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On April 30, students from Loyola University unveiled their digital history exhibit which explores the legacies of the three parishes – St. Thomas of Canterbury (1916), St. Gregory the Great (1904), and Saint Ita (1900) – which make up our new parish. The students and their professors joined parishioners in Jubilee Hall for the presentation. Students shared highlights from their research which included archival documents, interviews with long-time parishioners, and visits to each of our churches. Attendees also had an opportunity to ask questions and share their own stories. We are very grateful to the students for the time they spent documenting our community’s history and how thoughtfully they treated the project. Soon their final digital exhibit will be ready to share so you can see their work for yourselves! Event Photos*Photos courtesy of volunteer Dina Kwit
Mary, Mother of God Parish is excited to unveil the Vincentian Open Arms Program, a transformative initiative crafted in collaboration with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Canterbury House. This innovative program is designed to weave together the strengths of our parish community with the vibrant energies of our newest neighbors. The collaboration aims to enhance the dignity and independence of all involved through skill development and employment opportunities.  Support for Migrants & Families Since the onset of the migrant crisis, our parish has been a beacon of hope and support, providing essential items from winter coats to boots, and even basic necessities for those in shelters and police stations. Now, as many of our new neighbors have transitioned to more stable living situations, our focus has shifted toward providing tools for sustainable independence. Through the Vincentian Open Arms Program, we strive to maintain the dignity of every individual by offering pathways to employment and self-sufficiency, in keeping with the core tenets of Catholic Social Teaching. Free Home Health Aide Training In response to the ongoing needs of our community and the growing demand for home healthcare professionals, the Open Arms program proudly offers free training for home health aides. Training is not only directed at those seeking new employment opportunities but is also available for family members caring for a loved one in need of assistance with daily living tasks. This comprehensive program provides essential skills that empower individuals to deliver compassionate care and support within our community. Tailoring Skills & Clothing Repurposing Initiative In alignment with our mission to empower our community and provide practical skills for independence, the Vincentian Open Arms Program is thrilled to introduce a new sewing and clothing alteration workshop. As part of this initiative, participants will learn essential tailoring skills, including how to cut patterns and sew, which are invaluable in altering and repurposing clothes. The program receives donations of clothing of all sizes. In many cases these donations can serve a greater need with additional tailoring. Through this workshop, participants will master the art of modifying these clothes to better fit, enhancing both the usability of donated items and the dignity of the wearer. This skill set not only aids in personal wardrobe enhancement but also opens up opportunities for self-employment in tailoring and fashion design. The ability to alter and repurpose clothes is particularly significant as it helps address the immediate needs of our community while fostering creativity and self-reliance. By transforming donated clothing into beautifully fitted garments, participants can help ensure that everyone in our community can dress with confidence and pride. ESL Classes & Volunteer Opportunities In addition to health aide training, the program enthusiastically seeks volunteers for its ESL (English as a Second Language) classes. These classes are crucial for helping our neighbors integrate more fully into their new community, enhancing language skills and navigation of local customs. Volunteers play a vital role in addressing various learning styles, ensuring that everyone can benefit from these educational offerings. A Call to Action: Join Us in |
| Our parish has a rich treasury of over 50 relics. The collection speaks to the history of our three churches, our stewardship under the Conventual Franciscans, and our new identity as Mary, Mother of God Parish. These relics are on display across our parish and can be easily viewed in person or you can explore them in more detail in the new digital gallery below! (Click "Read More") Following the main gallery, photographs are further grouped into Franciscan Saints, Saints of Mercy, and Parish Church Patrons (click "read more"). Click on the photograph to expand it. You can read more about the Church's tradition of venerating relics here! |  |
Our parish has a rich treasury of over 50 relics. The collection speaks to the history of our three churches, our stewardship under the Conventual Franciscans, and our new identity as Mary, Mother of God Parish.
Read more about the Church's tradition of venerating relics below and/or explore the full photograph collection here.
Read more about the Church's tradition of venerating relics below and/or explore the full photograph collection here.
| Why do Catholics honor relics? When we venerate (honor) relics, we are truly venerating holiness – the rising of the soul toward godliness. As Catholics, we recognize the relationship between the physical and spiritual reality of our world. This is born out of our awareness that Jesus Christ was both Divine and human. The relics of saints give witness to holiness that was embodied in the flesh. Saints show us how to live through the physical world while rising above it. They give us hope that even in our lives full of the temptations, we are called to be saints as well. |  |
Where does this tradition come from?
 | The veneration of relics has its origins in the Hebrews’ ancient practice. In 2 Kings we read the account of a corpse being thrown “into the grave of Elisha.” Upon contact with the prophet Elisha’s remains, the corpse was resuscitated to life (2 Kings 13: 21). Holy objects – including Aaron’s staff, the Ten Commandments, and manna from the desert – were greatly revered and preserved in the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25: 10). This tradition is further rooted in the New Testament. For example, a woman was healed by touching the hem of Our Lord’s cloak (Matthew 9: 21) as well as many others who were sick (Mark 6: 56). In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that many were healed by merely touching St. Peter’s shadow (Acts 5: 15) and that handkerchiefs and aprons touched to St. Paul wrought healing miracles (Acts. 19: 12). |
What are the three kinds of relics?
| All relics must be held in high esteem, protected, and kept from desecration and harm.
