When I was planning this project, one of the things I really wanted to do was to visit as many of the Black Catholic parishes of Chicago as I could. Black Catholic worship is such a spirit-filled activity that it shouldn’t be missed. Today I attended the Easter Vigil Mass at St Benedict the African in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago’s South Side.
The Mass started kind of late for Easter Vigil (most churches start at around 7) with a scheduled start time of 8, but an actual beginning of 8.30. But between a small congregation and no baptisms or confirmations, even though the Mass included all seven Easter Vigil readings, it was over by 11. There was a guest presider, Bishop Lawrence Sullivan who is apparently on his own mission to visit all the churches of the diocese. If we cross paths again, I’ll know he’s at least partially doing the same project as I am.
From the outside, the church is unassuming, looking almost anonymous.
But inside is a different story. After walking through a bland lobby, there is first the extraordinary baptismal pool which is designed for full-immersion baptisms
The sanctuary itself is designed to resemble an African village hut with greenery a permanent part of the building (what I thought were potted plants along the walls are actually planted in soil that’s part of the building).
The Stations of the Cross are carvings in ebony wood with bronze medallions depicting the scenes. While most of the artists whose work is showcased in the church are credited on their website, the artist who created the stations of the cross is not, making me wonder if these are perhaps not bespoke as I had first assumed.
Leave a Reply