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| St. Josaphat Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
  St. Josaphat Church | |
| 41°55′25.1″N87°39′46.8″W / 41.923639°N 87.663000°W /41.923639; -87.663000 | |
| Location | Chicago |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | St. Josaphat's Parish |
| History | |
| Founded | 1884 (1884) |
| Founder | Polish immigrants |
| Dedication | St. Josaphat |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | For PolishKashubians immigrants |
| Architect | William J. Brinkmann |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Romanesque Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1899 (1899) |
| Completed | 1902 (1902) |
| Construction cost | $125,000 (1902) |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick |
St. Josaphat (Polish:Kościół Świętego Jozafata and inKashubian asKòscół Swiãtégò Jozafata) is a historic church of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located at 2311 North Southport Avenue inChicago,Illinois.
It is a prime example of the so-called 'Polish Cathedral style' of church in both its opulence and grand scale. St. Josaphat's two massiveRomanesque belltowers are a hallmark view of theLincoln Park skyline.
The congregation dates back to 1882, when a 13-member committee of Chicago'sKashubian Polish community formally approached theResurrectionist FatherVincent Barzynski, then Chicago's preeminent Polish priest, for his assistance in establishing a Kashubian parish. Prior to this most of the Kashubian families had been attending Mass atSaint Michael's Parish, a "German" parish which they preferred to Father Barzynski's own "Polish" parish ofSaint Stanislaus Kostka. The current combination church-school building, an imposing brick edifice, was dedicated on May 22, 1884.[1]
The parish attracted Polish settlement in this area of theLincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, many of them also of Kashubian descent, as part of what is called theKashubian diaspora.[2] In 1902, Saint Josaphat claimed about 5,000 parishioners.[3] This concentration led to the neighborhood being referred to asKaszubowo bylocal Poles.
By 1980, roughly half of Saint Josaphat's 450 families self-identified asPolish American, with 30% self-identifying asMexican American.[1] In the twenty-first century, Saint Josaphat's now serves an overwhelmingly young, white, urban professional congregation in a newly prosperous, gentrified neighborhood. The renovated church, with its traditional Catholic architecture, is popular for weddings, with over 65 a year.
TheRomanesque church, built at a cost of $125,000 in 1902, was designed byWilliam J. Brinkmann, who also drew plans for theNeogothic masterpiece ofSt. Michael the Archangel inSouth Chicago.
