A growing Polish community, consisting mostly of Kashubians, emigrants from the vicinity of Wejherowo, wanted to become independent from the German parish; therefore, they set up an organizing committee, purchased land and obtained the necessary permissions. As a result, in 1883-1884 they erected a utility building, whose shape did not resemble a church, and only the scale distinguished it from its surroundings. It served as a church, a school and a convent for nuns, who were the teachers and took care of the parish. The priests lived in rented rooms until the presbytery was erected.

Building a church did not always mean an end to problems. In this case, a conflict arose in the parish. Today it is difficult to assess the arguments of all the parties involved in it. The parish had separated from St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, was founded by Father Barzyński and was initially run by the Resurrectionists. That is why they claimed their right to it. However, the shortage of staff did not allow the bishop to appoint a parish priest directly associated with the Resurrectionist Congregation. Predictably, the person chosen was Fr. Kandyd Kozłowski, who was favorably disposed to the Congregation. He had already been working in the USA and was popular with the faithful. Kozłowski gained a strong position in the parish and was respected and well liked, although it seems that the Chicago curia did not hold him in great esteem. Besides, he did not have very good relations with the Resurrectionists, who still believed that the parish was subordinate to the Congregation, and that the current state of affairs was of a temporary nature. The more independent Kozłowski became, the more tension there was. Eventually, however, he lost and was removed from the parish. He was sent to Lemont, and Fr. Martynian Możejewski was appointed to his post. However, the events had spoiled the atmosphere in the parish. Eventually, Fr. Francis X. Lange became the parish priest. He was not a favorite with the Resurrectionists, but he managed to end the conflict in the parish and proceed with its further development. This greatly strengthened his position and the parish grew in importance. They started a new church, but during its construction it suffered structural damage during a massive storm or, according to other sources, a tornado, in 1889. In any case, the parish of nearly 10,000 faithful had to wait as long as until 1902 to open a new church. This time the building was made very solid and stable. The roof structure was made entirely of steel and covered with tiles, and the window frames were made of metal. Fireproofing the building increased the weight of the roof. It was an innovative solution in the United States, so probably the builders did not wish to take risks and experiment with the statics of the building, the framework of which was also made of steel. Therefore, it was decided to use thick walls and internal buttresses ensuring the appropriate distribution of forces and the stability of the structure. Another innovative solution was constructing a wide tunnel under the floor along the foundations, not intended as a secret passage, but to provide ventilation and to house the pipes. The designer was William J. Brinkman.

The form of the church refers to Romanesque Revival architecture, especially the style called Rundbogenstil, which was created in Germany and started to be popular in the USA in the mid 19th century. It combined Romanesque, Byzantine and Renaissance motifs. Its characteristic feature was the intense use of blind arcades and rounded arches, often in the form of friezes and semi-circularly terminated openings. At the beginning of the 20th century elements of this style were still widely used in the USA, especially the blind arcade ornament.

The vault of the church seems to be immersed in gold – the eye is attracted by the intricate grotesque in the chancel winding round the symbols of the Seven Sacraments or the decoration of the coffering in the barrel vault of the main nave. Attention is also drawn to the painted scenes of the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb on the chancel wall. Painted stained-glass windows are very colorful; as is the case of many other churches, they are maintained in the Bavarian style. They were ordered from the Munich-based F. X. Zettler company and installed in 1921. Besides, the contemporary ciborium attracts attention, as well as the greenish stucco wall and pillar coating. Generally, the interior is quite typical, built up over decades, which adversely affects its coherence.

Wall paintings and oil paintings were made by John A. Mallin (1884-1973), an artist of Czech origin, and his company. We do not know the exact date when the works were created, but we know that the original appearance of the painting decoration differed from the contemporary one, but also from the one we know from the photographs taken in the 1940s or 1950s. As to the latter, the most important difference is visible in the semi-dome of the apse, where the figures of three angels were added, and, among other things, the ornaments were shaped in a different way. Besides, some fragments were recomposed in the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb on the chancel arch, though the general character of the painting was preserved. It is known that the artist worked in the church again twice in the 1940s. Probably that was when the decoration was changed. Subsequent renovations took place in the 1950s, conducted by Hanns Teichert’s company. Probably at that time or later the paintings in the lower parts were painted over, and the main altar and side altars were removed and replaced with statues of saints.

Chronology

1882 - starting the efforts to establish a Polish parish

1883 - laying the cornerstone for the church and school building

1884 - establishment of the parish of St. Josaphat and establishment of the St. Josaphat school

1885 - construction of the presbytery

1888 - starting the construction of a new church

1889 - structural damage to the building under construction, halting the work

1899 - resuming the construction of the church

1902 - completing the church

1913 - construction of a new school building

1917 - construction of a new presbytery

1921 - installation of stained-glass windows

1932 - establishing a secondary school at the parish

1957 - 7 restoration of the church, construction of new altars and baptistery

1963 - construction of new school and rooms for nuns

1966 - demolition of the oldest parish buildings

1983 - interior renovation

Text originally published in a book issued by the POLONIKA Institute.
Katarzyna Chrudzimska-Uhera, Anna Sylwia Czyż, Jacek Gołębiowski, Bartłomiej Gutowski, Polish parishes and churches in Chicago, Warszawa 2019, pp. 93-100.