About Blessed Maria Gabriella -West Site [Beata Maria Gabriela -Oeste] · Chicago, Illinois
Blessed Maria Gabriella – West Site (formerly St. Malachy + Precious Blood Church) is a Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Chicago located at 2248 W. Washington Boulevard on Chicago's Near West Side, near the United Center. The parish was created on July 1, 2021, when Cardinal Blase J. Cupich merged three historic West Town / Near West Side parishes — Holy Innocents, St. Malachy + Precious Blood, and Santa Maria Addolorata — into one new territorial parish named for Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu (1914–1939), an Italian Cistercian nun beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1983 for her prayer and sacrifice for Christian unity. The West Site is the historic St. Malachy Church (dedicated November 9, 1930), which serves as the parish church of the combined parish. Today the parish ministers to a diverse, multicultural Catholic community — African American, Hispanic/Latino, Ghanaian, Polish, Italian, and Irish heritages — with Masses celebrated in English, Spanish, and Polish, and a Ghanaian Community Mass each Sunday.
- Established
- 1882
- Patron
- Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu
- Rector
- Rev. Matthew S. Eyerman
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Chicago
Why belong here
Blessed Maria Gabriella Parish is one of the most intentionally multicultural Catholic communities in Chicago, deliberately weaving together African American, Hispanic/Latino, Ghanaian, Polish, Italian, and Irish Catholic traditions under a single roof — the same roof where, since 2021, it carries forward the 140-year legacy of St. Malachy and the legacies of Holy Innocents and Santa Maria Addolorata. Weekend worship is offered in English, Spanish, Polish, and through a Ghanaian Community Mass, with St. Malachy School next door and a robust sacramental and parish life. A visitor can expect to hear homilies preached in multiple languages, encounter the union of four distinct ethnic traditions, and participate in a parish named for an Italian Cistercian nun who gave her life for Christian unity — a daily reminder of the parish's commitment to communion across cultures.
Mass times at Blessed Maria Gabriella -West Site [Beata Maria Gabriela -Oeste]
Weekly Mass schedule
History of the West Site (St. Malachy Church)
The West Site of Blessed Maria Gabriella Parish is the historic St. Malachy Church, organized as a parish in 1882 by West Side Irish Catholics and originally housed in a wooden church. The parish built a Gothic church at Walnut Street and Western Avenue in 1884; when Western Avenue was widened in the late 1920s, that building was razed and the cornerstone was preserved for the present-day church.
- 1882 – St. Malachy Parish organized on Chicago's West Side
- 1884 – Gothic wooden church built at Walnut & Western
- Late 1920s – Western Avenue widening forces razing
- 1929 – Construction of present church begins
- November 9, 1930 – St. Malachy Church dedicated
- 2005 – St. Malachy and Precious Blood united by extinctive union
- 2021 – St. Malachy + Precious Blood becomes West Site of Blessed Maria Gabriella Parish
Architecture of St. Malachy Church
The current St. Malachy Church was designed by Boston architect Edward T.P. Graham and built in 1929–1930 in a Mediterranean / Italian Romanesque-influenced style. The redbrick edifice features a Spanish tile roof and a 120-foot campanile (bell tower) — an unusual flourish for Chicago's West Side that has made the church a visual landmark on Washington Boulevard. The cornerstone of the original 1884 church was preserved and installed in the new building.
- Architect: Edward T.P. Graham of Boston
- Construction: 1929
- Dedication: November 9, 1930
- Exterior: redbrick, Spanish tile roof
- Bell tower: 120-foot campanile
- Heritage element: cornerstone from 1884 church
Precious Blood Parish (1907–2005)
Precious Blood Parish was established in 1907 to serve the Irish and Italian immigrant communities of Chicago's Near West Side, with its church at 2411 W. Congress Parkway. In 2005, under Cardinal Francis George's Renew My Church initiative, Precious Blood was united with St. Malachy by extinctive union, creating the combined St. Malachy + Precious Blood Parish under Oblate Father Patrick Casey. The English-speaking Precious Blood community integrated at St. Malachy, while Spanish-speaking ministries continued at the Precious Blood site until St. Malachy's facilities could accommodate them.
