Sentimental Church (Record) Sunday: St. Vincent de Paul, Chicago: Interior, Side Altars and Statues

Five weeks ago I wrote about the exterior of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Chicago, where my Massmann great-grandparents, Frederick Henry Massmann, 1875-1948, and Elizabeth Regina Dienes Massmann, 1876-1946, were married on June 5, 1900.  Four weeks ago I started writing about the interior, specifically, the stained glass windows; continuing the next two weeks, and last week I wrote about the main altar.  This week I am writing about the side altars and other statues in the church.

The altar just below is to the immediate left of the main altar, as you look at them.  It honors the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.  I will write more about the painting above it (and the next altar) next week.




The altar immediately to the right of the main altar, while looking at both, honors St. Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus.

To the right of St. Joseph is the altar pictured below, which depictsJesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, illustrating this passage from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 22:

³⁹Jesus left the city and went, as he usually did, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples went with him. ⁴⁰When he arrived at the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” ⁴¹Then he went off from them about the distance of a stone's throw and knelt down and prayed. ⁴²“Father,” he said, “if you will, take this cup of suffering away from me. Not my will, however, but your will be done.” ⁴³An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.

Here is more detail of the carving under this altar, of Jesus falling while carrying the cross:

The other altar, to the left of the Mary altar, is the one pictured below, which I believe honors St. Vincent de Paul, the namesake of the church.  This saint appears to be in a priest's robes and has a cross, a palm frond, a broken chain with a manacle at the end, and something else (a large unlit candle perhaps), and that symbolism doesn't fit any saint I can find.  St. Vincent would be logical for this church, though.

On the west side of the church, to the left of the altar above and closest to it, is a statue of a Pietà.

And in the next alcove on the west side, on the south side of the door, is Jesus with the Sacred Heart.

Continuing south along the west side of the church, the next shrine is to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (on the left), the first native-born citizen of the United States to be canonized, and on the right is another representation of St. Vincent de Paul.

Directly across the center aisle, on the east side of the church, is another shrine, with statues of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and of St. Anthony of Padua, with a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe between them.  

Finally, to the left of this shrine, also on the east wall, is a statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague.  I've seen this statue, of the child Jesus with a crown, holding a globus cruciger in the left hand, and the right hand giving a blessing, in many churches, each one with different real clothing.

Next Sunday:  more of the interior of the church.


© Amanda Pape - 2018 - click here to e-mail me.