Church #34: St. Hedwig Church
In 1888, St. Hedwig became the fourth Polish church established in Chicago.
Poles began settling in Chicago in the 1830s during the November Uprising when the Polish unsuccessfully rebelled against Russian rule. And immigration continued into the late 1800s. Chicago was a popular destination, thanks to the huge industrial growth the city was going through.
The first Polish church in Chicago was Saint Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church, which was founded by the Resurrectionists in 1867. I’ll be attending that church next week.
St. Hedwig was founded in 1888 by the same Resurrectionist Order, who were known to be conservative and very loyal to the pope. The Resurrectionists were founded by three Polish Fathers in 1836 who took a vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience.Today, the order runs three churches, a college, and a hospital in Chicago.
I can’t find any information on where the parishioners met, but the number of Polish in Chicago and attending exploded in the first few years. In fact, the other Polish Catholic churches also experienced a huge surge in numbers. As a result, St. Hedwig’s founding priest Rev. Joseph Barzynski needed help, but the Resurrectionists were stretched thin. So in 1894, he brought in a priest from Poland, Fr. Anthony Kozlowski, who was not a Resurrectionist. But bringing him in was controversial.
He was charismatic and very popular and very quickly, part of the congregation drew up a petition asking that Kozlowski be the lead pastor. One reason for this was that they thought the Resurrectionists were moving away from its Polish origins and being pressured by the Irish leadership in the archbishop of Chicago. But by the end of the year, the archbishop asked him to instead leave the church. And to satisfy the people who had wanted him to lead the church, the archbishop also relocated founder Barzynski and brought in a new priest. But they were not satisfied with that. And basically, things got crazy!
What followed became known as the Pepper Riot.
About 3,000 supporters of Kozlowski, mostly new Polish immigrants and according to one source mostly women, stormed the church rectory and assaulted the priests living there. The police were called, and the mob threw red pepper on them. Apparently a police officer was hit with a hammer, police fired shots, and the new priest escaped in a sleigh. When things calmed down, the church was closed until an agreement was decided. Three times they tried to open the church, and three times, Kozlowski supporters turned to violence yet again.
A few months later, Kozlowski decided to leave and open his own church a few blocks away, All Saints Church, and two thirds of St. Hedwig’s congregation followed him. He was excommunicated for these actions. He instead joined forces with the Old Catholic Church. Then in 1907, it became part of the Polish National Catholic Church, a new national organization that did not accept the authority of the pope in Rome.
This all occurred while St. Hedwig was trying to build a permanent church, which was finally completed in 1901 and is the church where they meet today.
And today, they still are run by the Resurrectionists and conduct services in Polish. But they also have services in English and Spanish.
One last piece of historical significance from this church: I have mentioned in other posts that in recent years, the Archdiocese of Chicago has been closing churches and combining parishes. In 2021, the parish of St. Hedwig merged with St. John Berchman’s, with services alternating at each church and both under the patronage of Blessed Carlo Acutis.
Who is Blessed Carlo Acutis, you ask?
Well, he was actually born in 1981 in London to wealthy Italian parents, and the family moved back to Italy a few months later. He was raised by nannies and attended Catholic schools. Apparently he was an average student, but he had tutors to help him with his studies. I am not sure why that information is important, and maybe it isn’t. It just seems interesting to me. He is on the path to sainthood, after all.
In 1998, Acutis had his first communion. The church was significant to him and he is credited with bringing his mother and father back to the church and with helping to convert an immigrant working in his household as well as friends. Acutis showed a particular interest in the lives of saints.
He was a gamer, and he built websites. He created his church’s website, for example. But he also built a website listing eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions.
Then in October 2006, he was diagnosed with advanced leukemia and died within two weeks at only 15 years old. Ten years later, Acutis was named a Servant of God, the first step towards sainthood. He was declared Venerable, another step closer when the Pope declares one’s heroic virtue. Then in 2020, only fourteen years after his death, he was beatified, which recognizes his ascendence to heaven and his capacity to intercede on behalf of those who pray in his name.
In order to become a saint, two miracles need to be attributed to the individual. Acutis’s first miracle came in 2020 when a Brazilian boy was healed from a pancreatic birth defect after his mother prayed to Acutis. The second miracle came in 2022 when a Costa Rican mother prayed to him after her daughter suffered severe head trauma after falling off her bike. Soon after, her hemorrhage disappeared.
I’m not Catholic, so I probably should sit this one out, but this seems strange to me. I was going to do some research on saints, but in my first search, I found out that there are more than 10,000 saints, although the Catholic Church has lost track of the exact number. So the first thing I learned is that becoming a saint is not nearly as exclusive as I had thought. That is a lot of saints! Here is a chart from the Vatican showing how the number of saints have exploded in recent years.
I am sure this kid was a great person, but I am really struggling with elevating him to saint status. But what the hell do I know?
