This is the first in a series I am writing titled “Praying in Chicago: Religion in the Windy City” that will be published on Substack going forward. You can read the introduction to the project HERE to get more information on what is to come! Then you can subscribe to Substack for free for the rest of the series.

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I chose Holy Name Cathedral as the first church I would attend for a couple of reasons. For one, it is close by. And across the street from my gym, which means I walk by it four to five times a week. And second, it is the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese here in Chicago. So that seemed as good a place to start as any.

As for a little bit of history, this Roman Catholic congregation was established in 1852. Right before the church was formed, in 1846, Chicago had a population of around 14,000 people. An influx of German and Irish immigrants, most of whom were Catholic, were settling in large numbers north of the Chicago River. The only Catholic church around was St. Josephs, which was built by the Germans. As a result, mass was in Latin, but the sermons and confessions were in German.

Continue reading “Visiting Holy Name Cathedral” →