Queen of All Saints Basilica

History 

Queen of All Saints Timeline

1929 - The Calvert Club in Sauganash, a Catholic Fraternal organization, asked Cardinal Mundelein to establish a parish. In May, Fr. Ryan was appointed Pastor. The first church of Queen of All Saints was a frame portable which had served as the parish church of St. Giles in Oak Park, IL. This structure was relocated to the northwest corner of Peterson and Knox Avenues and was dedicated in June 1929.

The original rectory was at 6060 N. Kirkwood. The current parish property was purchased in sections as it grew into what it is today.

1940 - the Keene Avenue school building was built of Wisconsin Lannon stone. The ground floor was a shared auditorium and meeting room. The first floor was the church and classrooms and the top floor held more classrooms and the Sisters' convent.

1946 - The rapid growth of the parish resulted in the building of the Lemont Avenue school building.

1950 - The rectory was built and the gymnasium section was added on to the Lemont Avenue school building.

1952 - The convent (now the Benedict Center) was built.

1956 - The new church was started. Masses were held in the gymnasium while the church was being built. The Keene Avenue building was remodeled into more classrooms.

1960 - The new church was consecrated.

1962 - Pope John XXIII elevated the church to a basilica.

1964 - The Basilica Foundation was established.

1991 - The School Endowment Fund was established.

2004 - Queen of All Saints celebrates it's Diamond Jubilee - 75 years as a parish.

Linking the Past and the Future

Our parish is where it is today because our pastors have seen what God has given them in the way of people of faith who share their God-given talents and financial blessings with the Sauganash area and other areas of the city and the world.

We are grateful to the leadership of the parish, the priests, deacons, religious sisters, lay teachers and parish staff who over the years have recognized and utilized the existing talents of the parish family. We are continually "building a church together".

One pastor summarized the history of the parish by recalling the initial promise that a parishioner gave him: "Father, if you ever need any help from us, just ask." None of the pastors will disagree with this. These words echo the legacy of our past and define the challenge of the future - to continue to respond to the spiritual needs of the parishioners.

Pastors of Queen of All Saints

Father Francis A. Ryan: 1929 -1934
Monsignor Francis J. Dolan: 1934 -1969
Father Patrick C. Hunter: 1969 -1978
Father H. Robert Clark: 1978 -1991
Father Charles E. Cronin: 1991-1996
Monsignor Wayne F. Prist: 1996 - 2010
Monsignor John E. Pollard: 2011 - 2018
Father Simon Braganza: 2018 - present

Parish Organizations

The number and diversity of organizations through the years are examples of sharing that testify to the growth of the parish. Because of this faith and the interest of the parish and the staff in reaching out through evangelization and service opportunities, the Parish as we know it today stands as an example to Christianity.

The many parish organizations and service opportunities as shown on this website testify to the growth of the parish. These are examples of the priests and parishioners working together throughout the years. (To see a detailed listing of parish organizations and programs click here.)

Registered Families in the Parish

1929: 40 families
1940: 450 families
1950: 1000 families
Today: 3000 families

Religious Sisters who taught in our School

The Sisters of St. Benedict arrived in 1940. Originally they commuted from the Mother-house at St. Scholastica until room was made for them in the Keene Avenue building. They eventually moved into their own convent in 1952. In 1993, after more than 50 years of dedicated service to the children and the parish, when the term of the last religious principal was concluded and due to a shortage of vocations, the sisters left the parish.

After the sisters left the convent was converted into the Benedict Center.

The School

The first children of Queens parish went to St. Hilary's school until the Keane Avenue building was built in 1940. This all purpose building was the church, school rooms during the day, a meeting place in the evening, and a convent for the sisters. In June 1941, the first class was graduated. In 1945 the Lemont Avenue school building was built and in 1950 the gymnasium section was added to this building. At that time there were 1000 families living in the parish.

The goal of the School is to provide our children with a Catholic education that also excels in the standards set up by the State of Illinois Department of Education. This has been accomplished through the working together of the dedicated sisters and lay teachers with the continued interest and cooperation of the parents. The number of children in the school is controlled because efforts have been made to keep the pupil-to-teacher ratio down.

Originally the school was staffed only by the Benedictine Sisters. Throughout the years, the dedication of the sisters has been transferred to the qualified and accredited lay teachers who have taken their place as the numbers of children to be educated continued to grow and the number of available sisters diminished.