All Saints Cathedral Parish: Our History

Our History

All Saints Parish was organized in 1895, two years before the Polish National Catholich Church. The "White Cathedral" on Dickens Avenue in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago was our home from 1931 until 1993, when the people of All Saints voted to move to our current location. (The Dickens Avenue location is now the home of Covenant Presbyterian Church.)

The quotes and photos on this page are from "The History of All Saints Cathedral of the Polish National Catholich Church", published in 1996 and available for purchase from our Parish Office.

More photos and highlights from our history will be added soon.

The founding members of All Saints Parish were Polish immigrants of varied backgrounds, but of one mind and heart in the organization of the parish. They were people with a fervent spirit, a people with love for and devotion to God; a love for their homeland, Poland; and a great love for their new country, America.

On July 13, 1926 All Saints Parish became the Cathedral See of the newly formed Western Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church. Bishop Grochowski completely eliminated Latin and introduced the Polish language into all aspects of the liturgy.

My fondest memory of All Saints is going to the cathedral with my grandma to have our Easter food blessed. I was a little girl then, and the church seemed absolutely huge as we walked down the long aisle to place the basket on the communion rail. Easter always brings back those special memories of time spent at All Saints with my grandma.

One of my fondest memories is from when I was a child and my grandfather was the cathedral custodian. He taught us to ring the bells correctly. As only children would do, we would hold on to the rope and it would carry us up!