St. Alphonsus ChurchChicago, Illinois

Corner of Southport, Lincoln and Wellington1429 W. Wellington, Chicago IL 60657

773-525-0709 - stalphonsuschgo.org

A brief history....St. Alphonsus was founded in 1882 as a Germannational parish by the Redemptorist Fathers. Itspatron, St. Alphonsus Ligouri, was the founder oftheir order.

While no longer a national parish, it is the onlychurch in Chicago which continues to celebratemass in German on a regular basis.

The first church was a wooden structure, 120 x 50x 20 feet high, on Southport and Oakdale. Thefirst school was built next to this church. Itcontained eight classrooms, and opened with 70students in 1882. The School Sisters of NotreDame staffed the school and their conventoccupied the top floor of this building. The totalcost of both buildings was $12,000.

In 1889, the cornerstone for the present churchwas laid. It was completed in 1896.

In 1902, ground was broken in a former cabbagepatch for the current school building on thecorner of Wellington and Greenview. It openedin September, 1903 with 1600 students. Thebuilding was rededicated on September 14, 2003and was formally renamed the AlphonsusAcademy and Center for the Arts.

In addition to the church and the school, theparish plant came to include a rectory, a conventand the Athenaeum. The Athenaeum was aGerman community center, including an operahouse and bowling alley. This building alsohoused a two-year commercial high school forgirls.

The parish suffered two devastating fires. OnNovember 27, 1939, the Athenaeum burned. Itwas rebuilt and welcomed back students tenmonths later. On October 23, 1950, the churchroof burned, heavily damaging the interior. OnThanksgiving, 1952, the church reopened.

The neighborhood around St. Alphonsus haschanged dramatically in the last 40 years. TheGerman immigrants were replaced byimmigrants from Latin America. Currently theneighborhood is also the home to many youngadults beginning their careers in Chicago. Theministries in the parish reflect these realities.Mass is celebrated in Spanish, as well as Englishand German.

In 1997, the School Sisters of Notre Dameconcluded more than a century of service to theparish. In 1999, the Redemptorists handed theparish over to the care of the Archdiocese ofChicago.

The Athenaeum continues as a cultural center,providing a home to various arts organizations aswell as performance space. The Lakeview Pantryis also housed in this building. The formerconvent is now a transitional living center forhomeless women, sponsored by Deborah’s Place,while the rectory has become the parish centerand offices, as well as living space for the priests.

Exploring the Interior of theChurch...Starting from the veranda, as you enter thechurch, you will see a panoramic view of theItalian marble altars. As you walk toward them,note a “leaf and acorn” motif in the decoration inthe capitals of the pillars. This was a reminder tothe original German congregation of theirhomeland, especially the Black Forest region.The architecture follows a Gothic design, withsoaring, pointed arches directing your gaze to theheavens.

As you move down the aisle, you will see the

baptismal font, which is the original one for thechurch. It depicts Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan.The font is octagonal. This symbolizes the sevendays of creation, and then Jesus’ resurrection onthe ‘eighth day’. All who are baptized are reborninto this new creation. The Paschal candle is alsoplaced by the font.

The Altars:

The two central altars are made of Italian marble.Together, they made up the old ‘high altar’ inplace before the liturgical reforms of Vatican II.This altar was commissioned for the church in the1930's, but because of the war, was not installeduntil later in the 1940's. It was still new at thetime of the 1950 fire, but emerged unscathed fromthe collapse of the roof. The ornate carvings aremeant to symbolize flames, from which this style,‘flamboyant’, (from the French word for ‘flame’)derives its name.

The altars contain three mosaics. At the left onthe back altar is Melchizedek, making a sacrificeof bread and wine. (Genesis 14:18). The letter tothe Hebrews recasts Melchizedek as a forerunnerof Christ and the priesthood. (Hebrews 5through 7.) The mosaic on the right depictsAbraham beginning to sacrifice Isaac. (Genesis22.) The angel stills Abraham’s knife, with themessage that God does not ask the Hebrews tosacrifice their children. Yet, God chose tosacrifice his own son, Christ, for our salvation.

The mosaic in the center of the main altar is of theRisen Lord revealing himself to two disciples atEmmaus, as they broke bread. (Luke 24.)

The wall above the sanctuary:

On the left is a picture of the Holy Eucharist. Inthe center is a study of the Trinity, with Godoffering the crucified Christ to us. At the right isanother image of the Holy Eucharist with thetriangle, a symbol of the Trinity.

The bas relief images:

Jesus is shown holding a lamb, a reminder thathe is the Lamb of God, the ultimate sacrifice. Oneither side are the Alpha and the Omega, the firstand last letters of the Greek alphabet. Thesesymbolize that Christ was present at Creation, thebeginning, and will be present at the end of time.

Figures of the four evangelists:

Nearby are images of the four Gospel writers:

• A man for Matthew’s gospel, which tells us ofthe human genealogy of Jesus.

• A lion for Mark’s gospel. John the Baptistappears at the beginning of the gospel, like alion ‘crying in the wilderness.’

• An ox for Luke’s gospel. Luke has referencesto the sacrifices in the Temple, including thestory of the Presentation of Christ, in Luke 2.

• An eagle for John’s gospel. This representsthe divine nature of Christ as described byJohn.

The tabernacle: The tabernacle is behind the bronze door in thecenter of the high altar. The Eucharist is keptthere, to take to the ill and for devotion.

The saints depicted in the high altar: Above the tabernacle, left to right are St.Aloysius, St. Gerard Majella, St. Alphonsus, St.Clement (all Redemptorists). The two womenare St. Teresa of Avila, a Doctor of the Church,and St. Agnes, an early Roman martyr.

