Holy Name Cathedral Parish

I have been coming to this Church for the past 2 years… having returned to the community after a long hiatus. I was looking for some positive messages in this crazy city and I thought I had found my home until this past Sunday. You see, in the wake of the tragedy in Orlando, I wasn’t sure how the church would handle it being that it was the gay community mostly impacted. I am happy to say that they spoke about the tragedy which made me happy and supported as an LGBT Catholic man… I even broke down and cried. I am so happy to call this my church home! They are so welcoming to people of all races, creeds, and even countries… most of their patrons are visitors. Also, I could never rate a church below 5-​stars, could I? Thanks Holy Name!

This cathedral was beautifully designed. I was simply in awe by the architecture and by the glass work. I was very pleased that I made the attempt to visit here as a tourist.

I am a little surprised that you can Unilocal a church, but as far as churches go this one is beautiful. If you are visiting Chicago and looking to go to mass, this is a great place to worship.

It feels weird Unilocaling a church but anyway… here goes!
This is my regular church and I absolutely love it. They have daily mass like 5 times a day. They also have a ton of masses on Sundays. Priests are great and the choir is just lovely. I love this church!
Oh yea, it’s also really pretty.

This place is huge and spacious and has normal mass times.
From the inside to the outside, the architecture of this building is beautiful and is as good as it gets. It’s also located in a convenient location, being on the near north side, only steps away from the Chicago Red Line stop.
There are also lots of things nearby if you’re waiting for service to start or want to go somewhere after. There are numerous brunch places nearby and the Hancock building is only a few blocks east.

Pretty cathedral! Everywhere you look around is a beautiful work of art and architecture! From the Crucifix to the Stained Glass Windows to the Organ to the Ceiling and everything in between, one cannot help but be impressed.
The Holy Name Cathedral is a wonderful place to visit when you are in the Windy City. From now on, whenever we are staying in downtown Chicago, we will be attending mass here.

Lots of Masses to choose from — beautiful place. 9:30 Sunday has full choir and the organ is amazing! My place to hear Mass when I am in Chicago!

Friendly and welcoming church! I came here for confession (Saturday’s 4 – 5; 6:15 — 7:15) and just missed the 4 – 5 time frame so I decided to stay for 5:15 mass. It was the night before the marathon, which I was running. As part of the homily, all us marathoners were invited up to receive a special blessing and wristband to wear during the race. It was a great mass and a wonderful energy :)

Everything I’ve stated previously is still true.
Good priests
Great music, in fact the Director of Music/​maestro should be given tremendous compliments for the quality of his choir and the selection of his music.
His Grace, Archbishop Blasé Cupich who is the new archbishop wisely moved the «cathedra» or bishop’s chair more to the side. I don’t think it’s ideal, but it certainly looks MUCH better than before. The whole «angled» thing is lost on me. It looks like an inferior compromise reconciling the tradition of patristic era churches where the cathedra was behind the altar and the bishop was surrounded by his «presbyters» and the bishop wanting to be somehow closer.
Now unfortunately, there is a huge vacuous space where the cathedra was previously placed. They attempt to fill it with huge plants which just makes it look silly. They’re simply ignoring the fact that the tabernacle belongs there. That’s how the cathedral was designed.
I understand liturgical documents recommend the Sanctissimum be placed in a prominent chapel or area in a cathedral, but this is not an absolute, and here, it makes no sense. The current position of the tabernacle is neither prominent or worthy. It fights the architecture.
I was made to understand Cardinal George (RIP) was waiting for Bp. Lyne to pass so that he could place it back in the central apse of the cathedral where it used to be before 1967. Bp. Lyne died only recently, and sadly Cardinal George likely had neither the energy or time to complete this plan.
This is a beautiful cathedra architecturally, I hope they continue to improve on some poor and dated choices. The Italians do a very fine job of using fine fabric (brocade and damasks) to denote gradation of solemnities by altar-​frontals, and «banners» on pillars etc. This could easily be done here.

This is a wonderful church just walking distance from my airBnB for my vacation. Mass time was convenient and spread out through the day. People were welcoming and the church was beautiful inside. Outside might not look impressive if you’ve seen a lot of cathedrals but the inside is nice!

