HISTORY
History of St. Ferdinand Parish until 1980
From Volume I
A History of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Published in observance of Centenary of the Archdiocese
1980
Edited by Rev. Msgr. Harry C. Koenig, S.T.D.
St. Ferdinand Church
Father Heéney took his instructions to heart and immediately set about finding a suitable place in which to celebrate Mass. He later recalled that:
... I looked up a city map to find just where this new parish was located. Then I imposed upon a friend, one Jas. H. Ryan, who had a car, to take me out to see the place. We found it-a rare collection of dwarfed trees, tree stumps, apparently bushes (in reality growths around. the tree stumps) and diverse weeds. However, there were enough houses within the range of the naked eye to realize that the neighborhood was a coming one .... The only place in the neighborhood that offered a hope was the Mary Lyon Public School located about a quarter of a mile from our site [at 2941 N. McVicker Ave.].Father Heeney received permission to use the school's assembly hall from 8 a.m. until noon on Sundays at the rate of $17 a week. A sturdy table from a nearby classroom served as an altar. The pastor borrowed vestments from Bro. Thomas Mulkerins, SJ, sacristan at Holy Family Church, and he celebrated Mass in the Lyon school on June 26, 1927 for a congregation which numbered approximately 95 people.
In the fall of 1927, parishioners began building a temporary frame church on the 3100 block of N. Marmora Ave. With this property the parish acquired a two story brick building at 3116 N. Marmora Ave. which became the rectory. The frame church, which had a seating capacity of 400, was. completed in time for Advent and Mass was celebrated in this building for the first time on Nov. 20, 1927.
Many Catholic families were among the proud owners of new homes in the Cragin neighborhood and annual reports in the Archdiocesan Archives at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Ill. testify to the rapid growth of St. Ferdinand parish. Between 1928 and 1931, parish membership increased from 300 to 700 families. To provide for the many school-age children in the parish, Father Heeney purchased 10 portable classrooms from the Chicago Board of Education. These were moved to the parish property where they were renovated. A building at 3120 N. Marmora Ave. was acquired for use as a convent.
On Sept. 17, 1934, St. Ferdinand school was opened under the direction of 10 Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Dubuque, Ia. This order of women religious staffed Holy Family school where Father Heeney had attended classes as a youth. Between 1934 and 1935, enrollment in St. Ferdinand school increased from 337 to more than 450 students.
Following the formation of St. John Bosco parish in 1934, the south boundary of St. Ferdinand parish was set at Diversey Ave. from Narragansett to Austin Ave., and Schubert aye. from Austin to Central Ave.
In March 1936; ground was broken at 3131 N. Mason Ave. for a $200,000 combination church-school building, the cornerstone of which was laid on Apr. 19, 1936. This was the first permanent structure in the present parish complex. The three story Gothic greystone building, designed by the architectural firm of McCarthy, Smith & Eppig, contained 12 classrooms as well as a 900 seat auditorium/chapel which would serve as a temporary church. Cardinal Mundelein dedicated the new church-school of St. Ferdinand parish on Oct. 10, 1937. At the time, approximately 1,000 families belonged to the parish and 600 children were enrolled in the school. A new convent had been completed at 5936 W. Barry Ave.
On May 30, 1939, Cardinal Mundelein dedicated the new Notre Dame high school for girls which had been constructed at 3000 N. Mango Ave., in close proximity to St. Ferdinand Church. This institution is staffed by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.
In 1940, construction began on a 12 classroom addition to the parish school. This structure, which contained a library, modern kitchen, lunchroom, and recreation facilities, was the last building to be erected under the supervision of Father Heeney. He died on July 20, 1941 at the age of 53.
On July 30, 1941, Archbishop Samuel A. Strich appointed Rev. Matthew A. Canning as pastor. Prior to this assignment, he had served as pastor of the west side parish of St. Charles Borromeo at Roosevelt rd. and Hoyne Ave. where he had been credited with "running hoodlums out of his parish."
Father Canning soon became a leader in the community of which St. Ferdinand parish was a vital part. In the fall of 1941, he was one of the religious and political leaders invited to attend a banquet marking the opening of the Belmont-Central business district.
In 1947, Father Canning financed the construction of an addition to the Sisters' convent. In 1950, he received permission from the Chancery Office to build a new rectory at 5900 W. Barry Ave. At the time this $225,000 structure was blessed on Sept. 30, 1951, it had been paid in full.
The pastor purchased two storefronts and a lot at the southeast corner of Belmont and Marmora Ave. extending 157 feet east. The vacant property eventually would be used for building, but in the meantime, it served as parking lot and playground. The lot was black-topped and basketball standards, backboards, and hoops were installed. The storefronts, located at 5847 W. Belmont Ave., were remodelled in 1953 as St. Ferdinand Recreation Center.
In 1951, the old rectory at 3116 N. Marmora Ave. and the old convent at 3120 N. Marmora Ave. were sold to parishioners who moved the buildings across the street. Later, a building at Belmont and Marmora Ave. was acquired and remodelled as a caretaker's residence at a cost of $22,000.
Another wise investment made by Father Canning was the purchase of more than five acres of land extending on the north side of Belmont Ave. from Marmora to Austin Ave. and north to the alley south of School st. He donated a part of this property to the Chicago Archdiocese which subsequently constructed St. Patrick high school for boys at 5900 W. Belmont Ave. The new high school building, erected at a cost of $2 million, was dedicated on Oct. 3, 1954. The Christian Brothers have been in charge of this institution since 1861, when it was located in Old St. Patrick parish. St. Patrick high school now serves Catholic boys from many parishes. on the northwest side of Chicago.
