St. Martin de Porres
5112 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago

It is a “young” parish with hundreds of years of combined history. St. Martin de Porres is the jewel brought about by first merging closed parishes of St. Mel, Resurrection, St. Thomas Aquinas, and later St. Angela and Our Lady Help of Christians.

Its church building is the renovated St. Thomas, with awesome stained glass windows and mosaics—an “English Gothic masterpiece” in the Austin neighborhood. St. Martin parishioners are 95 per cent African-American, made up of retirees and working professionals. They believe in lay involvement, supporting many ministries from Bible Study and RCIA to liturgical dance, a food pantry and re-sale shop. Its former school is home to kids’ basketball, a Saturday “Zawadi” for K-8, (Swahili word for “Gift of Adults to Children”) directed by fervent volunteers.

This year’s St. Martin’s feast, Nov. 3, was marked by a choir concert. Children’s Christmas and Easter pageants epitomize spirit and commitment by families and friends.