Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Top Five (5) Traditional Catholic Churches of Chicago

January 2022 Update: Due to the rotten fruits of Cupich, options 4 and 5 here have been forced to permanently discontinue the Tridentine Mass.

Compared to all other cities in the United States, Chicago has more Tridentine Latin Masses each Sunday than anywhere else.  In fact, Chicago serves as an important base for the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a traditional religious order that only offers the Traditional Mass, with most of their US apostolates in driving distance from Chicago.

In no particular order, here are the 5 Most Traditional Catholic Church of Chicago:

1. St. John Cantius (Diocesan)

St. John Cantius is known as one of the gems of Catholic Tradition in the Conciliar Church.  The building itself has a rich history - it was saved from near closing and has blossomed into a community of vibrant Faith, Tradition, and Devotion.  The building is known for its beauty, the Liturgies are among some of the most ornate in the City, and the use of Sacred Polyphony and Orchestral High Masses make this a truly unique parish of Chicago.









2. Shrine of Christ the King (ICKSP)

The Shrine, like St. John Cantius, was near closing - in fact, the Shrine of Christ the King was slated for demolition after a fire ravished the building.  As the neighbor decayed, the former St. Gelatius Church, which was home to the National Novena to St. Therese on each Tuesday of the week, was all but certainly lost.  In 2006, the building was entrusted to the Institute of Christ the King by then-Cardinal of Chicago, Cardinal George.  As a result of the order's dedication, the building is being restored and the Faithful who attend the Shrine assist at one of the few locations to only offer Tridentine Masses - even during the Triduum.  The Order's use of traditions ranging from Candlemas Processions, Blessings of Wine on the Feast of St. John, Blessings of Epiphany Water, and the like make this one of the few places to regularly and publicly use the Rituale Romanum.  The vibrant parish life offers several weekly evening Masses as well as Masses in the evening usually on all 1st Class Feasts, which is a true rarity!  With powerful preaching and doctrinally sound catechesis, the Shrine of Christ the King has earned a place in our Top 5 List.

 Older Image: Source Unknown
 
Older Image: Source Unknown

 Older Image: Source Unknown
 
Solemn High Mass on Christmas Day

Blessing of Wine for Feast of St. John
 Blessing of the Wine on the Feast of St. John

3. St. Mary of Perpetual Help (Diocesan)

St. Mary of Perpetual Help is a remarkable structure visible from Interstate 55.  Its huge dome pierces the skyline of the south side of Chicago in the Bridgeport neighborhood and calls all to honor Almighty God.  The Church offers a weekly Tridentine High Mass on Sundays at 8:30 AM, the earliest Tridentine High Mass offered on a Sunday in the city.  The inside of the Church is vibrantly beautiful with many statues, icons, and images.  The high altar of the Church is one of the grandest high altars in Chicago and is made of some of the highest quality marble - only St. Adalberts Church might claim to have higher quality marble (though no Tridentine Mass is offered there).  St. Mary's offers Confession before each Mass that is infrequently attended making it quick and easy to obtain Confession - not a commonality in the more traditional Churches. With beautiful music and clear sermons, this parish could be much busier than it typically is.  It's a treasure and all Catholics of Chicago should make their way here for an 8:30 Sunday High Mass.

 Note: Low altar is removed for all Latin Masses.






4. St. Odilo/National Shrine of the Poor Souls (Diocesan)

As the National Shrine of the Poor Souls, the Faithful who attend Mass here receives a particular indulgence.  The Church, while featuring some model art and a "low altar", has some truly unique features - a life-sized and bloody depiction of our Lord after he was taken down from the Cross in a separate chapel.  The Church also has several side altars and candles throughout in honor of the Poor Souls - you'll see Traditional Altar missals on them as well.  The Church offers a Sunday Tridentine Mass at 9:30 AM and has a very beautiful schola.  Only downsize - Confessions are not offered immediately before each Mass, like the other places on this list.  But don't let that stop you from making a visit to St. Odilo's and praying for the poor souls at the Sunday Latin High Mass.  And be ready for Fr. Brankin's inspiring, clear, and unabashedly Catholic sermons.  Of all of the sermons offered on a given Sunday at a Tridentine Mass, Fr. Brankin's are among the very best each and every week.







