The Mission of Our Lady of the Angels establishes a Catholic presence in the Humboldt Park area on Chicago’s west side. This area presently is one of the poorest neighborhoods in the City of Chicago. The purpose of the Mission is to assist the poor and evangelize through an apostolate of prayer, retreats and preaching. Mention of Our Lady of the Angels brings to mind for many people the school fire of December 1, 1958, in which 92 students and three religious sisters perished. In 2005, Cardinal George invited Fr. Bob Lombardo, CFR, to establish the Mission at the site of the tragic fire. Fr. Bob is one of the founding friars of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, along with Fr. Benedict Groeschel. Want to know more about St. Francis? Click HERE.
young adults who are desiring religious life as Franciscans. It also serves as Fr. Bob's headquarters from which he helps coordinate programs at the new Kelly Hall YMCA and oversees the renovation of the Convent across the street. The Convent has been renovated and has 35 rooms ready and waiting for your church, school or civic group to come for a retreat or a few days of service. The pictures you see on this web site testify to the many who have shared their time, talent and resources to help create this Mission. Fr. Bob is grateful to everyone, and considers what has occurred at the Mission to be miraculous. Yet, there is still much work to be done. |
The Old Rectory (above):
Mission Headquarters
With the economic crisis, families
and seniors in the area do not have
the necessary resources for
sufficient heat and nutritious meals.
The Mission serves the
neighborhood and distributes food
and clothing on Tuesday mornings.
The first Saturday of the month, the
mission also serves as a model of
how to efficiently run a mobile food
pantry. The mobile pantry provides
food and clothing for approximately
300 families. The Mission was
recently featured in USA Today.
The rectory was renovated with the
help of many wonderful volunteers
and donors.
Mission of Our Lady of the Angels
| Mission of Our Lady of the Angels 3808 W. Iowa St., Chicago, IL 60651 (773) 486-8431 Fax (773) 486-8432 |
| Mission of Our Lady of the Angels --A Catholic outreach on the West side of Chicago |
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Kelly Hall (below left):
Youth Outreach, Food Pantry &
Senior Services
Drugs and gangs pose a constant
threat to at-risk youth in the Center
(Kelly Hall) is now a brand Center
(Kelly Hall) is now a brand new
community center. The new
community center. The renovated
space is ideal for the extensive
youth outreach and neighborhood
needs. The programs include sports,
computer lab, and classes. In addition
to great programs for youth, Kelly Hall
offers programs for area seniors that
help them live healthy, safe, meaningful
lives, in dignity.
This project is the result of a partnership
between the Archdiocese of Chicago,
the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, and
the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
The Convent (below right):
retreat space.
Across the street from the Rectory
and around the corner from Kelly
Hall, is the Convent which is also
currently being renovated. It has 35
bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room,
sitting room, chapel and other
miscellaneous smaller rooms that
will serve as offices.
The Convent has been renovated
with the help of many, many
volunteers and donors - individuals,
families, church and other groups,
the unions and trades, and many
businesses.
We think you should just come visit
us - real soon!
retreat space.
Across the street from the Rectory
and around the corner from Kelly
Hall, is the Convent which is also
currently being renovated. It has 35
bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room,
sitting room, chapel and other
miscellaneous smaller rooms that
will serve as offices.
The Convent has been renovated
with the help of many, many
volunteers and donors - individuals,
families, church and other groups,
the unions and trades, and many
businesses.
We think you should just come visit
us - real soon!
For those new to the Mission, it is comprised of four components: The Rectory, Kelly Hall, the Convent, and now the Church. |
Some of our favorite pages from the past: Although we have revamped the web site to streamline it a bit, we did not want to lose some of our favorite pages from the past. The Mission is not just about who comes to volunteer today or tomorrow, but it is about the whole Mission family, including those who got us to where we are today. It's about those who come week after week to volunteer from the Chicagoland area, those who come for a yearly project like our Virginia Tech students who assist during their spring break, those who fly in from other parts of the country to help Fr. Bob for a weekend, and even those who come from other parts of the world. We have such great memories from the last few years. We don't want to forget that we are more than just what you see today. We are building not just futures, but also a legacy- a legacy of love. So, from the past, here are a few of our favorite pages that we didn't want to lose in the web site renovation. When you are finished viewing one of the following web pages, just hit the "back" button on your browser to return to this page. The Message September 2007: Who do we serve? October 2007: Why do we serve? June 2008: Are you a disciple, an apostle or both? Fr. Bob rides into the Big-Hearted Midwest! A New Year's Reflection |
In addition to the Mobile Food Pantry days and the General Work Days listed on
the "Calendar" page, volunteers are currently needed as follows:
the "Calendar" page, volunteers are currently needed as follows:
- For the programs for the seniors on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from
- About 15 volunteers are needed every day of the week to tutor the kids in
the after-school program at Kelly Hall. Any time you can spare between
- 3:00 - 6:30 pm would be great. We need volunteers to tutor all ages and to
help them with their computer skills; and
- We are serving the children dinners now. We need 4-5 volunteers from 4:30
until about 6:30 Monday through Friday to help serve and clean up. Maybe
you and a few friends could help out one day a month. Maybe your parish
would like to take on one day a month and provide volunteers.
| CURRENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES & PROJECTS |
Contact Fr. Bob if you would like to be part of something wonderful! (773) 486-8431 |
| Discernment Community Read all about it in The Catholic New World. Click HERE for Online story. Click HERE for PDF version with a great picture. |
| link above, have your sound turned up. The music is "You Satisfy the Hungry Heart" from Catholic Classics, Vol. 2. (CD-376) Recording courtesy of GIA Publications, Inc. www.giamusic.com |
| To learn more about Fr. Bob Lombardo, Click HERE! |
| Donate online? Click HERE to learn more. |
| Click Here to locate the Mission on google maps |
The Church:
Sitting directly adjacent to the
Rectory is one of the most
beautiful churches in the
Archdiocese: Our Lady of the
Angels. The church has been
slowly deteriorating over the
last 20 years, but the Phase 1
renovations are almost done!
Be sure to check it out by
clicking on the Church tab.
Better yet. Come see the church
for yourself. Come build His
church, just like St. Francis!
Sitting directly adjacent to the
Rectory is one of the most
beautiful churches in the
Archdiocese: Our Lady of the
Angels. The church has been
slowly deteriorating over the
last 20 years, but the Phase 1
renovations are almost done!
Be sure to check it out by
clicking on the Church tab.
Better yet. Come see the church
for yourself. Come build His
church, just like St. Francis!
| We invest in stocks. We invest in bonds. We invest in real estate. Invest in the one thing that can make a true difference. Invest in The New Evangelization It can change the world. Spread the Word..... It's time to invest in futures! That's exactly what we do at the Mission. We invest in the futures of the people who live in the neighborhood, and in particular in the lives of all those beautiful children. We build friendships, stronger families, a better world, and now, we are building His church. Thanks for joining us! It wouldn't be the same without you. If you are just hearing about the Mission, come see us soon! |
Copyright 2009 J.W.Weaver All rights reserved
| Franciscans of the Eucharist Check us out! (Double click on photo to enlarge. Then hit the "back" button) |
5/21/2012: Wish List Updated
5/5/12: You can still run in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 7 with Team OLA even if
you haven't signed up yet, even though registration for the public is closed. Team OLA has extra entries.
If you want to run with us or know someone who would like to, please e-mail Sr. Stephanie at
olamission@gmail.com for more information. Click HERE for details. The DEADLINE IS June 29.
5/5/12: Check out this awesome video from the Archdiocese about the rededication (about 7 minutes).
For the Catholic New World's article on the rededication, click HERE.
Check this link for a full layout of Photos from Rededication of the church!
5/15/12: See "Latest News" page for photos from the Mobile Food Pantry on 5/5.
5/5/12: You can still run in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 7 with Team OLA even if
you haven't signed up yet, even though registration for the public is closed. Team OLA has extra entries.
If you want to run with us or know someone who would like to, please e-mail Sr. Stephanie at
olamission@gmail.com for more information. Click HERE for details. The DEADLINE IS June 29.
5/5/12: Check out this awesome video from the Archdiocese about the rededication (about 7 minutes).
For the Catholic New World's article on the rededication, click HERE.
Check this link for a full layout of Photos from Rededication of the church!
5/15/12: See "Latest News" page for photos from the Mobile Food Pantry on 5/5.
| As of Nov 15, 2011, we assist about 700 families per month with good, healthy food. The normal family size is 4. We have about 130 children each afternoon in the after school program, and then several hundred are involved in various activities like basketball leagues, public speaking, art, dance, poetry through programs offered at Kelly Hall. We also have about 25 seniors each Tuesday from 10 AM till 1:30 PM for exercise, computer class, Bible study, lunch and arts/crafts. |
| For a 360 degree view of the Church, click HERE! (drag cursor across screen in short strokes, lifting finger when you cross back across the page...) |
Fr. Bob & new community with Cardinal George & Fr. Dan Flens. Double click on photo to enlarge. |
