Pope Leo XIV Proclaims a Special Jubilee Year for the 800th Anniversary of the Death and Transit of St. Francis of Assisi! ​

​You can find out about upcoming Jubilee events throughout the Archdiocese, by clicking here.
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This decree grants the possibility of obtaining a plenary indulgence for those who visit any Franciscan Conventual church or place of worship dedicated to St. Francis. This includes our three parish churches! 

The plenary indulgence is granted under the usual conditions:

1. Sacramental confession
2. Eucharistic communion
3. Prayer according to the intentions of the Holy Father, with a heart detached from sin (that is, deep down truly desiring to let go of all sins)

Want to learn more about indulgences? Click here to read a wonderful article from Vatican News.

We are thrilled to announce a new partnership with Costco Wholesale, which is already providing additional high-quality food for our neighbors. Every Friday, Costco will provide the pantry with a variety of staples, including bakery items, produce, and other shelf-stable options. Food Pantry Director Br. Ayub Mwenda, OFM Conv. is always looking for ways to provide more nutritious options for our neighbors in need. Thank you to Costco and to our volunteers who help make weekly distribution possible!


Our Food Pantry & Soup Kitchen are in need of volunteers - sign up to help at our new web portal!

Interested in financially supporting our operations?
​Visit our GiveCentral page or contact the main office.

Thank you!

Tastes of Summer wouldn't be complete without our excellent entertainers!

  - Fan favorites DJ Orlando and the Muzik Engine Band will provide the vibes

 - Come see St. Jerome's Danza Guadalupana group perform in honor of Our Blessed Mother

The Mary, Mother of God Parish offices will be closed from July 3 - 5 in observance of Independence Day. We will celebrate our usual Mass schedule this weekend, though there will be no first Sunday socials at Saint Ita. See the Mass times page for details.
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Las oficinas de la Parroquia María, Madre de Dios permanecerán cerradas del 3 al 5 de julio en observancia del Día de la Independencia. Celebraremos nuestro horario habitual de Misas este fin de semana, aunque no habrá sociales del primer domingo en Saint Ita. Consulte la página de horarios de Misas para más detalles.

Mary, Mother of God Parish began its Independence Day celebrations early with a special patriotic performance by International Chamber Artists. This "Semiquincentennial Celebration of Sound" at St. Gregory the Great featured all-American favorites and original compositions from the group. Guests were treated to "An American in Paris" & the full "Appalachian Spring" ballet, complete with its original
orchestration of 13 musicians. 

​Watch the full performance of "An American in Paris" & highlights from "Appalachian Spring" below!

Mary, Mother of God Parish wrapped up June with our annual Knights of Columbus summer pancake breakfast. Members of St. Frances Cabrini Council #16733 arrived at Saint Ita early in the morning to cook up pancakes, eggs, and sausage. Parishioners filed into Jubilee Hall following the 8:30 AM & 10:30 AM Masses to visit and enjoy the delicious food. Thank you to our Knights for organizing!

Interested in joining the Knights of Columbus? Email the parish office or call 773-561-5343.

If you've visited any of the Mary, Mother of God Parish web pages, you've likely seen some of the beautiful art created by Sarah Crow, artist-in-residence at St. Gregory's Hall, or Damian Chlanda, our ultra-talented parish photo volunteer. For more than two years, the pair has brought Catholic artists together through their Chicago Catholic Artists group, which recently held its first member exhibition. The project & exhibition were recently featured in the Chicago Catholic newspaper. Click here to read the article!

St. Gregory's Hall artist-in-residence Sarah Crow packed 300 years of history into Saturday's church tours of Mary, Mother of God Parish. Curious neighbors joined parishioners to learn about the histories and Marian imagery of St. Gregory the Great, Saint Ita, and St. Thomas of Canterbury churches. The three structures were all built within 11 years, starting in 1916, yet have striking differences in their designs and the beautiful artwork found inside. The event was organized in coordination with Catholic Church Tours. Don't miss the next one! 

The tours began at St. Gregory the Great, which was completed in 1924. At the time, this part of Edgewater was home to many people from Luxembourg. The community paid homage to Medieval Europe with this church, built in the Norman Gothic style. This references French influence on English architecture following the Norman Conquest of England. Inside, the church features magnificent woodwork and stained glass windows. The tour focused on the shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, whose image is surrounded by paintings of Marian apparitions from around the world, as well as the pieta and Marian side altar.

*St. Gregory the Great photos courtesy Joanna Stramel.

 Next, the group headed to Saint Ita, which was built in 1927. The legendary  George Cardinal Mundelein specifically requested the church be built in the French Gothic design. Architect Henry J. Schlacks was tapped for the job, making Saint Ita the last of his 12 great churches built in Chicagoland. Builders hauled tons of limestone from Southern Indiana. Saint Ita's crown jewel is its incredible stained glass windows, which tell the story of Jesus, His Mother, His Church, and its saints through 200,000 individual pieces of glass. The group spent time identifying the various titles of Mary depicted in one of the stained-glass windows, all of which can be found in the Litany of Loreto.

The tour ended at St. Thomas of Canterbury, one of the most architecturally unique churches in all of the Archdiocese of Chicago. St. Thomas of Canterbury was completed in 1916, with its red brick facade and iconic columns. The design has been described many ways - American Neoclassical, Georgian, Colonial Revival - yet the goal was clear: to show early 1900s Chicago that Catholics were just as American as everyone else. Inside, the church is a testament to the country's diversity, with shrines to martyrs from around the world. This is especially apparent in the many depictions of the Virgin Mary, from Our Lady of Fatima to the Madonna of the Baobab.

On Thursday, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will consecrate our country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Devotion to the Sacred Heart was popularized by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who received apparitions of the Lord Jesus from 1673 to 1675. The image symbolizes God's endless mercy for each one of us; U.S. bishops said they chose the Sacred Heart in part because of its message of Christ’s love and suffering in a time of division.

You can livestream the consecration Mass this Thursday at 3 PM on the USCCB YouTube page: youtube.com/@UsccbOrg/streams
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Este jueves, la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos consagrará nuestro país al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús en honor al 250 aniversario de la firma de la Declaración de Independencia. La devoción al Sagrado Corazón fue popularizada por Santa Margarita María Alacoque, quien recibió apariciones del Señor Jesús entre 1673 y 1675. La imagen simboliza la misericordia infinita de Dios para cada uno de nosotros. Los obispos estadounidenses indicaron que eligieron el Sagrado Corazón, en parte, por su mensaje del amor y el sufrimiento de Cristo en un tiempo de división.

Puedes ver la Misa de consagración en vivo este jueves a las 3 PM en la página de YouTube de la USCCB: youtube.com/@UsccbOrg/streams