This church is filled with Holy Spirit. I felt coming alive receiving the ceremonial bread this past Easter. The architecture in the walls, ceilings and exteriors are well renowned and made strong impression of those who visited. They have visitors from all over the world and the regulars are as diverse as the city of Chicago. This place not only is centrally located, it offers parking right next door and the security measures are excellent. You will feel safe and protected during worship. This church is also next to many historical monuments in the Windy City that is worth visiting even if you do not identify with
Catholicism. I highly recommended Holy Name Cathedral. May the lord graces all who visits his place of worship!

This cathedral is simply gorgeous. Take the time to look up at the ornate ceilings and stained glass windows. My husband, daughter and I attend mass here and enjoy the Saturday afternoon mass as well as the Sunday morning mass.
A big plus as we travel everywhere with our stroller is that there’s an elevator.
This cathedral’s beauty will leave you speechless.

So I went here with the wifey for Sunday mass at 9:30 am. And all I can say is wow!!! I have been fortunate enough to have travelled a ton as a kid and adult and have seen my fair share of impressive European cathedrals but this one in Chicago really holds up. It’s among the nicest I have seen in the New World.
It is very ornate with a gorgeous wood roof and beautiful stain glass windows. The congregation was set ethnically diverse, which my wife always appreciates seeing.
For the size of the church and the size of the audience, the service moved rather quickly. It clocked in a shade under an hour which is quick considering they also had a second collection and is the main Catholic Church in the near north side.
I will be back next Sunday!

Because I am not Catholic, I have never attended a Catholic mass in my life until one fateful Sunday morning when I walked out of the subway station from breakfast. It was not my first time seeing Holy Name, but it was the first day that I saw its door open. Since that day was the last morning I would be in Chicago, I thought if I didn’t go in now, I probably wouldn’t be able to see what’s inside this cathedral.
The moment I walked in the main hall, the first thing I saw was the large beautifully-​made cross suspended in the center. On both walls of the main hall were lively sculptures of what looks like biblical scenes. The high ceiling of the hall was also equally admirable as all that it covers. Aside from being entranced by the sacred ceremony, I was thoroughly impressed by the majestic architecture within the cathedral.
I was able to attend the last fifteen minutes of the mass and sadly, I had to leave for the first event of my business retreat. Although I was not able to stay in at the cathedral for more than fifteen minutes, parts of the cathedral that I was fortunate enough to see were enough to convince me that this was a must-​go, majestic location that all, both Catholic and non-​Catholic, should go to see!