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As part of its outreach mission, Canterbury House hosts a weekly Bible Study on Tuesday evenings at 7 PM. They intentionally meet after the Soup Kitchen finishes serving next door to allow those guests to join the group too. About 10-15 people consistent come together for prayer, fellowship, and active discussion.
Walker Nelson, a senior at DePaul University, is a regular member of Bible Study who also volunteers during the Hospitality Hours at Canterbury House for neighbors experiencing homelessness. Walker offered this reflection on his time in the group and how it has affected the way he sees God's love in the world...
Walker Nelson, a senior at DePaul University, is a regular member of Bible Study who also volunteers during the Hospitality Hours at Canterbury House for neighbors experiencing homelessness. Walker offered this reflection on his time in the group and how it has affected the way he sees God's love in the world...
Walker Nelson
"I began attending Bible Study in the beginning of December 2023. It serves as the perfect medium for anyone who is looking to enhance their faith. At Canterbury House, we review and talk about the readings for the upcoming Sunday’s Mass. This gives each of us attendees a way to familiarize ourselves with and to contemplate the word of God outside of the Church setting and prepare ourselves for Mass each Sunday.
We talk about our favorite passages, what may have resonated with us, how we can translate those passages into our daily lives, and the ways in which we are struggling or succeeding in doing so. This dialogue around Scripture brings us closer as a community. Through the Word we can see our interconnectedness and through sharing our experiences we can acknowledge our own flaws in the mutual pursuit of growth.
Additionally, the fact that most of the attendees are experiencing homelessness and precarity enhances all of our understanding of God’s love and our mission as Catholics to love as Jesus did – as widely and often as possible. In his encyclical Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that “Seeing with the eyes of Christ, I can give to others much more than their outward necessities; I can give them the look of love which they crave.” And further that, “Only if I serve my neighbor can my eyes be opened to what God does for me and how much he loves me.”
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In a society that is becoming increasingly individualistic and meritocratic and subsequently increasingly ignorant of the dejected, poor, and lonely, coming together to study scripture becomes increasingly important. In reading Scripture and developing our understanding of God's love for us, our capacity to reciprocate that love grows, and we can then live more like how Jesus lived. By very literally giving everyone a seat at the table, we can give those who are dejected, lonely, and poor ‘the look of love which they crave,’ the same way that Jesus did.
In that way, the Canterbury House Bible Study not only gives attendees more than just a better understanding of Scripture, but also is an avenue to carry out love for their neighbor in a society where it is difficult to do so.
My favorite memory from Bible Study is from one of our meetings during mid-January. It was brutally cold outside – about -8 degrees, but considering wind chill it felt like about -20. I was dispirited by the short walk I had to make from my apartment to St. Thomas of Canterbury church and frankly debated skipping Bible Study altogether in aversion of the cold. When I got there, I was taken aback by the warm attitudes everyone was displaying. There was a supreme sense of appreciation in the room. Despite a brutally cold day, everyone found solace in our hour and a half together spent inside as a community. I remember looking around the table and seeing such beauty in the gratitude everyone placed in each other’s company, in being inside just for a short time, and in having an escape from the cold outside world.
I felt so thankful not only that I was able to be a part of the Bible Study and the mutual pursuit of knowledge, but also of everything I take for granted: my apartment, my job, my able body, etc. That cold day in January helped open my eyes to the importance of community, and how something as small as an hour and a half together each week can make a big difference in someone's life, especially people who have less than myself.
After five months, I can attest to the power of this Bible Study. I believe that my ability to see all people as Jesus did, as beings of incomprehensible beauty and worthiness of love, has been enhanced significantly by attending. When I take the “L” to work or school and I see people that society has cast out, I feel a personal obligation to love them as Jesus did. Since I too, with all my flaws and wrongdoings, am loved by God. Without the Bible Study I can’t say whether or not I would have developed this way of seeing and understanding God’s love for myself and my obligation to reciprocate that love."
We've created a digital photo album for Holy Week. New photographs will be uploaded each day so you can follow along with the celebrations! Click "Read More" to see all of the photographs.
If you have any photographs you would like to add, please email them to our parish's Communications Coordinator Stephanie Held.
If you have any photographs you would like to add, please email them to our parish's Communications Coordinator Stephanie Held.
"May the glory and the promise of this joyous time of year bring peace and happiness to you and those you hold most dear. May Christ, Our Risen Savior, always be there by your side to bless you most abundantly and be your loving guide. Amen"
Introducing the superstar volunteers from the Mary, Mother of God Parish photography team! Damian, Matt, Wes, and Dina – you may have noticed them with their name tags and cameras – have been generously sharing their time and photography talents with our community. They have photographed parish devotions and events as well as our relic collection and all three of the churches.
Click "Read More" to get to know them and find out what kind of photography they specialize in. You can also see examples of their work at the parish.
Click "Read More" to get to know them and find out what kind of photography they specialize in. You can also see examples of their work at the parish.
 Damian Chlada  Wes Kinard |  Matt Dula  Dina Kwit |
*If you would like to volunteer with the photography team, please email the parish's Communications Coordinator Stephanie Held at [email protected]. You do not have to have professional experience to volunteer. All you need is enthusiasm!