St. Hedwig emerges out of nowhere in a quaint residential neighborhood. The building is huge, and the inside is ornate and absolutely beautiful.
One thing I noticed right away, which is also in other churches but for some reason I never really paid attention to before, was a red lamp hanging over the altar. This has many names in the Catholic Church: sanctuary lamp, chancel lamp, altar lamp, everlasting light, or eternal flame. This lamp “should be kept alight to indicate and honor the presence of Christ" and is often red to distinguish it from other lights in the church.
The service began when a woman walked up to stand behind the lectern. When she arrived, the entire altar suddenly lit up. She announced who would be participating in the service today and who had recently died (my goodness, there were lots!). She also explained that today’s offertory would be going to the energy needs for the church. Interesting. I hadn’t heard a church specify what the money collected that day would be spent on before (other than a separate charitable collection).
The procession included two women, a middle-school aged altar boy, and two priests who looked like twins and who both looked like Santa Clause!
The music came from an organ and a woman singing up in the back balcony.
After a couple of songs and a couple of prayers, the first reading came from Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31 and was read by the woman who started the service with the announcements.
10-13: When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize. She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life. She obtains wool and flax and makes cloth with skillful hands.
19-20: She puts her hands to the distaff, and her fingers ply the spindle. She reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy.
30-31: Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the LORD IS to be praised. Give her a reward of her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates.
The second reading came from the First Letter to the Thessalonians 5: 1-6.
1 Concerning times and seasons, brothers, you have no need for anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. 3 When people are saying, “Peace and security,” then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. 5 For all of you are children of the light* and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. 6 Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.
The Gospel reading, read by one of the priests wearing a white robe with a green sash was Matthew 25:14-30.
14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Next came the sermon, given by the other priest who was wearing all green. It was very difficult to understand him, partly because the echo was so bad in the sanctuary. But the topic was “Love.”
He began with a quote defining love from Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Traveled: “The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth.”
He then defined the talents mentioned in the reading. A talent is a measure of weights. It is fairly heavy and amounts to about twenty years of someone’s wages at the time. Metaphorically, it refers to the gifts we receive.
The priest explained that love is the will, not the feeling. Every sinner has a past and a future. But the more you love, the more capable of loving you are. The more you love, the more you become like God.
The priest then referred back to the reading from Proverbs and reminded us that love is an action. Then the priest apologized for the patriarchal reading of Proverbs (good god).
He then implored us to love one another.
The end. Huh? That lasted five minutes.
Then the entire congregation recited the Apostles Creed before petitions were given to
Justice in the world
Healing of nations
Peace in the holy lands
Poor
Us gathered hear
Sick
Dead and dying
Communion was a free-for-all. There were no ushers. People just randomly went to the front while an electric violin played (which was beautiful!).
After communion, the priest was sitting in a chair to the side of the altar. He suddenly yelled out, “Let’s pray,” as he pushed himself up out of the chair. Then he hobbled over to the middle of the altar and introduced someone from the front row. A woman with a walker got up and went to the lectern. Her name was Kathy Powers, and she was from the Alliance for Community Services. She wore a tan rain hat with a brim that was blue underneath. She had it turned up in front, and it was tied under her chin.
She gave a speech asking for donations for her organization. Her speech was filled with so many cliches that I have no idea what her organization does.
“Each human life has dignity and worth.”
“The poor are marginalized.”
“We need social justice to transform society.”
But she finished by letting us know that she was standing in front of us as a “58-year-old diagnosed with mental illness who needs your support.”
Everyone clapped.
When the service ended, people chatted and got up and left during the final song. There was no procession either. The people on the altar seemed to just fade away.
This service was very crowded and was pretty young, families with lots of children.
I left town right after visiting this church, so I didn’t get a chance to write this up on the same day or the next day like I usually do. And honestly, I had such a hard time remembering anything at all about this church! Even the photos didn’t help a lot. I looked over my notes - not helpful. It wasn’t until I looked it up on the map and found the bus I took to get there. Then it came back. I still don't remember a lot of details about the service, sadly.
But I did write down something that is probably obviously true but I guess I had never really thought about. The more of these Catholic churches I go to, the more it becomes obvious, at some of them more than others. And this one, it was very obvious. It feels like the only reason for the gathering and for mass is communion. Maybe it’s because I was raised Methodist, and in the Methodist church, as in a lot of Christian churches, communion is reserved for only special occasions. So that made it clear that the purpose of going to church was not communion…at all.
These services seem to all be simply a preparation for communion. The rest is ceremonial for the preparation. Even the sermon was performative - it was only five minutes long. The sermons never seem very well thought out or even very deep, at all.
The other thing that is common in many of these churches is the program passed out at the door. They often are filled with ads, which just cracks me up. Some of the ads include a funeral home, auto insurance, bike sales, roofing, and home security.
It seems so materialistic and not spiritual.
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