St. Joseph's in Chicago
Encyclopedia
St. Joseph's is a historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
located in, Chicago
, Illinois
.
It is a prime example of the so-called 'Polish Cathedral style
' of churches in both its opulence and grand scale. Along with St. John of God, it is one of two monumental religious edifices that dominates over the skyline of the Back of the Yards area.
parish in the Back of the Yards. Its patron saint proved very appropriate as the parish long served a congregation of immigrant workers in the Union Stockyards. In the beginning of the 20th century, the Polish population in the Back of the Yards increased to such an extent that two other Polish parishes had to be formed out of St. Joseph's parish- St. John of God in 1906 and Sacred Heart in 1910. The roots of St. Joseph's Polish parishioners are in the Carpathian Mountains
as most of them are Górale
, or Polish Highlanders, a people who make up the majority of Chicago
's Southwest Side Polonia
. Although the Union Stockyards closed in the early 1970s and some Polish immigrants moved away from the Back of the Yards neighborhood, St. Joseph's still celebrates mass in Polish
, as well as a mass in English
and three in Spanish
for the present-day immigrants from Latin America
who live there.
church was designed by Joseph Molitor in 1914 with a seating capacity of 1,200. Molitor also drew up the plans for two neighboring Roman Catholic churches in the Back of the Yards area of Chicago
founded by Eastern Europe
an immigrants: Holy Cross
church for Lithuanians and the now closed Sts. Cyril and Methodius church for Bohemians.
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
The Archdiocese of Chicago was established as a diocese in 1843 and as an Archdiocese in 1880. It serves more than 2.3 million Catholics in Cook and Lake counties in Northeastern Illinois, a geographic area of 1,411 square miles. The Archdiocese is divided into six vicariates and 31 deaneries...
located in, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
It is a prime example of the so-called 'Polish Cathedral style
Polish Cathedral style
The Polish Cathedral architectural style is a North American genre of Catholic church architecture found throughout the Great Lakes and Middle Atlantic regions as well as in parts of New England...
' of churches in both its opulence and grand scale. Along with St. John of God, it is one of two monumental religious edifices that dominates over the skyline of the Back of the Yards area.
History
Initially a mission of St. Mary of Perpetual Help, St. Joseph's was organized in 1887 as the first PolishPoles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
parish in the Back of the Yards. Its patron saint proved very appropriate as the parish long served a congregation of immigrant workers in the Union Stockyards. In the beginning of the 20th century, the Polish population in the Back of the Yards increased to such an extent that two other Polish parishes had to be formed out of St. Joseph's parish- St. John of God in 1906 and Sacred Heart in 1910. The roots of St. Joseph's Polish parishioners are in the Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
as most of them are Górale
Gorals
The Gorale are a group of indigenous people found along southern Poland, northern Slovakia, and in the region of Cieszyn Silesia in the Czech Republic...
, or Polish Highlanders, a people who make up the majority of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's Southwest Side Polonia
Polonia
The Polish diaspora refers to people of Polish origin who live outside Poland. The Polish diaspora is also known in modern Polish language as Polonia, which is the name for Poland in Latin and in many other Romance languages....
. Although the Union Stockyards closed in the early 1970s and some Polish immigrants moved away from the Back of the Yards neighborhood, St. Joseph's still celebrates mass in Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, as well as a mass in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and three in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for the present-day immigrants from Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
who live there.
Architecture
The imposing BaroqueBaroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
church was designed by Joseph Molitor in 1914 with a seating capacity of 1,200. Molitor also drew up the plans for two neighboring Roman Catholic churches in the Back of the Yards area of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
founded by Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an immigrants: Holy Cross
Holy Cross in Chicago
Holy Cross in Chicago, referred to in Lithuanian as Šv. Kryžiaus bažnyčia, is a historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in Chicago, Illinois...
church for Lithuanians and the now closed Sts. Cyril and Methodius church for Bohemians.
See also
- Polish Cathedral stylePolish Cathedral styleThe Polish Cathedral architectural style is a North American genre of Catholic church architecture found throughout the Great Lakes and Middle Atlantic regions as well as in parts of New England...
churches of Chicago - Polish Americans
- Poles in ChicagoPoles in ChicagoChicago Polonia, refers to both immigrant Poles and Americans of Polish heritage living in Chicago, Illinois. They are a part of worldwide Polonia, the proper term for the Polish Diaspora outside of Poland. Poles in Chicago have contributed to the economic, social and cultural well-being of Chicago...
- Roman Catholicism in PolandRoman Catholicism in PolandEver since Poland officially adopted Latin Christianity in 966, the Catholic Church has played an important religious, cultural and political role in the country....