Chicago has two parishes named after Our Lady Mother of the Church, but only one had Mass today, so I headed to Willow Springs in the morning for Mass in Polish. I don’t know Polish although I can pick out a few words that are cognate with Czech (which I also don’t know). It’s a pity I don’t know Polish, though, because the acoustics were such that I could hear every word spoken clearly even though I didn’t know what most of them meant.
The parish is run by Polish Cistercians, an offshoot of the Benedictines who felt that Benedictine observance had become lax in the 11th century. The Cistercians, in turn ended up splitting into two orders, the better-known Trappists and the Cistercians.
The church itself was built in 2002–3, rather beautifully designed with brick walls and a wooden roof, although the fake rough stone blocks behind the sanctuary were a bit of a sour note in the design. The large image of Mary and Jesus behind the altar is a faithful reproduction of the image, Our Lady of Szczyrzycka, which is in the monastery where the Polish monks originated.
The Mass included music provided by an organist/cantor in the choir loft with lyrics projected on a screen to the right of the sanctuary.
Communion had the communicants kneeling on the steps of the sanctuary, a practice that is officially discouraged, if not prohibited, as I recall.
The parish is also a shrine to St John Paul II, as evidenced by his some of his vestments on display next to a statue of the former pope. The statue has him leaning forward with flowing chasuble that creates the impression that the pope is taking off in flight. I’m not sure if this was the desired effect. I would imagine not so much.
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