About Calvary Hill Shrine · Stone Park, Illinois
Calvary Hill Shrine is a Catholic outdoor Passion shrine in Stone Park, Illinois, located on the Casa Italia campus at 1621 N. 39th Avenue. Once part of the Scalabrini Fathers' Sacred Heart Seminary, the shrine features 33 granite steps symbolizing the 33 years of Christ's earthly life and outdoor Stations of the Cross leading up a small hill to a crucifix scene commemorating the Crucifixion. It is now operated under the Archdiocese of Chicago as an Italian-language devotional site where the faithful can ascend the Holy Stairs and walk the Way of the Cross in a quiet, contemplative setting.
- Established
- 1950s (shrine steps); seminary 1935, moved to Stone Park 1936
- Patron
- The Passion of Christ (Holy Stairs of Calvary)
- Rector
- Fr. Gino Dalpiaz, CS (Scalabrini; director of Casa Italia / Italian Cultural Center, per the 2006 Archdiocesan Guide)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Chicago (Metropolitan Archdiocese of Chicago)
Why belong here
Calvary Hill Shrine offers a rare, authentically Italian-American Catholic devotional experience in the western suburbs of Chicago — a quiet, outdoor Way of the Cross where visitors can climb 33 granite steps on their knees (as generations of Scalabrini seminarians once did), meditate at the sculpted Stations, and pray at a hilltop Crucifixion scene. For Italian-Americans and anyone devoted to the Passion, it pairs pilgrimage with a thriving cultural campus (Casa Italia) that hosts Italian language classes, art exhibits, the Festa Della Famiglia honoring San Francesco di Paola, and weekend Mass — a living link between Italian heritage and Catholic faith.
Mass times at Calvary Hill Shrine
Weekly Mass schedule
History of Calvary Hill Shrine
Calvary Hill Shrine originated as the devotional grounds of the Sacred Heart Seminary, founded by the Scalabrini Fathers (Missionary Fathers of St. Charles) in 1935 at the rectory of Santa Maria Addolorata Parish on Chicago's Near Northwest Side. The seminary moved to a wooded 17–22 acre site in the Village of Stone Park in 1936 and built Bishop Scalabrini Hall in 1944 to house dormitories, a gym, music rooms, recreation rooms, and offices. In the early 1950s the Scalabrini Fathers constructed a small artificial hill on the property, installed 33 granite steps symbolizing the 33 years of Christ's life, and erected a Way of the Cross leading to a hilltop Crucifixion scene. The shrine became integral to the formation of Italian-American seminarians, who were required to ascend the steps on their knees while meditating on the Passion. After the seminary closed in the late 1960s, Fr. August Feccia, CS arrived in 1970 and transformed the empty shell into the Italian Cultural Center. The complex was renamed Casa Italia and re-emerged as a hub for Italian-American faith, art, and culture. In 2024 the Village of Stone Park acquired the land and entered a long-term lease with Casa Italia, Inc., explicitly preserving Holy Hill / Calvary Hill as the devotional centerpiece of the campus.
- 1935 — Scalabrini seminary founded at Santa Maria Addolorata, Chicago
- 1936 — Seminary moves to Stone Park
- 1944 — Bishop Scalabrini Hall built
- Early 1950s — 33 granite steps and outdoor Stations of the Cross erected
- Late 1960s — Seminary closes
- 1970 — Fr. August Feccia, CS arrives; founds the Italian Cultural Center
- 2024 — Village of Stone Park purchases the land; long-term lease with Casa Italia, Inc.
The Holy Stairs and the Way of the Cross
The defining feature of Calvary Hill Shrine is the flight of 33 granite steps that pilgrims traditionally climb on their knees while praying and meditating on the Passion of Christ. According to a printed leaflet the Scalabrinians distributed in the 1950s and 1960s: 'These Stairs have 33 steps representing the 33 years Our Lord lived on earth as His 33 years brought Him closer to His cross. Likewise the steps bring you to the Calvary Shrine. Ascend Reverently Thinking of the Passion of Jesus.' The 'holy stairs' are described as a replica of the stairs Jesus ascended during His Passion. Flanking the climb are the sculpted Stations of the Cross, leading up the slope to a Crucifixion tableau at the summit. The devotional discipline echoes the centuries-old Italian tradition of sacri monti — 'holy mountains' — set up as replicas of Calvary and the Via Dolorosa when travel to Jerusalem was impossible.
- 33 granite steps representing Christ's 33 years
- Outdoor Way of the Cross (Stations of the Cross) on the slope
- Hilltop Crucifixion scene
- Traditional ascent on the knees in penance and meditation
Mass, Chapel & Pastoral Services
According to Discover Mass and the Archdiocese of Chicago directory, the regular public liturgy at Calvary Hill Shrine is Sunday Mass at 12:00 PM (typically celebrated in Italian or English). The Archdiocese of Chicago's 2006 Guide to Catholic Chicago noted that the shrine itself hosts no regular devotions or liturgies but is open to the public for outdoor Stations of the Cross, while the adjacent Sacred Heart Chapel at Casa Italia (Oratory of the Sacred Heart at Casa Italia, 3800 W. Division) is available by appointment for memorial Masses, weddings, baptisms, and funerals in Italian or English by calling the Casa Italia office at 708-345-5933. The chapel and grounds are used each year for the Triduum in honor of San Francesco di Paola and the torchlight procession up to Calvary Hill that opens the Festa Della Famiglia.