5. Our Lady Immaculate (SSPX)

The Society of St. Pius X, founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, was the catalyst for Traditional Catholicism in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council.  Without the Society, it is likely that the Tridentine Mass would have vanished from the earth.  This particular chapel of the Society is located near one of the Society's few priories - this prior is unique as it is the home of one of the four bishops of the Society - Bishop Tissier de Mallerais.  The Chapel itself is a former protestant building that has been turned into a Catholic Church.  It features an impressive high altar.  Unique among the churches of Chicago, it is the only one to regularly feature a blessing of religious articles after both Masses on the Second Sunday of the month.  So bring your candles, rosaries, images, and anything else that needs to be blessed.  The chapel also has monthly devotions to Our Lady of Sorrows and the pastor is not afraid to speak candidly on the crisis in the world and the need for Catholics to stand up for the Truth.  You won't hear any psedu-protestantism here.  This chapel is a home for unabasedly Catholic teaching and is home to a truly multicultural congregation of Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and others - showing that the Church truly transcends cultures.  And yet, all come together and worship in a common tongue of Latin. 

 Image Source: FRANK PINC/Staff Photographer via oakpark.com

Image Source: SSPX Website

7 comment(s):

del_button June 9, 2015 at 2:32 AM
Amy Harrison said...

I just wanted to correct your statement on the bishops of the SSPX. There are currently only 3: H.E. Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, H.E. Alfonso de Galaretta, and H.E. Bernard Fellay. H.E. Richard Willamson is no longer a part of the Society.

del_button March 30, 2017 at 10:18 PM
Anonymous said...

Any Sedevacantist or SSPX-Resistance Chapels in Chicago?
We are leaving in 36 hours and would love any suggestions or help.
Thank you God bless you.

del_button March 31, 2017 at 6:49 AM
Matthew said...

There are no resistance chapels in Chicago. As for sedevecantist, I believe Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Chapel in Elgin with Fr. Ronald Brown, I believe is sede. Fr. Brown is a great priest.

del_button March 17, 2021 at 10:04 PM
GoldRush Apple said...

Thank you for this post. I'm also in the area and I'm glad that other parishes that have the TLM are being highlighted besides St. John Cantius, with Cantius often being used as an example of TLM preservation.

Hopefully Shrine of Christ the King will be able to allocate enough money in fundraising for Phase II to move forward in interior construction and design. I think once done it'll offer a full experience to rival Cantius.

Even outside the city's borders, there are surprisingly a decent number of parishes that offer the TLM (though not nearly enough), with FSSP running its own parish in the form St. Joseph in Rockdale, a suburb of Joliet. Add in Naperville with Saints Peter and Paul having weekly TLM mass too. A couple in the exurbs, northern suburbs and then a few in the rural/minor cities in western, central and southern Illinois.

I wasn't alive when NO mass took over to see the liturgical changes and wreckovation, but it must've been a much different sight and environment pre-VII with the high alters still intact in the city of Chicago, which I'd argue would be a good candidate for most Catholic steeples in a city proper. What a tragedy. Of course these were the days when Chicago Catholic schools were thriving, filled with Catholic families and staffed with priests and religious sisters. (The drastic change of demographic also added to the downfall alongside the building of expressways.)

del_button May 15, 2024 at 4:54 PM
Anonymous said...

Thank you for this. I believe that there is a typo in the first paragraph. Actually, I think that it is number 3 & 4 (St Mary of Perpetual Help and St Odilo) that no longer have the TLM. They are incredible churches that still warrant a visit anyway. Our Lady Immaculate (#5) still has the TLM. Thx.

del_button May 15, 2024 at 6:54 PM
Matthew said...

Since this article was first published in 2015 there were major changes that led to attacks suppressing the TLM in Chicago. For a more up to date listing, please see here:

https://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2023/07/weekday-traditional-latin-mass-and.html

del_button May 15, 2024 at 6:55 PM
Matthew said...

Also, to correct my above comment in 2017, Fr. Brown is independent but NOT sede

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