CHICAGO, IL – Francis Cardinal George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago, will be the main celebrant at a special Mass in honor of the Canonization of the Blessed Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, at 5:15 p.m., on Sunday, April 27, at Holy Name Cathedral, State and Superior Streets in Chicago.
Parishes around the Archdiocese of Chicago are also hosting many events and special Masses in celebration of the Canonization of the Blessed Popes by Pope Francis.
Pope John Paul II visited Five Holy Martyrs Parish, 4327 South Richmond Street in Chicago, during his papal visit to Chicago in 1979. The parish is hosting a “Canonization Vigil” starting at 12 a.m., Sunday morning, which will include praying the rosary, music, poems, and a live telecast of the Canonization Mass from Rome at 3 a.m. The Office of Mission Education for the New Evangelization is also hosting a local Pilgrimage in honor of the Canonization, which will begin at Holy Trinity Polish Mission, 1118 North Noble Street in Chicago, at 9:30 a.m.
The procession will continue towards St. Hyacinth Basilica, 3636 West Wolfram Street in Chicago, and will conclude with a Solemn Mass at 12:30p.m.
Because Sunday, April 27, the Second Sunday of Easter, is also Divine Mercy Sunday, many parishes have combined their Canonization celebrations with their Divine Mercy Hours. St. Peter Damian Parish, 131
South Crest Avenue in Bartlett and St. Priscilla Parish, 6949 West Addison Street in Chicago, are hosting bilingual Divine Mercy devotions at 3 p.m. in thanksgiving for the Canonization of the Blessed Popes.
In addition to events around the Archdiocese, the Archdiocesan Canonization Resources
(http://www.archchicago.org/canonization/default.html) webpage
contains links to official Vatican Canonization resources, information on television coverage of the ceremony, prayer card order forms
(http://www.archchicago.org/canonization/documents/PrayerCardOrderForm.pdf),
and many other resources. Many events and Masses will be held in a number of languages including English, Spanish and Polish.
More Canonization resources and events can be found on the Archdiocesan website, http://www.archchicago.org/.
