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St. Raphael the Archangel Parish in northern Lake County is building a new church using major sections of two closed Chicago churches. This report was part of Sanctuary, a TV news magazine program that aired on ABC-7, Chicago, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010.St. Raphael the Archangel Parish in northern Lake County is building a new church using major sections of two closed Chicago churches. This report was part of Sanctuary, a TV news magazine program that aired on ABC-7, Chicago, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010.
Old stones of St. John’s find new glory. By: Sandy Dickson
The peaceful and spacious country setting of Old Mill Creek on Route 45 near Kelly Road ( a mile and a half south of Rte. 173) will be the new site for some old stone, revamped in the form of St. Raphael the Archangel Parish, which has been temporarily located at 2101 E. Rte. 173 in Antioch.
This was a special evening, when at about 6 p.m. crowds gathered to celebrate the new project. Many were former congregants of the churches that were disassembled for parts to be utilized at the new church, so it was a bit of nostalgia for them, as well as reuniting with familiar faces from their past.
Much of the new church will be taken from the Chicago Renaissance-style St. John of God church at 52nd and Throop, (between Loomis and Racine) in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, opened in 1918 to serve Polish families in the area. The old building had fallen into disrepair and with enough time, it would have collapsed, so now, instead, the contents are finding a new home.
The facade and the covered walk will come from St. John’s. The formal entrance and the cut round stone at the rear, will be carefully removed, shipped to the new location to be reassembled as it had been in its former home. This is a feat never been done in church construction. The process of disassembling should be finished by December 1.
While much of the reconstructed version will be new in between the front and back of the church, the very idea of that which once stood as that neighborhood’s grandiose churches, gives its former neighbors and attendees an exhilarating feeling and brought many of them out to witness the event of September 29 on the site.
The interior of the church is coming from another closed Chicago church: St. Peter Canisius: the marble, altar, pews, doors, art and organ cabinet. The stained glass will be taken from several other churches, and is valued at around half a million. The church is estimated to cost between $8 and $9 million, once completed.
“Our towers will stand 137 feet high with the three bells the steeples each contained, the largest bell of which is 4200 pounds. It’s a total of about 9,000 pounds of bells. The organ, built in 1915, will be from the old Chicago Medinah Temple. This old Austin Opus 558 is the third largest organ in the United States, though it may take six years to install all its pipes. When the Medina Temple was sold and became Bloomingdales, the city preservationists kept it and we were able to get it from them. The organ was in storage for eight years. It’s a fantastic instrument,” said St. Raphael’s Business Manager, Richard Gambla, “It’s going to be quite an edifice and will probably be a real landmark in Lake County.”
“In combining both, we’re getting great art work and structure at costs that we could never afford or duplicate today. We’re talking about the completion being the first Sunday of Advent in 2011, around the end of November. It will have a 900 seating capacity with a choir loft for about 75, the later of which depends on how much room the organ takes up,” Gambla describes.
“The massive cornerstone was taken from John of God and the cornerstone of this new church was fashioned out of that block to be placed as the cornerstone of the new church, so we’re putting ours on top of the footprint of St. John of God. We’re going to try to respect all the traditions,” said Gambla.
Behind the cornerstone of the old church, was a copper-cased time capsule that had been sealed in 1918, but when it was opened prior to this event, the material, disappointingly, was found to have disintegrated because the case wasn’t sealed properly. Among the ingredients within it was a vile of holy water, which is suspected to have been filled to the top, and with the temperature changes, the water had no room to expand, except to break and soak everything in the capsule. A newspaper could be detected as one of the items, but along with a packet of something unidentifiable, it had disintegrated too much to recognize or read.
Master of Ceremonies was Bishop George Rassas, and Cardinal Francis George presided and inserted the time capsule into the foundation and also addressed and blessed the crowd. Several Priests and Knights of Columbus members from surrounding parisheswere also in attendance.
Cardinal Francis George placed the time capsule behind the new cornerstone, which contains an official statement which was read to the attendees that the Cardinal and several others signed. In addition, photographs of the current temporary barn church of St. Raphael the Archangel, a copy of the parish picture book and directory of 2009, the front page of the Chicago Tribune of Sept. 29, 2010 and the parish web site of the same date, rosaries made by one of the parishioners as well as some from St. John of God with some paper from there, a 2010 $1.00 bill, two $1.00 coins; one of Sacagawea, and one of Susan B. Anthony.
The closing ceremony included these words: “May it be a place of sacramental celebration and a source of grace to the glory of the Father, Who, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns forever and ever.”
A good contingent of those who had been members of Chicago’s St. John of God and St. Peter Canisius were present and enthusiastic, as they recall it fondly from their childhood. Now adults, many have moved north toward Wisconsin where this church will be much more accessible. They are excited about having a more traditional Catholic church than what the newer, more modern buildings have become. They say they can’t wait to see this finished for a combination of a touch of nostalgia and newness rolled into one wonderful edifice that feels like a real Catholic church and especially their old church again!
For more information about St. Raphael the Archangel Parish call (847) 395-3474 or email: rectory@straphaelcatholic.org
Photos Taken August 11th, 2011
Click each image to enlarge.
Photos Courtesy of Ronald Chamerlik
Photos Taken April 20th, 2011
Click each image to enlarge.
Photos Courtesy of Ronald Chamerlik
Click each image to enlarge.
Front of St. John of God
Eastern Steeple
South-West Corner from Throop St.
Stone Facade Ready To Be Sent To St. Raphael
Interior Photos Courtesy of Bonnie Wydra - Class of '73