St. Matthias Parish
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Rectory / Parish Office 2310 W. Ainslie StreetChicago, Illinois 60625 T: (773) 506-2191 F: (773) 506-2418 stmatthias2310@sbcglobal.net Hours: Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
Our Mission Statement
St. Matthias Parish is a Christ-centered Catholic parish community, and our mission is to open doors to all, to encourage each other, to willingly accept the Gospels' challenge, to minister to those in need, to witness the faith we profess and to address the injustices of the world. We embrace the challenges of Education, Human Concerns, Parish Life, and Spiritual Life in our community. Through prayer and a celebration of the Eucharist, we experience and live our Baptismal calling to become one: God's people nourished and strengthened in Christ.
St. Matthias Has A LOT to Offer
Who was St. Matthias?
St. Matthias was the l3th Apostle who was chosen by a cast of the Lot to take the place of Judas who committed suicide after betraying Jesus. Matthias was present with the community including the other l2 apostles from the time that Jesus was baptized until he rose from the dead. His story is found in the Acts of the Apostles l: 15-26.
A Brief History
St. Matthias Parish was founded in 1887 by German and Swedish Americans who came to this area seeking to work the rich farm land that surrounded this part of the north branch of the Chicago River. The parish quickly became a vital part of the then outpost of Chicago called Bowmanville. St. Matthias was founded as a German national parish, meaning that its mission was exclusively to those who spoke German.
The current church building is the 3rd (the parish quickly outgrew the first 2 in 30 years) and was completed in 1915. It is the largest Romanesque style church in the city of Chicago. Through the years the parish has added a school, Rectory (priest residence and offices) and Convent, all of which serve the community today.
St. Matthias began ministering to non-German speaking people in the l930's and 40's. The parish has not only reflected the changes in ethnicity and economic trends from the 50's to the present time, it has creatively served the spiritual needs of our community. In 1999 St. Matthias began a unique collaboration with neighboring Transfiguration of Our Lord Catholic Church and School, which created St. Matthias Transfiguration School, currently serving 225 students from pre-school to grade 8, and their families.
Our two-parish community engages this multiethnic neighborhood including Anglo, Filipino and Hispanic Americans with many cultural prayer experiences as well as many cutting edge efforts to welcome and inspire the new neighbors moving into the area. We have carved out a unique collaboration with Lincoln Square businesses and look forward to expanding that collaboration.
St. Matthias is one of the Six Parishes of Lincoln Avenue
The Six Parishes of Lincoln Avenue Mission Statement
The six Parishes of Lincoln Avenue – St. Alphonsus, St. Andrew, St. Benedict, Queen of Angels, St. Matthias and Transfiguration – in the name of the Lord Jesus, endeavor to serve the spiritual, formational, educational and social needs of people of all ages living near this great and diverse Chicago street. We seek to collaborate in a full range of ministries, which is complementary, not competitive. We gratefully encourage those who are now members of these parishes to continue their life with us. We invite those who have not chosen a parish to visit and join one of these Faith communities. Ours is a tradition of prayer, outreach, community, life-long learning and quality Catholic schools that is historic and ever new.
