History

The History of St. Gall Parish and
School

The history of St. Gall Catholic Church, School, and Parish is long. This history
is compiled from the current church building Dedication book, the
celebratory book of the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary and 90th birthday
of St. Gall, and the St. Gall 100th anniversary celebration book. Many thanks
to Mrs. Janet Bohne and Mrs. Lil Hoffman for their help with this history.

In the early 1880s, the village of Elsdon was centered around the Grand
Trunk Station at Fifty-First Street. The people depended on the Tiffany Car
Shop for their work, and the small Catholic community living in the area
became a mission and branch of St. Agnes Parish in the spring of 1890.

Reverand J.A. Hemlock gave Mass in a small cottage located at 5151 S. St.
Louis Ave. In the fall of 1893, Rev. Hemlock retired due to poor health and
St. Agnes Parish welcomed Rev. A.J. Hitchcock. The "little mission" was
well-served by this priest.

Shortly after Rev. Hitchcock assumed the position at the mission, the
church was moved to a larger space at 5201 S. St. Louis Ave. The Masses
were held in a large hall upstairs while a grocery store occupied the first
floor. Due to poor attendance at Mass, the Catholic congregation
disbanded. Early in 1894, Father J.E. Le Sage from St. Joseph's and St.
Anne's (both in Brighton Park) took control of the little mission. The
church then moved to a frame house at the north-east corner of 52nd St.
and Turner, or what is now Christiana.

Over the next five years, the community grew and the village of Elsdon
became incorporated into the City of Chicago, and it became necessary to
establish a permanent church and parish. In May, 1899, Father Michael J.
Sullivan was appointed the first pastor of the brand new parish. Father
Sullivan served 132 parishioners, the first members of St. Gall. One
parishioner, John A. Walther, suggested that the new church be named
after the patron saint of his home canton in Switzerland. This suggestion
was accepted by Chicago Archbishop Feehan, and thus St. Gall became
the newest parish on Chicago's southwest side.

In 1908, after nearly 10 years in service to the people at St. Gall, Father
Sullivan was transferred to Resurrection parish. In his absence, the
Augustinian Fathers took charge of the parish as a mission of St. Rita
parish. At this point in time a much larger church building was needed,
and the church moved again, this time to a fourth building at 54th and
Millard. This building sat more than 500 parishioners each Sunday. Mass
was celebrated in the new building for the first time on May 1st, 1910.

It was at this time that the parishioners felt the need for a school. In
September 1910, the first classes were held at St. Gall School, located
above the church at 54th and Millard. The first Sisters to serve the people
and children of St. Gall were the Dominican Sisters from Adrian, Michigan.
The first school was divided into two classes: first class and second class.
The first class was comprised of first, second, third, and fourth grade,
taught in one classroom by one sister, and the fifth, sixth, seventh, and
eighth grades were taught in another classroom by another sister.

For the first seven years of the school's existence, the school was taught
by Sister Adalbert, Sister Helen Marie, Sister Ann Genevieve, Sister Mary
Theresa, Sister Mary Louis, and Sister Mary Wenceslaus. These nuns
shared the convent with the Sisters at St. Rita parish and travelled each
day via switch engine, driven by Mr. Art Foster, a St. Gall parishioner.

On October 29th 1916, Father Fred P. Cannell was appointed pastor at St.
Gall and the church building at 54th and Millard was abandoned for a
better site at 55th and Kedzie. The school continued to meet upstairs in
the building at 54th and Millard.

In 1923, plans were drawn up for a new school building and the school
was completed in 1924. The new school stood on the corner of 55th and
Sawyer. The Dominican Sisters then remained at St. Rita and the Servants
of the Holy Heart of Mary moved in to take charge of the school and serve
the people of St. Gall. On September 22nd, 1923, the new school building
opened under the care of Mother St. Agnes, Sister Mary Catherine, Sister
Philomena, and Sister Mary of the Rosary. Approximately 100 children
were registered on that first day.

The Sisters moved into the Rectory, and Father Cannell moved in with a
parishioner until a Convent could be built. While plans for a new church
were created, the basement of the school was used for weekly Mass.

