St. Michael In Old Town

St. Michael in Old Town was started by the Diocese of Chicago (a wooden structure 100 x 100) to serve the many German immigrants who had come to Chicago. Barely a year later, the parishioners began to bicker and in response, the Bishop wrote to the Redemptorist Congregation asking them to take charge of St. Michael Parish. The Redemptorists came to serve at St. Michael’s in 1860 and have been here ever since. On September 29, 1869 – the feast day of St. Michael the Archangel a new church building was blessed and dedicated. On October 8, 1871, as the Chicago Fire moved past Holy Name Cathedral, religious from nearby institutions rushed to St. Michael’s for respite, but they knew that the fire was just a few hours away. Priests, brothers, and nuns, helped by parishioners, packed parish treasures onto an oxcart and fled. Soon, flames tore into all the parish buildings, leaving only the walls of the church standing. Within a week a wooden combination church and school was erected and on October 12, 1873, the rebuilt St. Michael’s church was consecrated and rededicated. St. Michael’s was one of the first Chicago churches to reopen after the Great Fire. On January 30, 1876, the five bells in the unfinished church tower rang out officially for the first time. The new bells were blessed, dedicated and were named: St. Michael, St. Mary, St. Joseph, St. Alphonsus and St. Theresa. As the 20th century began, five hand-carved altars were installed by the E. Hackner and Sons of LaCrosse, Wi with an 8 ft statue of St. Michael the Archangel in a niche high above, surrounded by the angels Gabriel and Raphael. The four smaller side altars dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, The Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. Joseph and the Poor Souls in purgatory were installed. The addition of the sixteen stained glass windows, designed by the Mayer Window Art Institute of Munich, Germany was the highlight. The windows make a visit to St. Michael's a must-see on any tour list.