175th Anniversary
Year of Celebration
Overview of our upcoming year of celebration
Our Holy Name Cathedral Faith Community celebrates a major milestone this year. Nov. 18, 2024, marks the 175th anniversary of the founding of Holy Name Parish. We are planning a year-long celebration. The 175th Committee has been working hard to plan a celebratory year that has something for everyone.
See all the details of our year of celebration.
For the latest updates, check out the weekly bulletin, the 175th monthly newsletter and social media. If you have questions, please email our committee.
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Mother Cabrini Statue Gift to Pope Francis
Holy Name Cathedral, thanks to the generosity of Dr. Carol Christiansen, is donating a replica of the same Mother Cabrini sculpture on the Holy Name Cathedral campus to Pope Francis and the Vatican. It will be unveiled and dedicated on the grounds of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on St. Frances Xavier Cabrini’s feast day of Nov. 13.
There are 21 pilgrims from HNC and 60 other Chicago friends traveling on a pilgrimage to Italy in honor of Mother Cabrini who will be in attendance at the dedication ceremony in Rome. While the time difference makes viewing a livestream challenging, we are making plans to share the video of the ceremony with everyone at a later time.
For more information, contact Deacon Dennis Robak.
Monday, November 18, 2024
Mass celebrating “Holy Name Cathedral Day” in Chicago
To honor our 175th anniversary, the Chicago City Council has passed a resolution declaring Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, as “Holy Name Cathedral Day” in the city of Chicago.
On that date, the regular 12:00pm Mass will include a special presentation of the city proclamation by Ald. Brendan Reilly to our Rector, Fr. Greg Sakowicz. For those who cannot make it in person, we will livestream this Mass.
For more information, contact Fr. Andy Matijevic.
Sunday, November 24, 2024
Opening Liturgy with Cardinal Cupich
We hope you will be able to join us at our official kickoff to our celebratory year. Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago and the Pastor of Holy Name Cathedral, will be the main celebrant and homilist for our opening liturgy at the 12:30pm Mass on Nov. 24, 2024. The Mass will be concelebrated with previous and current priests who have served at Holy Name Cathedral. Everyone is invited to join in our celebration.
For more information, contact Fr. Andy Matijevic.
Friday, December 13, 2024
Rector’s Fifth Annual ‘Sounds of the Season’ Christmas Concert
This festive evening of holiday music and entertainment features Rich Daniels and members of the City Lights Orchestra performing many of your favorite holiday songs. The concert begins at 7:00pm followed by complimentary hot chocolate and cookies. Tickets are free of charge and available online only. Limit four tickets per person. Please consider supporting this event as a sponsor or with a donation. Proceeds from the event will go to the mission and ministries of Holy Name Cathedral. Go to tinyurl.com/Sounds2024 to register to attend, to donate or to be a sponsor.
For more information, email Regina Zielinski.
Sunday, January 5, 2025; 1:30pm
Faith and Fitness Wellness Panel
Sunday, January 19, 2025; 1:30pm
Filling Your Spiritual Backpack
Filling Your Spiritual Backpack: From Campus to Church
In honor of the 175th anniversary of the Holy Name Faith Community, this program focuses on the people who established Catholicism in Chicago. “From Campus to Church:” In the first part of the series, we discussed the life of Jean Baptiste Celebrating Pointe DuSable, the founder of Chicago, and one of the first Catholics of the area.
The next part focuses on the early Catholic presence in Chicago: a united and diverse St. Mary Parish, Holy Name Chapel, and then Holy Name Church. Kevin Owens, parishioner and OCIA catechist will lead the discussion. We will meet in the Parish Center Club Room — no advance registration needed. For more information, email Ken Ortega.
Sunday, February 16, 2025; 1:30pm
Filling Your Spiritual Backpack
Filling Your Spiritual Backpack: Women Visionaries – Religious Sisters (1846-1904)
In honor of the 175th anniversary of the Holy Name Faith Community, this program focuses on the people who established Catholicism in Chicago.
Did you know that five religious orders of women and three orders of Brothers ministered to the children of Holy Name Parish/Cathedral? Join us for a conversation of four of the women’s congregations, including the Daughters of Charity, found in this photo. Dr. Kenneth Ortega, Director of Evangelization and Faith Formation, will facilitate the gathering, Sunday, February 16, 1:30pm in the Club Room.
We will meet in the Parish Center Club Room — no advance registration needed. For more information, email Ken Ortega.
Winter 2025
Green Star Movement Mosaic Coming to Holy Name Cathedral
Holy Name Cathedral wishes to celebrate the 175th Anniversary with a mural that speaks to our rich Faith Community as well as engages the community in its creation. The Cathedral is partnering with the Green Star Movement, a nonprofit that looks to inspire through the creation of public art, by working collaboratively on the design, assembly and installation of a mural made of mosaics for our Courtyard. Our theme for the mural design, chosen by Cardinal Cupich, is “A Pilgrim People.” Design work will begin this fall.