In between the statues are images to remind us ofChrist’s passion: a whip, crown of thorns,hammer and nails.

Far above those images are figures of the fourarchangels, Michael, Raphael, Gabriel and Uriel.

The windows in the sanctuary:

All of the windows in the church are the work ofthe Mayer company from Munich, Germany.Above the right sacristy doorway is one of St.Gerard Majella, the patron saint of pregnantwomen. The other is St. Alphonsus preaching atFoggia about his love for the Blessed Mother. Ashe spoke, the Blessed Mother appeared to him.He was elevated from the ground. Thecongregation also saw the apparition.

Above the left sacristy doorway, one window isof St. Clement Hofbauer, who brought theRedemptorist order to Germany. The other is ofSt. Alphonsus adoring the Eucharist.

The shrines at the front of the church:

On the left, the shrine honors Mary, the Motherof God under her title of Our Lady of PerpetualHelp.

The original of this image was placed under thecare of the Redemptorists in Rome and one findsit duplicated all over the world. The image tellsa story: the child Jesus had been frightened bytwo angels bearing the instruments of his tortureand death. He ran to his mother for comfort andhelp. (His sandal came loose in his haste.) Theimage is to remind us that even Jesus asked forMary’s help and prayers. We can do the same.

The shrine on the right is dedicated to St. Joseph.He is considered the patron saint of a happydeath, as we assume that Jesus and Mary were byhis bedside. One of the side images depicts thatscene, while the other shows the marriage ofJoseph and Mary.

The mission cross:

This crucifix was placed here to commemorate

missions preached in 1899, 1905 and 1913. It ismade of oak, while the corpus of Christ is carvedfrom walnut. It continues to link the parish to itsRedemptorist history.

The shrine on the south side of the church:

This shrine contains images of Our Lady ofGuadalupe and El Señor de las Esquipulas. Bothof these show the influence of Latin Americanimmigration into the parish. Our Lady ofGuadalupe appeared to St. Juan Diego in 1531near Mexico City. She appeared as an Indianwoman, not a European, standing upon themoon and in front of the sun. Both the sun andthe moon were Aztec gods. She is wearing ablack sash, as Indian women did to show theywere pregnant. The child she bears is greaterthan the Aztec gods and is being born for theIndians as much as for the Spanish.

The crucifix is a duplicate of the original inGuatemala, a site of great devotion.

The shrines on the north side of the church:

The shrine on the right is dedicated to the SacredHeart of Jesus. To the left is a statue of the InfantJesus of Prague.

Also on the north side of the church you will findthe ambry, containing the oils used in thecelebration of the sacraments. These oils areblessed each Holy Week by the Archbishop andbrought here from the Cathedral.

The stained glass in the north side of thenave:

(From the front to the back.)

• The marriage of Mary and Joseph• Jesus and the children• Jesus condemned by Pilate• Burial of Jesus, with St. John holding the

crown of thorns as Mary and Joseph ofArimathea mourn

• The Resurrection• Jesus visiting with Martha and Mary• A woman washes Jesus’ feet• St. Catherine of Alexandria, martyr

The stained glass in the south side of thenave:

(From the front to the back.)

• St. Alphonsus praying to Our Lady ofPerpetual Help

• The Holy Family• Mary with her parents, St. Anne and St.

Joachim• The Adoration of the Magi• The child Jesus in the Temple• The Transfiguration• The call of the rich young man• The Sistine Madonna and Child (after

Raphael)

Statues in the nave of the church:

St. Alphonsus was named a Doctor of the Churchfor his writings on moral theology andspirituality. His statue (polychromed wood andwith a real feather!) is off the main aisle.

Above the pillars are other Doctors of the Church: St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory Nazianzen, St.John Chrysostom, St. Athanasius, St. Ambrose, St.Augustine, St. Gregory the Great, and St. Jerome.

Who was St. AlphonsusLigouri?

He was born Alphonsus Marie Antony JohnCosmos Damien Michael Gaspard de Liguori onSeptember 27,1696, at Marianella, near Naples,Italy. Raised in a pious home, he was the oldest ofseven children. Educated at the University ofNaples, Alphonsus received his doctorate at theage of sixteen. By age nineteen he was practicinglaw, but he was dissatisfied with this sort of life.

After a brief time, he retreated from the lawcourts and his fame. Visiting the local Hospitalfor Incurables on August 28, 1723, he had a visionand was told to consecrate his life solely to God. Alphonsus was eager to do this, but his familyobjected. Finally, he compromised by becominga priest, but living at home. He was ordained onDecember 21, 1726, and he spent six years givingmissions throughout Naples.

Alphonsus founded the Congregation of the MostHoly Redeemer on November 9, 1732. Thefoundation faced immediate problems, but by1743 he became the prior of two newcongregations, one for men and one for women.

He refused to become the bishop of Palermo butin 1762 had to bow to the papal command toaccept the see of St. Agatha of the Goths nearNaples. Here he discovered a diocese in greatneed of a teacher. For thirteen years Alphonsusfed the poor, instructed families, reorganized theseminary and religious houses, taught theology,and wrote.

At the same time, he grew more deformed witharthritis. Eventually his neck was so crippledthat he had to drink through a straw. His laterlife was marked by pain and otherdisappointments. However, he died peacefullyon August 1,1787, at Nocere di Pagani. He wasbeatified in 1816 and canonized in 1839. In 1871,Alphonsus was declared a Doctor of the Churchby Pope Pius IX. His writings on moral,theological, and ascetic matters had great impactand have survived through the years, especiallyhis Moral Theology and his Glories of Mary. He isthe patron of confessors, moral theologians, andthe lay apostolate.