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1843 - 1871
1871 - 1904
1904 - 1939
1939 - 1979
1979 - present

Early 20th Century:
Service and Growth in the Metropolis

(1904-1939)

1904 The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of Dubuque, Iowa, arrive at Holy Name, continuously serving in all the parish schools, elementary and high school, for decades. Their service continued after the closing of Cathedral High School in the early 1990’s. Some 14 sisters, most of them "BVMs," currently reside in the freestanding convent at 750 N. Wabash Ave.

They serve the parish and the larger archdiocesan community in a variety of ministries, running the busy front desk at the Rectory, tutoring inmates at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, as well as serving as ushers, ministers of communion and lectors at Cathedral liturgies.

Spring 1915 The Cathedral and its sanctuary are 15 feet longer, thanks to the perseverance of Archbishop Quigley and Rector and Pastor, Rev. Michael Fitzsimmons, who saw the need for a larger sanctuary to accommodate the ceremonial liturgies hosted by the Cathedral Parish. After much searching, they found a contractor to separate the sanctuary and nave, moving the sanctuary 15 feet east, much as frame houses sometimes were moved to new locations.

The scaffolding already had been removed when Archbishop Quigley died; his requiem was the first major liturgy celebrated in the "new" Cathedral.

1916
George W. Mundelein, auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn, is appointed archbishop of Chicago.
1924 Archbishop Mundelein is given the "red hat" of a cardinal; a procession of 80,000 greets him on his return to Chicago.
June 1926 Holy Name Cathedral Parish hosts the International Eucharistic Congress. During the Congress, 1 million people venerate the Blessed Sacrament at Holy Name, the largest liturgical celebration in any American church up to that time.
1929 At the request of Cardinal Mundelein, the Little Sisters of the Holy Family establish a convent adjacent to the new rectory, which houses 18 priests, some on staff, others residents.

Founded in 1880, the Holy Family sisters are dedicated to serving the household needs of colleges, seminaries, episcopal buildings and religious communities of priests. These sisters continue to serve Holy Name today, helping maintain vestments, serving in the sacristry, and handling household and kitchen chores.

October 1936 Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, Vatican Secretary of State who was to become Pope Pius XII, visits Chicago and Holy Name Cathedral.