Church #35: St. Stanislaus Kostka
I wrote a little bit about this church in my previous post about St. Hedwig Polish church, which was the fourth Polish church in Chicago. This week’s church, St. Stanislaus Kostka, was the first Polish church and was founded in 1867 by the Resurrectionists when the only choice for Catholics was to attend a German mass. The Resurrectionist Order was 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.
A large migration of Poles to Chicago had occurred in the 1860s, thanks to oppression at the hands of the Russians at the time. Chicago was rapidly expanding as an industrial city, so it became a logical destination. The church was built just a few blocks from what was considered the Polish Downtown at the Polonia Triangle in West Town.
Their first building, made of wood, was two stories and large enough to seat 1,000 people. Only a few years later, the priest stood in the bell tower and watched as the 1871 Chicago fire made its way to the church. The building was damaged, leaving only the edifice, which was torn down to make way for rebuilding.
The current building was completed in 1881.
The Polish immigrants continued to come to Chicago, and by 1892, it was the largest parish in the United States with over 40,000 parishioners.
In the 1950s, the city put in the plan for the Kennedy Expressway which would have traveled right through the church, meaning it had to be torn down. But protests and petitions saved the church and the expressway now curves around the church. Unfortunately, much of the neighborhood was torn down, resulting in a huge drop in attendees. In 1981, only 850 families still attended the church. But an influx of new immigrants, most coming from Mexico, has revitalized the church. Five services are held on Sundays in English, Spanish, and still in Polish.
One other significant event in the history of this church is that in 1964, one of the bell towers was struck by lightning, caught fire, and was destroyed, so today it only has one remaining tower.
Of course, this church is gorgeous. But what is different about it is how spacious, open, and light the space feels. I think that is probably because the floors are a light wood but more importantly, the wooden pews are far apart, and the backs of the pews are not solid. I would say there’s probably four feet or so between pews. And the kneeler for each row is attached to the pew in front of it.
The service began with a woman making an announcement that the church is open 24/7. She followed that with other announcements, including that due to tech error there would be no bulletin, that the second offertory collection for sanctuary flowers, that the church is holding a bake sale.
Then two priests, one in a purple robe and the other in a purple sash, walked in from the side of the altar rather than in a procession down the aisle. Two altar boys, middle school aged, the woman who made the announcements and a man in a button down and khakis joined them on the altar..
As for the music, one woman singer sang with an organ up in a loft in the back of the sanctuary.
Next, we all recited together, led by the priest, the Penitential Act, which I have never heard before.
I confess to almighty God,and to you, my brothers and sisters,that I have greatly sinnedthrough my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do;through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints,and you, my brothers and sister,to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Each time we said the word “fault,” both priests used their fists to pound their chests three times. What was that about?
After a responsive song, the first reading came from Isaiah 64: 1-8.
1 Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!
2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you!
3 For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
5 You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved?
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
7 No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over to our sins.
8 Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
The second reading came from the First Letter from St Paul to Corinthians.
Then the priest read the Gospel, Mark 13:33-37.
33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Next came the sermon (which was over a half-hour long!), and it was really difficult to follow (this seems to happen a lot in Catholic churches). There were definitely some really great points, and he was very comfortable and conversational, but I had trouble following the thread that should have connected it all together.
I also didn’t like that he kept apologizing. He repeatedly said, “Sorry. I might have told you this story before.”
He began by reminding us of the message of the reading “Be watchful.” Then he continued, “You don’t know when the Lord is coming. But it is closer today than it was yesterday. That’s a fact.”
The priest also told us that we get to choose whether to remain in his grace. Nothing is forcing us.
He then asked us to reflect on the Isaiah prayer, which he reread and said it was appropriate to our world today.
He told a story, first apologizing for it, about sitting on a flight next to a Muslim man. They both agreed that it was better to believe than not to believe. The priest then explained to the Muslim the difference between Islam and Judeo-Christians.In Islam, Allah dictates to Mohammad. There is no dialogue. Allah, God, speaks and Mohammed writes. On the other hand, in Judeo-Christianity, God is constantly in dialogue, walking with his people. This passage from Isaiah is recalling this.
Remember that at this time, the Gospels had not been written. God is preparing his people for the messiah.
The Muslim man said he never thought of it that way. But, the priest said, the only way to write the story is if God is with his people.
Transitioning to the Gospel (without making that transition clear), the priest told us that God is the artist; we are his works.
Time for another story and another apology. This one about the Sistine Chapel. Before it was cleaned, the ceiling was covered in dirt, soot, and dust. But if the artist Michaelangelo had gone to look at it in those days, he would have seen right through all of that dirt because he was the one who created it. He would be able to really see it.
We also need to see ourselves through the eyes of God. God is the artist, so he can see us right through all the soot, dust, clouds, dirt, and all of that hides our beauty. He only sees the beauty.
Today we are breeding narcissism, egocentricity, and pride. Oh! Time for another apology: “Sorry, I don’t mean pride like in pride month.” (haha - right?? Interesting choice as a name of a movement). The antithesis of pride, he said, is humility, which is what makes saints.
