Stepping into St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Pilsen, Chicago,
I felt a strange sense of familiarity, like I had been there before. Maybe this
is accredited to the time I spent myself in the Catholic Church, or maybe it
was just the fact that it was church, and therefore, it elicited a feeling
of comfort. But before I even start talking about my experience inside the
church, I have to talk about the church itself. The architecture of the church
was simply breathtaking. You could tell that it was a building that has
withstood time and generations. The building itself was the type of building
you had to physically raise your head up to see the top of. It was just so tall! The style of the
building which we were later told by a man who worked at the church, was a
Roman Gothic style. From what I could recall learning about the Gothic style in
fine arts, my knowledge matched up with the way the structures came to a sharp
point. The inside of the building itself was just as beautiful. The stained
glass windows were so intricately detailed and something I could have stared at
forever. Looking around the sanctuary, I saw bright color schemes that appeared to have been influenced by Mexican culture.
Many of the members who arrived at the church were there
early. In the front of the church we were welcomed by some of the women who had already arrived. They mentioned to us that after the service there would be a pancake
breakfast in the lower level of the church and they would love it if we
attended. It immediately gave me the feeling that we were welcomed and wanted
in the church. In the main “lobby” so to speak, there was a man selling
decorative palms as it was Palm Sunday. These palms were hand crafted and
paired with religious images. They were meant to be kept and put on display.
Here is a picture of the palm I purchased!
As
we were waiting for the service to start, I noticed that the books used for songs
and readings were in both English and Spanish, which showed me the value of one
book with both languages versus separate books. I looked around and noticed
that whole families came and sat together. I found myself personally having a
liking to this as I like the sense of families all being together for church
versus kids going to a separate kids service/Sunday school. As the pastor preached,
I noticed that his sermon was very connected to current world issues such as
politics and violence. His message involved looking at truth in terms of a
person, asking the question “who is truth?” the answer being Jesus. The
preaching conveyed the message of the community coming together to face and respond to global issues. When
it came time for the pancake breakfast, I noticed that the food being served
appealed to both American and Mexican cuisine (They served everything from
pancakes and cupcakes to pozole, menudo, and flan). When we asked some of the workers what pozole
and menudo were, we were met with kindness and friendly explanations. I almost felt embarrassed to ask and was expecting a strange look for seeming uncultured, but the women were happy to explain to us and my nervous feelings instantly faded and did not return.
Many people came to the pancake breakfast. People came and
sat with their families, and had conversations. I never saw anyone sitting
zoned out on their mobile devices, I saw and heard people engaged in conversation with one another. Kids
were free to roam around the room without parents having to worry. It was
trusted as a safe space to be and play. As we were finishing up eating, a middle aged man
came by to take our trash from us. When we got up shortly after, we decided to
ask him about what we could do in Pilsen for the afternoon (what should we make
a point to see?) After brief introductions, the man told us, “This is it!” in
which he meant the church. He made this statement with enthusiasm, and you could tell how proud he was of his church. He later added that a good place to see would be the
Mexican Art Museum, as it was a central place people liked to go to. He was
very eager to converse, and was very insightful about his parish and community.
He shared that he had been working in the church for a long time. We asked him
about the members and if the people who came to the church had been there for a
long time. He said that oftentimes in the community of Pilsen, parents stay
here and the kids move out. He stated, “Most times we see the kids at baptism,
confirmation, and then never again.” There were multiple generations in Pilsen,
but through his explanation he conveyed that the generation of young people
was getting smaller. I wondered about this, and thought of a recent
article I saw in which Pilsen was described as one of the neighborhoods in Chicago that is “up and
coming” which might mean it is attracting a younger population. As we prepared
to go out and explore more of the neighborhood, the man we were speaking to offered us a tour of the
church in which allowed us to explore the nooks and crannies of St. Paul. The coolest part was going up to the bell tower and seeing the view of the neighborhood with the skyline in the background. The beautiful view combined with the cold air brushing against my face left me with goosebumps and a reminder of why I love the city of Chicago so much.