- Sunday Mass — 12:00 PM
- Sacred Heart Chapel at Casa Italia — by appointment
- Memorial Masses, weddings, baptisms, funerals (Italian or English)
- Annual Triduum & Festa Della Famiglia in August
Casa Italia Campus
Calvary Hill Shrine sits at the heart of Casa Italia, a 17-acre campus that also contains the Italian Cultural Center, Community Center, Festival Center, Banquet Center, and Office Center, along with landscaped grounds, an artificial lagoon, and a pavilion. The complex grew out of the Sacred Heart Seminary and was re-imagined in the 1970s by Fr. August Feccia, CS. It now hosts Italian language classes for children and adults, an Italian language immersion summer camp, art exhibits (including at the John Cadel Art Gallery), an opera competition in the fall, movie nights, lecturers, festivals, dinners, retreats, and meetings for dozens of Italian-American organizations. The campus is recognized by Landmarks Illinois for its mid-century-modern architecture — concrete vertical sun shades, intact interior lobby spaces, and the circular chapel — and was surveyed by Landmarks Illinois on November 17, 2008.
- Italian Cultural Center
- Community Center / Chandelier Room
- Festival Center & Pavilion
- Florence Bartolomei Rosselli Library (8,000+ volumes)
- John Cadel Art Gallery
- Artificial lagoon & landscaped grounds
Italian Cultural Center & Library
Founded by Fr. August Feccia, CS in the years after 1970, the Italian Cultural Center preserves and promotes Italian-American heritage in the Chicago area. It includes the Florence Bartolomei Rosselli Library, originally established by the seminary in 1935, which holds more than 8,000 volumes (a quarter in Italian), 10,000 photographs, and over 100 oral histories; the John Cadel Art Gallery, exhibiting works by Italian-American artists; and the editorial offices of Fra Noi Italian newspaper. The Center hosts a dinner dance in February, an art exhibit in August, and an opera competition in the fall, and it sponsors language classes, movie nights, and lectures. It is the cultural complement to Calvary Hill's devotional mission, sharing the same 17-acre campus.
- Florence Bartolomei Rosselli Library (since 1935)
- John Cadel Art Gallery
- Fra Noi newspaper editorial offices
- Italian language classes for children & adults
- Annual dinner dance, art exhibit, opera competition
Annual Devotions & Festivals
Calvary Hill Shrine comes alive each year during Lent with the outdoor Stations of the Cross hosted by Casa Italia, drawing pilgrims to walk and pray the Way of the Cross up the Holy Stairs to the Crucifixion scene. Each August the Società San Francesco di Paola hosts the Festa Della Famiglia: a Thursday–Friday Triduum of Masses in the Sacred Heart Chapel at Casa Italia (8:30 PM) followed by a Saturday torchlight procession (7:00 PM) with the statue of San Francesco di Paola — accompanied by the Knights of Columbus and Banda Siciliana — winding through the campus to Calvary Hill for a prayer service, and culminating in a Sunday Mass.
- Lenten Stations of the Cross
- Festa Della Famiglia in honor of San Francesco di Paola (August)
- Triduum of Masses (Thu/Fri, 8:30 PM)
- Torchlight procession with Knights of Columbus & Banda Siciliana
Stewardship & Recent Developments
Casa Italia, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that operates the Cultural Center. In 2024 the Village of Stone Park purchased the Casa Italia land from the Scalabrinians; a long-term lease with Casa Italia, Inc. guarantees the continued operation of the Italian Cultural Center and Community Center buildings, while the office center and old restaurant/banquet center are slated to be torn down and replaced — including a new Stone Park Police Department headquarters on parts of the 17-acre grounds. New Chairman Peter Volpe announced in early 2025 that Calvary Hill / Holy Hill will be preserved unchanged, the Grand Entry to the Cultural Center will remain, and the Festival Center will continue to host events including the Festa Della Famiglia, Children's Summer Camp, Dancing under the Stars, and the Christmas Village. Memorial bricks will be relocated to a new area of the grounds.
- Casa Italia, Inc. — 501(c)(3) non-profit
- 2024 — Village of Stone Park purchases the land
- Calvary Hill / Holy Hill preserved as devotional centerpiece
- Cultural Center, Community Center, and Festival Center retained
Visiting the Shrine
Calvary Hill Shrine is an outdoor site within the Casa Italia campus in Stone Park, Illinois, just outside Chicago near O'Hare Airport. Parking and admission are free. Visitation hours published by the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2006 were 5:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m. Monday–Friday; 11:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. Saturday; and 8:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m. Sunday — visitors are encouraged to confirm current hours with the Casa Italia office. Pilgrims typically sign in at the Casa Italia Cultural Center (1621 N. 39th Ave.) and walk the landscaped grounds to the foot of the 33 steps. For chapel access, memorial Masses, weddings, baptisms, or funerals in Italian or English, call 708-345-5933 to make an appointment.
- Free parking and admission
- Open daily; confirm hours with Casa Italia (708-345-5933)
- Sign in at the Cultural Center, 1621 N. 39th Ave.
- Chapel access by appointment only
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. August Feccia, CS1970–(later life)
Scalabrini priest who arrived at the closed seminary in 1970, founded the Italian Cultural Center, gathered the library and art collection, brought the Our Lady of the New Millennium statue, founded Radio Maria, and the charity later named the Fr. Feccia Charitable Foundation.
- Fr. Gino Dalpiaz, CSserving as director as of 2006
Listed by the Archdiocese of Chicago's 2006 Guide to Catholic Chicago as director of the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia.
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