St. Mary of Czestochowa Church St. Mary of Czestochowa Church (named for the Queen of Poland) goes back in its history to the late eighteen hundreds - to the days when Hawthorne was, literally, a prairie. Eighty-six pioneer families formed the nucleus of what would become, in just a few decades, the largest church in all of Cicero.
Up to the year 1895, these devout Polish Catholics walked some three and a half miles to St. Casimir's, the closest Polish parish. Prior to 1890 they had to travel to St. Adalbert Parish, some five and a half miles away, where they could hear the Word of God spoken in their mother tongue. But they longed for their own church, where they might worship more regularly, as well as for their own school where they might have their children educated in the faith of their fathers.
On March 27, 1892 these pioneers met for the first time to discuss plans to form a new parish. By May of the following year, they were able to purchase six lots at Linden Avenue (now 49th Avenue) and 30th Street. A delegation of future parishioners was sent to the Archdiocese of Chicago to petition permission for the formation of a parish. In 1895, the group was recognized as a parish.
At the turn of the century, the Western Electric Company was established in Cicero. This was the beginning of many job opportunities for the people of the Hawthorne area for many years to come.
In July of 1904, the Rev. Bronislaus Czajkowski came to St. Mary's. Immediately upon his arrival, Rev. Czajkowski saw an enormous task confronting him. The parish was growing in numbers; the school enrollment was increasing; and the frame church and school became quite inadequate. It was clearly time for expansion.
In January of 1905, Father Czajkowski began the construction of a brick church and school combination building on the southeast corner of Linden and 30th Street. In December of the same year, the church and school building was blessed by Archbishop Quigley. The church was located on the second floor of this building.
In July of 1915, the Eastland Disaster devastated the Hawthorne area as well as St. Mary of Czestochowa Church. Twenty-nine of the vicitms of the tragedy were parishioners of St. Mary's. A memorial Mass was held on the second floor in the combination church and school building. Reverend Bronislaus Czajkowski administered funeral services for forty-one victims. These services were held on Wednesday and Thursday, July 28 and 29. The picture from the Mass is the only known picture of the church as it existed back then.
Construction of the present Gothic church building began in 1916 and a new rectory was built for the priests of the parish. With the construction and consecration of this new church building in March of 1918, the temporary church on the second floor of the combination church and school building was transformed into classrooms.
A birdseye view of the church and school (circa 1995) can be seen here.
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