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Personal - Washington Blvd and Kildare
Manage episode 196445232 series 1438111
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The rain begins to fall as I make my way north through the middle of the west side. Traveling through this section of the city can only be described as passing by block after block of what used to be.
As I turn on Madison Street, I passed a boarded-up, trash-filled, abandoned building; where campaign posters for a local politician hang ironically from a chain link fence.
Even this majestic building which is my destination used to be something else: a center of life for a community of Irish Catholic Chicagoans who have who have long since migrated away from the surrounding neighborhood of West Garfield Park.
Your first impulse when entering this hall is to look up towards the ceiling, and along the walls. Two sets of large stained glass windows depicting what I assume are scenes from the Bible rest in the walls closest to me. In the middle of the hall, a pair of beautiful circular stained glass windows face each other from opposite sides of the hall.
This is such a traditionally religious space, built from a very different culture, by people who sing very different songs...and yet, the people here this morning are moving freely and comfortably in this space. They seem to be at home here.
Later on, five minutes were set aside for audience members to greet each other. A man in a suit greeted me, introduced himself, and invited me to an upcoming Saturday brunch where the men of the community gather.
As I was about the return to my seat, I noticed that no one was in the rows of benches around me. In fact, no one was in any of the benches. The audience members had made their way to one of the three main aisles in the hall and began to stand side-by-side, holding the hands of the people next to them.
Once everyone was standing, a young woman went to the front stage and began to pray for the entire crowd. She said a lot, but one line in her prayer stayed with me:
“Even through all this, thank you.”
The journey continues in the Garfield Park neighborhood on the west side, at the corner of Washington Blvd. and Kildare.
Intro Theme Music: Victory Lap by QSTN ft. Mecca:83
Background Music: www.bensound.com/
Pick up your copy of the companion book at https://godinchicago.com/
Join the conversation! Follow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Y94abI and on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2z6q5W4
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As I turn on Madison Street, I passed a boarded-up, trash-filled, abandoned building; where campaign posters for a local politician hang ironically from a chain link fence.
Even this majestic building which is my destination used to be something else: a center of life for a community of Irish Catholic Chicagoans who have who have long since migrated away from the surrounding neighborhood of West Garfield Park.
Your first impulse when entering this hall is to look up towards the ceiling, and along the walls. Two sets of large stained glass windows depicting what I assume are scenes from the Bible rest in the walls closest to me. In the middle of the hall, a pair of beautiful circular stained glass windows face each other from opposite sides of the hall.
This is such a traditionally religious space, built from a very different culture, by people who sing very different songs...and yet, the people here this morning are moving freely and comfortably in this space. They seem to be at home here.
Later on, five minutes were set aside for audience members to greet each other. A man in a suit greeted me, introduced himself, and invited me to an upcoming Saturday brunch where the men of the community gather.
As I was about the return to my seat, I noticed that no one was in the rows of benches around me. In fact, no one was in any of the benches. The audience members had made their way to one of the three main aisles in the hall and began to stand side-by-side, holding the hands of the people next to them.
Once everyone was standing, a young woman went to the front stage and began to pray for the entire crowd. She said a lot, but one line in her prayer stayed with me:
“Even through all this, thank you.”
The journey continues in the Garfield Park neighborhood on the west side, at the corner of Washington Blvd. and Kildare.
Intro Theme Music: Victory Lap by QSTN ft. Mecca:83
Background Music: www.bensound.com/
Pick up your copy of the companion book at https://godinchicago.com/
Join the conversation! Follow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Y94abI and on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2z6q5W4
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