In recognition of his untiring efforts on behalf of the people of St. Ferdinand parish, Father Canning was elevated to the rank of a Domestic Prelate with the title Right Reverend Monsignor in 1953. The parish then numbered 3,600 families with 1,500 children enrolled in the school.
On Dec. 18, 1955, Msgr. Canning broke ground for a new church, the cornerstone of which was laid on Nov. 4, 1956. The design for the edifice, prepared by the architectural firm of Barry & Kay, was starkly modern, with an elegant but simple facade of stone, stained glass windows, bronze doors and spire. The lavish interior contained imported marble and African mahogany paneling. Special features included air conditioning and a soundproof and glass-enclosed room where parents could bring their children without disturbing other members of the congregation.
On Sept. 20, 1959, Archbishop Albert G. Meyer dedicated St. Ferdinand Church, which had been completed at the southeast courner of Mason and Barry aves. The day also marked the 40th anniversary of Msgr. Canning's ordination. At the time of the dedication, parish membership numbered approximately 15,000 persons. Although still predominantly Italian, Polish, Irish, and German, the parish then included members of neartly every ethnic group. In 1959, 1,490 children were enrolled in the school under the. direction of 22 BVM Sisters and five lay teachers.
On Apr. 1, 1968, Msgr. Canning was named pastor emeritus and Auxiliary Bishop William E. McManus, Archdiocesan superintendent of schools since 1957, was appointed pastor. Bishop McManus came to this parish shortly after the Archdiocesan School Board had introduced "Operation Hospitality, " a Christian approach to school desegregation which involved the busing of black children to several suburban Catholic schools. Although St. Ferdinand parish was not involved in the program, about 40 parishioners joined men and women from other parishes in picketing the church on Aug. 25, 1968. According to a history of the parish written in 1977, Bishop McManus "immediately set about building bridges, linking the different groups of the community with a spirit of trust, and helping ease the adjustment to changes wrought in the Church by the Second Vatican Council."
In November 1968, Bishop McManus was named Archdiocesan Director of Catholic Education by John Cardinal Cody and Rev. H. Robert Clark was appointed superintendent of Archdiocesan schools. On Sept. 21, 1969, parishioners feted Msgr. Canning on the 50th anniversary of his ordination.
In 1970, Bishop McManus was appointed to President Richard M. Nixon's advisory panel on non-public schools. The following year, one of the Bishop's own educational projects came to fruition when a new $325,000 wing of St. Ferdinand school was opened. This structure, located at Mason and Belmont Aves., includes both study and play facilities; a modern multi-media learning resource center with individual carrels for independent study (each equipped with outlets for tape recorders, head phones, and film strip projectors); areas for small group activities; equipment and space for producing audiovisual materials; and a small reference library. The building also contained a science laboratory and a junior high school gymnasium.
Under the leadership of Sister Mary Katherine O'Brien, BVM, principal of St. Ferdinand school, Individually Guided Education (IGE) was introduced in the parish school in September 1972. IGE allows a child to work at his own speed and to choose the best method of learning. The school was divided into seven learning communities of about 110-120 students, each with a team of three teachers, a volunteer instructional aide, and a volunteer clerical aide. Teaching could be on a one-to-one basis, or it could involve small or large groups.
Msgr. Canning died on Nov. 14, 1975 at the age of 83. The history of St. Ferdinand parish noted that his pallbearers included Richard J. Daley, Mayor of Chicago; William Lee of the Chicago Federation of Labor; and Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz, a long-time friend.
In November 1975, Bishop McManus was re-elected chairman of the Education Committee of the United States Catholic Bishops Conference. Because this appointment involved extensive travel, Bishop McManus requested that he be allowed to relinquish his pastorate at St. Ferdinand Church. Cardinal Cody complied with his request and on Mar. 24, 1976, he appointed Rev. Robert H. McGlynn as pastor. Father McGlynn, a former associate pastor of St. Gabriel Church, had been a professor at Quigley Preparatory Seminary since 1954.
Bishop McManus continued to live in the rectory of St. Ferdinand parish when he was in Chicago and to help out with parish work whenever possible. In August 1976, he was appointed Bishop of the Fort Wayne-South Bend diocese. The installation ceremony took place on Oct. 19, 1976 at Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Fort Wayne, Ind.
The golden jubilee of St. Ferdinand parish was celebrated on June 12, 1977; Bishop McManus returned to Chicago to serve as principal celebrant of the Mass. A detailed history of the parish was published in connection with the jubilee.
In 1980, St. Ferdinand parish with its 4,000 families was one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Active parish groups included the School Board, Home and School Association, Parish Advisory Council, Liturgy Teams, Senior Citizens, Ladies of St. Anne, Folk Choir, Adult Choir, Building Commission, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Sanctuary Group, and scouting program.
The parish Christian Out-Reach (COR) program, established in 1974, bought together the services of the Mayor's Office for Senior Citizens, Catholic Charities, and VISTA. This program offered assistance in obtaining tax grants, CTA passes, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and Food Stamps. Town Hall meetings provide a forum for the discussion of community problems. Food, financial aid and education programs with Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Lawndale, a Black parish, as well as Volunteers in the Parish (VIP) enable St. Ferdinand parishioners to share their spiritual, material, and human resources. In 1976, the parish Bicentennial Committee began publishing Town Crier, a multi-lingual newsletter which contained information on community events and problems.
In 1978, 930 children were enrolled in the school under the direction of seven BVM nuns and 24 lay teachers.
St. Ferdinand parish is bounded by Addison St. on the north; Diversey Ave. from Narragansett to Austin Ave., and Schubert Ave. from Austin to Long Ave. on the south; Narragansett Ave. on the west; Central Ave. from Addison to School St., and Long Ave. from School St. to Schubert Ave. on the east. St. Ferdinand Parish Map
