Serving the Mission in Urban Chicago
Although updated through the years, the sanctuary reflects the grand architecture
of the church built in 1875.
When Father Edward Smith, CM, arrived in Chicago in 1875 to begin a new parish, the bustling town was only 38 years old. Only four years earlier, the Great Chicago Fire had destroyed 30 percent of the city and left 90,000 people homeless. With $5,000 and a wealth of enthusiasm, he founded the new parish on prairie land on the northern outskirts of the city.
Oil & Water:
Dedication of the Mary, Mother of God Chapel & Blessing of the Apostle of Charity Residence
The Apostle of Charity Residence, as seen coming up from the Church of the Assumption.
Conventional wisdom and physical science both tell us that mixing oil and water is a difficult (if not impossible) trick to pull off. But on the weekend of July 21-23, oil and water mixed beautifully in Perryville, Missouri. On that weekend, the Congregation of the Mission Midwest Province dedicated the new residence at their mother house, St. Mary’s of the Barrens, located on land where the Vincentians first arrived in 1818.
The Parish and DePaul University
Early in the history of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Chicago, one person was the superior of the local house, the pastor of the church and the president of St. Vincent’s College, the predecessor of DePaul University. As both the parish and the college grew quickly, that arrangement didn’t last long.
Furthering Our Mission…
Kenya, East Africa
On May 27, 2006, two East African Vincentians were ordained priests for the Midwest Province, Father Alex Isonga, CM and Father Ignatius Mukanzi, CM.
Young Adults Walk in St. Vincent’s Shoes
They come for breathing time before starting a career. They come to reconnect to their faith. And they come to experience living simply. They come for different reasons, but they all leave united in the experience of finding themselves in the service of others.
“They” are young adults who have participated in the Vincentian’s youth outreach programs.
The Vincentian is published bimonthly by the Midwest and Southern Provinces of the Congregation of the Mission, the Vincentian Priests and Brothers, to promote the apostolic works of its members and those of the larger Vincentian Family.
Congegration of the Mission, The Vincentian
Attn: News Editor
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