- Founded 1907 for Irish and Italian communities
- 2411 W. Congress Parkway
- United with St. Malachy in 2005
- Pastored by Oblate Father Patrick Casey
The 2021 Merger into Blessed Maria Gabriella Parish
On March 11, 2021, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich issued a decree (Prot. N. 2021 RMC-11) extinguishing Holy Innocents Parish, St. Malachy + Precious Blood Parish, and Santa Maria Addolorata Parish as separate juridic persons and uniting them, effective July 1, 2021, into a single new territorial parish named (ad interim) 'Santa Maria Addolorata, Holy Innocents, and St. Malachy + Precious Blood Parish.' St. Malachy Church was designated the parish church of the new parish; Holy Innocents became the East Site; Santa Maria Addolorata was subsequently closed. The new parish was soon renamed Blessed Maria Gabriella Parish, after Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu. The Presbyteral Council vote on the merger was 31 in favor and 2 against.
- Decree date: March 11, 2021
- Effective date: July 1, 2021
- Cardinal Blase J. Cupich
- St. Malachy designated parish church
- Fr. Matthew S. Eyerman appointed founding pastor
Patroness: Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu (1914–1939)
The parish's patroness is Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu, an Italian Cistercian nun of the Monastery of Grottaferrata who offered her short life in prayer and sacrifice for Christian unity. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on January 25, 1983. Her feast day is April 22. The choice of this patroness for a parish intentionally uniting Polish, Italian, Irish, African American, Hispanic, and Ghanaian Catholics is a deliberate ecumenical witness.
- Born 1914 in Sardinia
- Entered the Cistercian Monastery of Grottaferrata
- Offered her life for Christian unity
- Died 1939
- Beatified by Pope John Paul II, January 25, 1983
- Feast day: April 22
Staff and Clergy
The parish is pastored by Rev. Matthew S. Eyerman, with Rev. Vinicio Jiménez serving as Associate Pastor. The lay staff includes Cuca Vidal (Business Manager), Johana Martinez, and Michelle Saucedo (Secretary).
- Rev. Matthew S. Eyerman — Pastor
- Rev. Vinicio Jiménez — Associate Pastor
- Cuca Vidal — Business Manager
- Johana Martinez
- Michelle Saucedo — Secretary
St. Malachy School
St. Malachy School, located at 2252 W. Washington Blvd., is the parish's Catholic elementary school, serving Pre-K through Grade 8 under principal Kathryn Reniguntala. The school shares the Washington Boulevard campus with St. Malachy Church and is part of the parish's family of ministries.
- Address: 2252 W. Washington Blvd.
- Phone: (312) 733-2252
- Principal: Kathryn Reniguntala
- Grades: Pre-K through 8
Contact and Visiting Information
Parish office: 2248 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, IL 60612. Phone: (312) 733-1068. Fax: (312) 491-9164. Email (pastor): [email protected]. The office serves both the West and East Sites of the merged parish.
- West Site: 2248 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, IL 60612
- East Site: 743 N. Armour St., Chicago, IL 60642
- Office phone: (312) 733-1068
- Fax: (312) 491-9164
Other Sites of the Parish
The parish's East Site (Holy Innocents Church, 743 N. Armour St.) was designed by Worthmann & Steinbach, completed in 1912 in Romanesque Revival style with Byzantine flourishes, and features stained-glass windows imported from Austria and Poland. The third merged parish, Santa Maria Addolorata (528 N. Ada St., founded 1903, formerly staffed by the Scalabrini Missionaries), was closed by the archdiocese after the 2021 merger and is now subject to preservation advocacy by the East Village Association.
- East Site: Holy Innocents — Worthmann & Steinbach, 1912
- Santa Maria Addolorata — closed after 2021 merger
- Scalabrini Missionaries served Santa Maria Addolorata from 1905
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Matthew S. Eyerman2021–present
Founding pastor of Blessed Maria Gabriella Parish, named by Cardinal Cupich to lead the merged parish effective July 1, 2021.
- Rev. Patrick Casey, O.M.I.2005–c.2012
Oblate of Mary Immaculate; pastor of both Precious Blood and St. Malachy when the two were merged by extinctive union in 2005 to form St. Malachy + Precious Blood Parish.
- Rev. Patrick Casey, O.M.I. (St. Malachy)pre-2005
Pastor of St. Malachy Parish prior to the Renew My Church merger with Precious Blood.
- Precious Blood pastors (1907–2005)1907–2005
Lineage of pastors of Precious Blood Parish, 2411 W. Congress Parkway, founded 1907 for the Irish and Italian communities of the Near West Side. Specific names not enumerated in the sources reviewed.
- St. Malachy pastors (1882–2005)1882–2005
Lineage of pastors of St. Malachy Parish from its 1882 organization by West Side Irish Catholics through the 2005 extinctive union. Specific names not enumerated in the sources reviewed.