Aside from exploring the physical spaces inside the church during the tour, we were also able to get a little of its history! Up until a few years ago, the church had German rations in the
basement. Looks like I was right about the church “withstanding time”
As we moved on from St. Paul, our next stop was the National
Museum of Mexican Art, located right in the center of the Harrison Park
District in which we needed to navigate through the neighborhood to get
through. As we began walking, I saw a lot of small businesses and many
businesses which were closed. The majority of the buildings were owned and run by Mexican business owners. The surrounding buildings had a similar feeling
of many urban Chicago neighborhoods that are tall, skinny, and made of brick. There
were also street vendors selling ice cream which was no new sighting for me as
I have seen this in my own neighborhood. There were many people out and about,
walking around the neighborhood. Individuals we passed were all of a friendly nature, smiling faces, eye contact, some even said hello!
Walking around Pilsen, the traffic was light. Cars seemed to
be a mode of transportation, but it also appeared that walking, and the CTA
buses and train lines were also a favored transport method. Many elements that
captured my attention throughout the neighborhood in terms of aesthetic were
the murals.
I love seeing murals. It was graffiti that was used to convey beauty.
As I was thinking about the aesthetic, I noticed that
there was hardly any litter or trash around the neighborhood. It felt well-kept
and taken care of.
After exploring and walking around Harrison Park, we arrived
at the museum. The museum is free which gave it a sense of accessibility and
openness for anyone who wanted to come. There were many people at the museum
walking around, and it seemed to be a place of study where locals could go to
read about elements of Mexican history, culture, and expression. The art there
was beautiful, and attached to each picture was a story or information
regarding the piece and why it was created. The Museum is a central place of activity and a place that individuals go frequently and regularly. I continue to see the strong value of expression through the arts in Latino culture and how it is used to celebrate their unique heritage.
Two of my favorite pictures. The one that looks like a collage of many squares was made entirely from small beads. Amazing!
Learn more about The National Museum of Mexican Art- Click here!!!
Pilsen is not just a neighborhood, it is a community, with a
strong cultural emphasis that individuals who live there celebrate. They tend
to the beauty of the neighborhood and they make their neighborhood a place that
is not closed off to others, but is open to anyone who wants to take part in
it. I sensed an emphasis on family togetherness as I observed many families doing activities and walking around the neighborhood together.The Catholic faith is also central to the neighborhood. As we were walking back to our starting point after the museum, I noticed a house that had a framed photo of Mary hung on the siding of the house. I noticed through multiple means that images are used as special reminders of the importance of the faith (the palms, the images around the church, and now the picture of Mary.)
Our last stop was at Viva Food Mart, a convenient store where we went to grab something
to drink. What stuck out to me at the store was that there was a fresh brewed pot of coffee sitting at a table that you could pour for yourself and then purchase. You could also tell that many people knew one another around
town. As we were looking around, a customer came in who appeared to be a regular. He addressed the cashier and struck up conversation with him. The cashier already knew what the man needed and grabbed it for him. I noticed myself smiling thinking about this small interaction because sometimes I feel like as Americans we have grown impersonal, always looking to move from one task briskly to the next. Our busy lifestyles cause us to miss simple conversations with those around us. One of the biggest things I appreciated that I observed through interactions I had directly and those I observed from afar was the idea of putting time with others first. Looking back to the man we interacted with at the church, I was surprised at how much time he spent talking with us and his willingness to answer our questions and show us everything he could. I found myself constantly thanking him for his time, thinking to myself, "I feel bad that we are taking up his time, I'm sure he has work to get to!" Even if he did have somewhere to be, it did not matter to him. He was engaged in conversation with us and any other distractions did not have room to interfere.
The whole day was a fascinating experience to explore more of my own backyard in Chicago. I live twenty short minutes away...how have I never been to Pilsen before?! I am so happy I took the time to check it out! I can't wait to go back! I would like to go to another service at St. Paul and want to see everything else I did not get to see this first time!
Here is a map of where we explored!
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