A small convent was built at 5553 S. Sawyer and served the Sisters for
only a few years. In 1926, the present Rectory was built to provide a new
home for the priests. In June 1928, plans were drawn up for a new church
in the school basement as the congregation swelled to more than 900 at
Mass each week. On February 3rd, 1929, the new basement church was
opened.

In early 1924, Father Cannell resigned due to failing health. His
replacement was Monsignor Hishen, who would serve St. Gall for more
than 30 years. It was under Msgr. Hishen that St. Gall parish saw the
greatest growth, both in parish numbers and spiritual development.

The school was also marked by great growth and it was necessary to build
an addition to the school. A second building of eight rooms was added in
1935. Five of these rooms were reserved and converted into living
quarters for the twelve sisters who taught in the school buildings.

Also at that time many social clubs were created by the parish members.
Bowling leagues for men and women, a dramatic society, and a club for
adolescent parishioners were all founded. The annual card party and
dance was first held at this time. The annual party was the social and
financial backbone of the parish for many years.

As school enrollment increased, the Sisters found it necessary to convert
the five classrooms in the new building back into classrooms and move
into more private quarters. This would give the sisters more privacy as
well as free up five classrooms in the school. In 1949, the present day
convent was built.

In 1949, the first St. Gall School Band was organized under Mr. Otto Nagl.
For many years, the St. Gall Band was one of the most rivaled school
bands on Chicago's south side.

In the early 1950s, Monsignor Hishen noted that the basement church was
once again unable to hold the crowds that attended Masses each Sunday.
Masses were being held in what is now the school gym and Bingo Hall.
Plans for an "upper church" or street level facility, were considered,
especially because the basement church would flood during rainy
weather.

The first plans for the new church called for a superstructure over the old
church so the new church could be built over an existing foundation. A
fund raising committee was formed and was served by more than 20 men,
including Mr. George Hoffman, whose wife Lil taught 3rd grade at St. Gall
for more than 30 years.

On October 16th, 1955, Monsignor Hishen broke the ground for the new
church building. The first Mass celebrated in the present church on the
corner of 55th and Kedzie was Easter Vigil, 1957.

The seating capacity of the original church design was to be 1400. It was
at the time of the new church construction that the present "middle
addition" was added to the school. This middle addition joined the two
school buildings standing a block apart on Sawyer and Kedzie. It included
adding 4 new classrooms and a school library.

Monsignor Hishen desired that the altar be the focus of the new church.
He stated, "The altar should be the true center of the church." Keeping
these thoughts in mind, the original church drawings were scrapped and
the architects created a new plan: a quarter circle, which shortened the
distance between the furthest pew and the altar, as well as increased
seating capacity, and keeps the altar as the focus of the church. The new
design also made the best use of the space existing on 55th and Kedzie.
The brand new church was formally dedicated on April 13th, 1958.

As Monsignor Hishen entered retirement, he remained active in parish
life. The convent basement was remodelled and named the Hishen Senior
Center in 1972. That room had served as the parish Kindergarten for many
years and is presently the location of our Extended Day program.
Monsignor Hishen passed away on May 25th, 1973 at age 79. His
dedication to the people of St. Gall will always be remembered. The
Hishen Center remains a vital piece of St. Gall parish. In addition to
Extended Day, it is now a gathering place for RICA, Religious Education,
and English as a Second Language classes.

In September 1989, the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary celebrated
their 100th anniversary at St. Gall, and St. Gall celebrated 90 years on the
southwest side. They also celebrated their long cooperation together.
That mass was celebrated with the people by Joseph Cardinal Bernadin,
one of Chicago's most beloved religious figures.

Father David P. Dowdle was installed at St. Gall's seventh pastor on
October 16th, 1992. It was under Father Dowdle's guidance the Hispanic
Ministry began in order to reach out to the growing Hispanic population of
Gage Park. The first Spanish-language Mass was celebrated on December
12th, 1996. More than 2500 people attended the Mass. It was at this time
that two Spanish language Masses were added to the weekend rotation to
serve the newest parish members.

Parish and School history...continued...