St. Joseph parish was the first Polish community established in the workers’ districts around the Union Stockyards, where the world’s largest meat industry plants operated in the 1920s. When Town of Lake was incorporated into Chicago in 1889, its name was changed to Back of the Yards. Initially the town was inhabited by the Irish and Germans, and later also by Czechs, Lithuanians, Slovaks and Poles.

In March 1886 Polish immigrants created Towarzystwo Bratniej Pomocy pod wezwaniem św. Józefa (the St. Joseph Society of Fraternal Help), headed by Ignacy Chałkowski from Greater Poland. Its members turned to Father Jan Radziejowski, the parish priest of St. Adalbert’s church, to help them to establish a new parish. In the same year a plot of land was purchased, on which the building contractor Karol Ziółkowski built a wooden church, partially at his own expense. The church was dedicated on December 19, 1886. A year later, an upper story was added to the existing building, with the ground floor used as a school run by the Felician Sisters, and the first floor used as a church. The works were managed by Tomasz Urbaniak and completed in July 1887.

Until 1889 the temple was a missionary outpost of the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Bridgeport, which was under the care of Fr. Jan Żyłła. At that time there were 90 Polish families living in St. Joseph’s parish, mainly from Podhale and Lesser Poland. The first parish priest appointed by the diocese authorities was Father Stanislaw Nawrocki, who in 1890 built a small wooden presbytery.

Two years later, a new presbytery was built and preparatory works started for constructing a multifunctional, monumental building with the church on the lowest level. Despite various obstacles the lower part was completed in 1895. In 1903 the popular architect Henry J. Schlacks added another two stories, where a school for more than 700 pupils was organized. However, the space was still too small for the dynamically growing community.

Therefore, in 1913 the parish priest Father Stanislaus Cholewiński started a new investment project. The cornerstone for the church was consecrated on 10 August by Bishop Paweł Rhode, who had lived in Chicago since boyhood and became the first Pole among the Roman Catholic hierarchy in the USA. The church for 1200 seats was dedicated by Archbishop James E. Quigley on September 28, 1914.

St. Joseph’s parish was a strong patriotic center, especially during World War I, when 600 men living within its borders volunteered for service. Funds were raised for Haller’s Army and the parish donated the banner for the Polish army formed in the USA. In 1934 General Haller visited the community, taking part in the fundraising for the war veterans’ fund. The Association of Polish Army Veterans Group 2 was also active at the parish.

In 1994 the church was taken over by the Franciscans, and in 2008 by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1997 the church became the diocesan sanctuary of St. Joseph. These events coincided with the renovation works which were carried out in 1996-2000. Ministry in Polish is still conducted, and one Mass is celebrated in Polish on Sundays and holidays.

The literature states that the Romanesque Revival building was designed by Joseph Molitor, an architect of Czech origin. However, given that it is very similar to the Chicago St. Boniface church designed by Henry J. Schlacks, who erected the multifunctional building of St. Joseph’s parish, it cannot be ruled out that he also designed the church, and Molitor was only the contractor.

The dominant feature of the church, as well as the landscape of Chicago’s Back of the Yards, are the tall massive towers, which originally were one openwork story higher. The admirable stone masonry with details referring to Italian and French Romanesque style is contrasted with dark red brickwork. The three-nave basilica with a pseudotransept, divided with massive stucco and gold-plated columns, is terminated with three apses. The largest of them houses the chancel.

The founders of the church perfectly complemented the archaized architectural program with altars which are carved in wood and decorated with colorful Romanesque mosaic. This may confirm Henry J. Schlacks’ participation in the project, as he was also a designer of sacral interiors taking great care to ensure the coherence of the ideological and aesthetic message of the architecture and furnishings, which he strengthened by undertaking a study tour of Europe. The altars contain typical statues made of polychrome mass, manufactured by the Daprato Statuary Company.

The multi-colored stained-glass windows show scenes from the life of Christ, as well as the figures of saints, including the patron saints of Poland. The interior is illuminated by antique lamps and chandeliers. In 1925 cabinet-like confessionals were installed to match the existing furnishings of the temple.

The decoration of the church was completed in 1950- 1951 by John A. Mallin. In the chancel and in the main nave, on a background imitating a mosaic made of golden tesserae, he painted figures of angels in the clouds. Some of them hold the arma Christi, understood here as signs of victory, while others play music reminiscent of the heavenly liturgy, the reflection of which is the one celebrated on earth. In the chancel, emphasizing the importance of this place, the painter introduced floral ornamentation and the figures of the Evangelists. In the main body of the church he painted Christ in the Garden and Christ as the Good Shepherd and King, the Assumption and Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of the Rosary with St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena, Our Lady of Scapular with the Carmelite St. Simon Stock and probably the Norbertine St. Bronisława, a patroness of Poland.

Chronology

1886 - construction of the first wooden church of St. Joseph

1887 - erection of the parish of St. Joseph opening of the parish school

1890 - construction of the first wooden presbytery

1892 - commencement of work on the multifunctional building

1905 - construction of a new presbytery and conversion of the old one into a convent for the sisters

1913 - consecration of the cornerstone for the new church

1914 - dedication of the church

1925 - construction of a new convent for 30 Felician Sisters working in the school

1950-1951 - John A. Mallin’s painting works to decorate the church

1996-2000 - renovation works in the church

1997 - St. Joseph’s sanctuary church

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. 105-112.