Today people model their lives on what they see on social media. As a result, we have a crisis of loneliness , a lack of connection, and isolation. Social media doesn’t bring us together. Instead, people should model God.
We never really know who we are because we don’t know who God is, the priest added. We need to create space for this coming within ourselves.
Honestly, I feel like I am just writing disconnected sentences. But this is how the sermon went.
Another story and another apology. This one was about a probation officer who suggested to one of his guys that he should do his community service in the soup kitchen here at this church. But first the officer came to the church to check out the soup kitchen to make sure this would be a good idea. When she arrived, she dropped to her knees and wept. All of the garbage poured out of her life. She kept coming back for years. At the 150th anniversary of the church, the media was there. The priest at the time was interviewed and told this story. The priest had never met the woman but had heard this story. It turned out that she was standing nearby and heard him repeat the story, so she introduced herself.
We have to create space for God, he concluded. (I’m not sure how this is the conclusion of the previous story?) Many here are hurting, broken. There is lots of suffering out there. Let God come to us.
We can become wounded healers. (again, this statement seems like it could have used more than this five-word sentence, but that was the end of the sermon).
The sermon was followed by the Apostles Creed, Petitions (including to politicians - uh, ok?), and the offering.
When the Lord’s Prayer was recited, I felt compelled to participate. This is the one area where I sometimes actively participate. But not always. I think I am willing to because the prayer ignites a warm nostalgia in me. I have discovered that this is really the only thing at any of these services that sparks that feeling. I’m not sure why that is.
But the prayer also hit me differently this day. Today I was reminded of my kids’ papa. I remembered what peace the prayer gave him when Grandma was very sick and nearing the end of her life. He made it a point to tell me about the power of the Lord’s Prayer and especially of the line, “Thy will be done.” He would repeat that to himself. And it gave him peace. It would all be ok.
For communion, which I never participate in, even in churches where it would be permitted), people walked up and knelt at the rail in front of the altar. From my point of view, I could only see the priest administering the bread. I never saw any wine. The priest was followed by altar boys holding gold plated communion plates under bread when it was given to each person. This was so that not even a crumb would accidentally fall to the ground.
Before the end of Mass, the congregation recited the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, which is at follows:
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the divine power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
This prayer has an interesting history. It was written and added to the Mass in 1886 by Pope Leo XIII. It was written when the Papal State struggled to maintain its independence from the Italian government. As an aside, this dispute was finally settled in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty, which set the boundaries for the Vatican. After this, the prayer was recited to support the conversion of Russia during the Soviet regime.
But then in 1965, the prayer was removed as part of the Mass, thanks to the Second Vatican Council reforms. Then in 2018, the pope recited the prayer and suggested it be utilized in Mass again. Catholics developed an interest in this prayer once again, primarily because of splinters in the church over the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church. Others are unhappy with its recent inclusion, arguing that “Vatican II focused attention on the Eucharist and de-emphasized devotionals incorporated into the Mass,” and this does the opposite. And others find “the language of the prayer old-fashioned and jarringly aggressive.” Hm. Ok. Nevertheless, apparently the prayer has become common in many parishes and is recited at the end of Mass, as it was here, or immediately after.
After a final song, the Benediction consisted of a statement: “The mass has ended.”
I would guess that by the end of the service, probably 100 people had attended, and it appeared most people were middle-aged and alone. There were a few younger couples, but I didn’t see any children.
To wrap up, I have to say that I am still in awe at the magnificence of these churches from the 1800s. I’m in awe of the craftsmanship, the devotion to the project, the money spent, the inspiration regarding the building’s design as well as the art throughout. Where is that today? Any more recent church seems to lack any inspiration or reason to feel awe when approaching or when inside.
I just imagine what all there is to be learned from just this one church. Learning about it could be an entire class in and of itself and could include, to start:
What is the history of the architectural style and the background of the architect?
Who were the artists responsible for the stained glass windows, the paintings, the statues, and any other artistic elements?
Who are the people and what are the stories behind the scenes depicted in the statues, the paintings, and the stained glass windows?
What materials were used to build the church, why were they chosen, and where did they come from?
What is the source of the passages on walls and windows, what do they mean, and what is their significance?
Who were the actual construction workers and craftsmen who built it?
The finances - who paid for the building? How was the money secured?
History of the building: who has occupied it? What alterations and additions have been made? What destruction has it experienced? etc.
That’s just a start off the top of my head!
One final word. I really liked the idea from the sermon that the artist can see through the clouds and the dirt to clearly see his or her art or creation. As a writer, I can really relate to this. During the process of writing a book, for example, there is a ton of debris that it is necessary to look beyond in order to see the actual story. Without the ability to see that, it would be impossible to see our own art. I am also reminded of the famous anecdote that says Michaelangelo told someone that the secret to his sculpting was that he took a slab of marble and chiseled away anything that wasn’t David, for example. Yes, he saw through all the distraction to the art.
And yes, we need to be able to see ourselves like this. We need to be able to see past all of our faults and scars and sins to see the beauty, the miracle, that is us. We can do this because WE ARE GOD. We are both the creator, and we are the created!
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