni & Hilgart, under a ceiling of massive open wood trusses.

Today’s weekday Masses are celebrated around the rectory’s dining room table in an aura of family. Its active societies range from the Women’s Sodality and Men’s Club, to Knights and Ladies of Peter Claver, and Junior Knights and Daughters. Stewardship is a hallmark here, in generosity of spirit and a sense of economic ownership.

top