St. John Cantius Chicago, IL - Waking The Church

In 2016, St. John Cantius located in the Goose Island neighborhood of Chicago, IL was selected as America's Most Beautiful Church. This is one of the "Polish Cathedral" churches in Chicago. Its 195 foot tower is visible from the Kennedy Expressway. In one of the exterior shots, you can spot the John Hancock building in the distance.
Inside is a replica of the Veit Stoss Altar of St. Mary's Basilica in Krakow Poland. As told to me by a parish usher, Polish visitors have wept at the sight of the altar being so moved due to not having seen it since they were last in Krakow as children or young adults.
This church is stunning and offers several different types of mass connecting emotions and spirituality.
St. John Cantius is the location used for the church scenes in the John Hughes film "Only The Lonely" with Maureen O'Hara and John Candy.
For more information on St. John Cantius, visit their official website at www.cantius.org/
#catholic
#catholicchurch
#chicagochurches
Want to connect with me in other ways?
Instagram: / susancatherine.sc
Twitter: / sctheexplorer
Email: [e-mail]
Nearly everything I do and posted here on KZbin is intended to keep me connected to life, to God. I need it. It's too easy to fall wayward, on my own path. If you're going to ask God for help, do things that keep you relaxed, that keep your mind open to hearing His response, His message. I'm sharing places, moments and spaces that keep this Catholic explorer, resort junkie and Disney aficionado connected with God.
Waking The Church series includes moments of spaces within a Catholic Church upon opening for the day. The ambient sound is intentional, to potentiate the cinemagraph.

[@carmenpereira5881]

From Canada : Since the lockdown, I have been listening to their mass always: sometimes on weekdays and always on Sundays. The church is not only beautiful but the priests are so full of reverence. All homilies are very inspiring and touch the soul.

[@SusanCatherine]

Hasn't worldwide streamed mass been one of the best things to come out of the lockdown? Daily mass is such a comfort to the soul as well.

[@garyhall7377]

The current Superior General & Pastor is from Saskatchewan! The most amazing thing is that he's a Convert

[@SusanCatherine]

@@garyhall7377 How interesting! Thank you for sharing.

[@AaronSmith-xx5zb]

@@garyhall7377 The pastor of this church is Father Joshua Caswell. He is also the Superior General of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius. The pastors older brother, Father Nathan Caswell, is also a priest and is the pastor of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius' parish in Volo, IL, St. Peters. This parish is smaller but equally as beautiful and reverent. I invite everyone to go visit us in Volo! Both parishes offer the Mass in the extraordinary as well as the ordinary form. The order also has a church they run in Springfield, IL.

[@garyhall7377]

@@AaronSmith-xx5zb Yes, Fr Joshua was elected Superior about 2 years ago. I attended his Ordination Mass several years ago @ St John Cantius Church. He's, originally, from a Town in Saskatchewan, Canada

[@isaiahborg9446]

I just visited it there the other day for a Crusaders for Life meeting. The church was so beautiful. It was my first time ever there

[@SusanCatherine]

There are so many inspiring spots inside!

[@anthonygwara4434]

Beautiful church...wish my local church would be that beautiful ... ❤️❤️❤️ from Kenya

[@SusanCatherine]

I hope you get to see it in person some day.

[@anthonygwara4434]

@@SusanCatherine amen I surely hope so

[@stevegryka4964]

The best! Praise God.....Steve, Chicago. Ave Maria

[@grontek]

Thank You.

[@SusanCatherine]

Thank you for watching!

[@marianellazunino5192]

It is indeed a beautiful traditional church. The way church should be. The Real house of the Lord. 🕊🌹🙏🛐📿❤

[@SusanCatherine]

Yes! A serious home of God--where you can feel his presence and the presence of all the saints.

[@doggy5]

You need to visit when they perform an orchestral mass. For instance, every year they will perform Mozart's Requiem for All Souls' Day. And there are other special occasions when they perform masses by the great composers such as Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and so on. That's something really special you don't often get to experience these days, not even in the Vatican.

[@SusanCatherine]

Oh! I had no idea they did that. Thank you for mentioning it.

[@ghask11111]

We attended the Christmas eve midnight mass in 2019. It's was the best Christmas eve mass I ever been so blessed to participate. I wish I live nearby and be able to go to mass there every Sunday. It's so beautiful and sacred.

[@SusanCatherine]

How very special that you were able to attend Christmas Eve Midnight mass there!

[@ghask11111]

@@SusanCatherine Thank you, yes it was very special. I would love to go back there someday even just to sit quietly and feel God's presence, Mother Mary, the saints and the angels. Thank you for sharing this video.

[@SusanCatherine]

@@ghask11111 I hope you get to go back. Thank you for watching this video!

[@publia2.053]

I drive 45 minutes to go there. Otherwise I watch online. I found this church through an article on the 11 most beautiful churches in Chicago. How did others discit?

