CHURCHES
Little Italy/University Village is home to some of the most beautiful and historic
churches in the city of Chicago. Like all other aspects of our community, the
churches reflect the rich diversity we cherish.
Notre Dame de Chicago - 1334 West Flournoy Street. Notre Dame was founded
in 1864 and built in 1887 for the French-speaking community of the area.
Today this National Historic Trust site still serves the diversity of the parish
community through it regular services and pastoral, spiritual and social programs. Parishioners worship in a beautifully restored circular interior with stunning
stained glass windows.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii - 1224 West Lexington Street. This is
the oldest continuing Italian-American Church in Chicago and still welcomes
Italians from throughout Chicago and its suburbs and frequently hosts
Italian dignitaries. The original parish was founded in 1907. Today it is an
Archdiocesan Shrine offering Mass celebrations, Rosary devotions, pilgrimages
and social spiritual services. It is known for its interior art, stained glass windows,
Rose window and its ornate bronze doors, created in Italy, depicting the Mysteries
of the Rosary.
Holy Family Church - 1080 West Roosevelt Road. Holy Family was built in
1857 by Jesuit priest Reverend Arnold Damen to serve English and Irish
immigrants. This "Church on the prairie" survived the Chicago fire and
still offers full parish services to a culturally diverse population. Its beautiful
cathedral-sized interior houses a hand-carved walnut altar and a magnificent
pipe organ.
St. Francis of Assisi - 813 West Roosevelt Road. This parish church offers a full
range of parish services to its largely Hispanic population. Built over 150 years
ago, in 1853, this church is located on Roosevelt Road.
First Immanuel Lutheran Church - 1124 South Ashland Avenue. First Immaueul was
founded in 1854 to serve the area's German immigrants. The current
Victorian-Gothic-style structure was built in 1888 and still serves a diverse
population from the metropolitan area.
St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church - 733 South Ashland Avenue. Built in 1910,
originally as a synagogue for the West Side Orthodox Jewry, in 1927 it was
purchased by a division of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox community and
has been active ever since as a Greek Orthodox church. Congregants come from throughout the Chicagoland area.
The Church of the Epiphany Episcopal - 201 South Ashland Avenue. Epiphany was founded in 1868, with the current Romanesque structure rising in 1885 to
serve the affluent neighbors of its day. Today this Episcopal church offers
regular services and various social, spiritual and educational programs.
Its architectural highlights include Venetian glass mosaics, cherry wood,
Tiffany glass, organ and fanfare trumpets, many of which have been recently
restored to their former glory.
The First Baptist Congregational Church - 60 North Ashland Avenue. This church was founded in 1851 and is an active, thriving Christian community with several
choirs, an orchestra, missionary and education programs. Every president of
the USA from Abraham Lincoln to John Kennedy is reported to have stood
behind the pulpit in this Victorian structure built in 1869.
The Newman Center at UIC - 700 South Morgan Street. As an active
Roman Catholic presence on its campus, The John Paul II Newman Center serves
the needs of UIC students and is open to all residents of the community. The
Newman Center has daily Mass, spiritual, social and educational programs.
The Levine Hillel Center at UIC - 924 South Morgan Street. The Hillel Center is
a part of the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. It provides religious services, community service, social and learning programs for students but also
welcomes the participation of neighbors at High Holiday services and cultural
and educational programs.
