Our Lady Of Angels Church Renovated, Re-Dedicated

By Chuck Sudo in News on Apr 16, 2012 6:20PM

A congregation of nearly 400 worshippers flocked to Our Lady of Angels Church Saturday to witness Cardinal Francis George rededicating the Humboldt Park church after a lengthy renovation.

Our Lady of Angels was once one of the largest Catholic parishes in Chicago before the December 1958 fire at its adjoining school—one of the greatest tragedies in Chicago history—led to a decline in attendance to the point where the Archdiocese of Chicago leased it to another Christian church for 20 years..

Cardinal George laid the blame for the church's decline squarely on the fire, which claimed the lives of 92 students and three nuns. Our Lady of Angels merged with St. Francis of Assisi parish in 1991. George said he hoped the renovated church would serve as a beacon of peace of peace for West Humboldt Park, a neighborhood rampant with crime and violence.

Pastor Bob Lombardo, who spearheaded the rehab efforts, said the cost to renovate Our Lady of Angels—originally estimated at $2 million— was next to nothing, thanks to donated materials and labor.