Then this winter, volunteers from the Faith Community will be invited to participate in the creation of the mural using mosaic tiles. Artists from the Green Star Movement will teach our volunteers artistic techniques such as working with mosaics, placement of tiles into the design image and grouting during hands-on, interactive workshops. The finished mural will be installed in the Courtyard in the spring and dedicated on Friday, May 30, 2025 at our Grace & Gratitude reception.
A special thank you to Mrs. Maryam Sweet and her family who are funding this project in memory of her dearly departed daughter, Bita.
The Green Star Movement Mosaic project at Holy Name is coordinated by the Parish Pastoral Council. For more information, email us.
Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 7:30pm
‘Damien’ Play with Wayne Messmer
We will have a special presentation of “Damien,” a one-man play by Aldyth Morris starring Chicago sports personality Wayne Messmer as Father (St.) Damien of Molokai on Sunday, March 2 at 7:30pm. The play tells the story of St. Damien and his work with a 19th century leper colony in Molokai. There will be a reception after the performance. Special thanks to our Knights of Columbus for sponsoring the play and the Daughters of Isabella for sponsoring the post-play reception.
Learn more about the March 2 event, St. Damien, and Wayne Messmer. Click here.
Interested in reserving your tickets for the March 2 event? Click here.
For more information, email Deacon Dan Welter.
Monday, April 28, 2025
Second Annual Bishop Kevin Birmingham Lecture
In partnership with the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, Holy Name Cathedral will host the second annual Bishop Kevin Birmingham Lecture on Monday, April 28, 2025. The title of the presentation is “Between Heaven and Earth: Art, Faith, and Care of Our Common Home.”
The program will focus on Pope Francis’ second encyclical, Ladato Si’ (ecology and art). It will be presented by Dr. Gloria Groom, who is the chair of Painting and Sculpture of Europe at the Art Institute of Chicago and Fr. Louis J. Cameli, a Cathedral resident and Cardinal Cupich’s Delegate for Formation and Mission. This lecture series is dedicated to the late Bishop Kevin Birmingham.
For more information, contact Mark Teresi or Anne Shea, president of the Illinois Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums.
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Mass with AGLOChicago
Founded in 1988, AGLOChicago is the Archdiocese of Chicago’s outreach to the LGBTQ+ community. Holy Name Cathedral was one of its six founding parishes.
To celebrate this relationship, we will have a special Mass with Fr. Andy Matijevic as main celebrant and homilist and Fr. Greg Sakowicz as concelebrant on Sunday, May 4, 2025 at 7:00pm at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 708 W. Belmont Ave. A reception will follow afterwards.
For more information, contact Angelina Rossi.
Friday, May 30, 2025
Grace & Gratitude / Courtyard Mosaic Dedication
During our annual Grace and Gratitude reception, when we thank our dedicated ministers and volunteers, we will have a special dedication and blessing of the new parish Courtyard mosaic. In 2025, our event will take place on Friday, May 30, beginning with the 5:15pm Mass.
For more information, contact Lori Doyle.
Sunday, June 8, 2025
‘The Road to Emmaus’ Revival
Everyone is invited to an afternoon of praise and celebration sponsored by the Young Adults Ministry on Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2025. This revival theme, “The Road to Emmaus,” reflects the journey of all Christians – a path where we may feel discouraged but where Christ and His Church are always present to guide us back to Jerusalem with renewed hope.
The event will include inspiring speakers, Mass, personal testimonies, an opportunity for Adoration, a Eucharistic Procession and will conclude with a bonfire, dinner and fellowship. All are warmly invited!
For more information, email Fr. Ton Nguyen.
Friday, August 1, 2025
Sacred Heart of Jesus Sculpture
An original bronze sculpture of the Sacred Heart is being created by artist and retired Chicago priest Father Anthony J. Brankin. The new sculpture, which is a contemporary interpretation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is appropriately timed with Pope Francis’ new encyclical on the Sacred Heart, Dilexit nos (“He loved us”). This statue is to be dedicated on Friday, August 1, 2025 as a part of the 12noon Mass on the feast of the Sacred Heart and will be placed within the Cathedral. There will be a reception following the dedication, open to everyone. A special thank you to Dr. Christine Lawless who is funding this project to make this work possible.
For more information, contact Deacon Dennis Robak.
Sunday, September 21, 2025
International Rosary Dinner & Reception
The Cathedral Filipino Network will host a special international Rosary, featuring a variety of cultures participating in the Rosary — each decade will be prayed in a different language — followed by a dinner celebrating the cuisine of each of the various cultures.
For more information, contact Jay Bayot or Isabel Juan.
Friday, November 21, 2025
Holy Name Cathedral Dedication Liturgy and Rector’s Banquet
Cardinal Blase Cupich will be the main celebrant for the Mass to close our 175th Anniversary Year as a parish and mark the 150th Anniversary of Holy Name as a Cathedral. This Mass will take place at 5:15pm on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, the same day when the Cathedral was dedicated in 1875. To honor the Cathedral, all archdiocesan priests and bishops will be invited to attend.
We also will celebrate these milestones with the Rector’s Closing Banquet. More details will be forthcoming about this event.
For more information, contact Fr. Andy Matijevic.