[@SusanCatherine]

@@publia2.053 Isn't it amazing having access to online services from churches around the world?

[@BAB00215]

What a church😍

[@SusanCatherine]

And such a welcoming congregation that showed me around. They're lovely.

[@karmelicanke]

Gorgeous interior, vestments and solemnity makes St John Cantius a temple wherein worthy worship is given to the Lord. For me, the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory, Lackawanna NY is so beautiful because the church, its atmosphere is saturated in prayer. The many side altars are beautiful and the near life sized sculptural Stations of the Cross outstanding works of ecclesiastical art, all in white marble.

[@SusanCatherine]

Thank you for mentioning the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory. I had never heard of it and also have never made it out to Buffalo. This basilica is now on my bucket list! It's the type of place that makes me wish my vocabulary was better to describe it with the respect it deserves.

[@dividmarak7694]

Thank God. God bless you. In my Diocese we don't have like this kind of Church.

[@SusanCatherine]

You're more than welcome. I enjoyed seeing the church as well as being there for mass. Hopefully one day you can see it in person.

[@ghask11111]

I pray my daily rosary with the John Cantus Church live streaming at 4:30 PM Chicago time, in their KZbin channel.

[@SusanCatherine]

@@ghask11111 that’s so lovely! I do mine through The Catholic Crusade on KZbin. We’re so blessed to have these resources.

[@johnnyace5735]

Bring back father Phillips!! He made the church what it is today. If not for him it would have probably closed also. God bless father Frank Phillips.

[@SusanCatherine]

Although I'm from Chicagoland, I visited this church as a tourist. As such, I'm not familiar with who Father Phillips is. Do tell more about him. Where is he now? Most masses I attend are due to the affinity I feel toward the priest so I can appreciate your desire to have someone you love at a church you love.

[@johnnyace5735]

It makes me too upset to talk about. I may say something I would be sorry for. Google father Frank Phillips, it talks about what happened and how he was exhounerated of the false accusations. I knew him well as do others and fir many reasons we know that he would not have done what he was accused of.

[@SusanCatherine]

@@johnnyace5735 I just read the article about him in Catholic World Report. Interesting comments. Thank you for mentioning him.

[@garyhall7377]

Yes, Fr C Frank Philips spent 30 years there as Pastor, without his guidance St John Cantius Church would've never been restored to it's former greatfulness.

[@garyhall7377]

@@johnnyace5735 I knew Fr Frank's Family & Graduated from 8th Grade with his older, now deceased, brother.

[@stepheneggert7388]

Chicago has many church's like the this one..but there closing maney of them..due to no one going to church.. or support ing them ..nabborhoods are changing..I'm glad this church is one that's been ing attened..each week..once again..God bless.

[@SusanCatherine]

It’s quite sad. These churches are important in knitting the communities.

[@bongiornonora6398]

Magnificent

[@michaelriordan8265]

You can visit medieval churches and Cathedrals in England lots of history

[@SusanCatherine]

Yes, Michael, so many beautiful (understatement) old churches around the world. I can't wait for it to open up again. Do you have one in particular you know of in England that you feel drawn to?

[@qcroshan8876]

I will come one day

[@qcroshan8876]

I will come this church one day

[@lucaschiantodipepe2015]

Why one of the towers looks unfinished? By the way, in this church it's celebrated the Latin mass that I'm very familiar with. 🇻🇦🇻🇦🇻🇦🇻🇦🇻🇦⛪🇻🇦🇻🇦🇻🇦🇻🇦🌐

[@SusanCatherine]

Wow! You're right. I looked into the history to find out about it. In this article, there is a picture that shows there was a North Tower but no mention of what happened to it. www.cantius.org/in-depth-parish-history

[@lucaschiantodipepe2015]

@@SusanCatherine I saw also a postcard (not a pic) with the tower, but unfortunately no explanations I could find. By the way I'm from Rome. 🇻🇦🇻🇦🇻🇦⛪⛪⛪🇻🇦🇻🇦🇻🇦

[@SusanCatherine]

@@lucaschiantodipepe2015 I will let you know if I find out what the explanation is. How nice to hear you are enjoying this beautiful church from Rome!

[@pauladavis7400]

A smaller but equally beautiful CC St. Mary's Westville, IL

[@SusanCatherine]

Thank you for suggesting St. Mary’s in Westville. I just looked it up and see that it’s near Danville, which is my birth father’s home town. I have added this to my list.

[@zuzannawisniewska4464]

My wonderful church. Almost every Sunday I come here for holy lice.

[@SusanCatherine]

How lovely that you get to go there for mass! Merry Christmas to you!

[@zuzannawisniewska4464]

@@SusanCatherine I'm close. Merry Christmas in 2022.Happy New Year 2023.

[@barbaraney9288]

This. Is. The. Most. Beautiful. Church. In. Chicago

[@SusanCatherine]

Yes! It’s so lovely. The parishioners add to its beauty as well. Such a loving parish.