My handsome husband and I got married at this gorgeous church this past April and we couldn’t have been happier.
Our priest, Father Boivin, is just phenomenal. He is kind and sweet and genuine and patient and honestly we just love him! The months leading up to the wedding we met with him a few times and really enjoyed our time with him. He made this portion of the wedding planning exciting and joyous.
Our rehearsal was great. Everything started on time, he kept assuring us that should we forget everything, including our own names on our wedding day, not to fret. He would be there to guide us through everything. He is such a kind soul that everyone at our rehearsal commented on how great he was and more than once he had everyone giggling.
On our wedding day everything at HNC went exactly like clockwork– precisely as they had said it would. My mother, bridesmaids, and myself all arrived and entered through the entrance we had been instructed. We went downstairs to the brides room to freshen up and wait for the clock to finally say 2:30pm. As soon as we got down to the basement, the security guard was waiting for us to unlock the room and let us in. He made sure we had everything we needed– tissue, water, showed us where the bathroom was, etc. Then after he left, just as they had assured us, Father Boivin came to the room to check on us. He gave us a heads up on time, and instructed the bridesmaids and my mother to come on upstairs with him (my maid of honor stayed with me!).
A few minutes later the security guard returned and escorted my maid of honor and myself upstairs and hid us away so that no one would see me until it was time. Once the coast was clear (meaning once the groom had escorted his parents down the aisle) I was able to sneak out of my hiding spot and wait off to the side for my grand entrance! It was so fun to see the bridal party and get a few hugs before walking down that looooonnnng aisle. I loved watching as each couple walked arm in arm down the aisle, knowing that soon it would be my father and I.
I’d also like to comment at this time that the music was just gorgeous. Even down in the basement hallway we could hear that organ, singer and violinist. It was really beautiful and dare I say, heavenly. The music sounded even better once we made it upstairs.
Finally the church doors closed and church security invited my father and I to step up to the doors and wait for the music to change, at which point they’d open the doors and in we would go!!!
I loved exchanging goofy grins with my dad and whispering that this was it. I loved when the music changed and the doors opened. I loved what I saw at that very moment. Before me was the absolute most breathtaking church I have ever seen. The light streaming through the massive stained glass windows was truly heavenly. The music that filled my ears lifted my soul! And all the wonderful, smiling faces watching as my father and I took our first steps into the church made my heart soar!!! When my eye caught my fiancé’s my face lit up and I spent the remainder of our walk down the aisle half smiling so big that my father later told me he thought I was going to break my face, and half crying tears of pure joy.
Our mass was beautiful. Just beautiful. Father Boivin and the music department did a fabulous job. The photos and video that we have of our church are amazing! I love that security closed and guarded the church doors to keep tourists from wandering into our wedding. It kept our wedding a beautiful, intimate, personal event between ourselves and our families and friends. I loved how Father Boivin introduced us as the most recently married couple in Cook County. My husband and I agreed that although we loved everything about our wedding day, our most favorite part was our wedding mass. We felt the most connected at Holy Name Cathedral, making our vows and exchanging rings before all of our loved ones.
The only thing that is disappointing about a wedding at HNC is due to the sheer number of weddings they host, they do not allow any photos at the altar or on the front steps of the church after the mass. So once you are pronounced husband and wife and walk down the aisle together that’s it. No more photos. You have to go to the side courtyard of the church to take any photos. Luckily we had photos and videos during our mass and we were able to snap a few shots outside in the church courtyard.
We just adore HNC. It’s an amazing, gorgeous, special place and I encourage everyone to attend mass here at some point. I love that this place is our parish and I am so thankful to HNC for our perfect wedding mass!!!

This is my parish and I love it here. The worship is great and there are few key notes. Check the website for mass times and priests who are saying mass. You can get lucky and sometimes get the Cardinal or Monsignor. There is also a relic of the Cross of Christ in the front left of the church. A very unique experience.
If you are going to confession before 5:15 mass make sure you are there early (I.E. 4pm) or you could be waiting a while.

Really nice Catholic church. Huge. Lots of wood and décor.
Limited parking, but accessible by public transportation.
And they do stuff for the community, like host AA Metings.

This is an impressive gothic cathedral church, which can impress visitors and lifelong Roman Catholics like myself. I took a few photos of the church (see photos by Jason A.) and realized how nice it was to have a more traditional cathedral in one’s city (I’m from Los Angeles, and our cathedral isn’t really traditional in its construction). The high arches are impressive and the marble used throughout are enough to make you realize that the Cathedral of the Holy Name is indeed worthy of a king or a God who deserves perfection.
This is basically the heart of the Catholic Church in Chicago, but during my visit here, I didn’t get a chance to sit in on a pontifical mass unfortunately. Then again, the senior priest celebrating the liturgy that evening was really emotional in his delivery of his sermon and stuck me with his strong message relating to the gospel of the week, which was that of the Prodigal Son.
During that same mass, I was given the honor of bringing up the communion hosts to the priest during the service, along with my brother and his girlfriend. The head usher noticed us sitting near the rear of the church before mass had begun and requested if we would be willing to do it. My brother and I, having been both acolytes before, did not turn down this chance to rekindle our church service and didn’t have to be told how it was to be done (despite it being our first visit to this cathedral).
My brother’s girlfriend, on the other hand, was not a cradle Catholic like us, and had to be coached by my brother on how to bring up the wine and water, where to stand and where to walk up and down the aisle during the service. I realized that he and I both lost our fear of standing/​performing before large audiences during our years as acolytes and it was nice to have that brief moment to relive the old days.
I highly recommend coming here if you’re a visitor to Chicago – Catholic or not. Just the architecture and art within the walls of the cathedral is universal, and even if you’re not a firm believer in God or any religion, there’s just something about grand, gilded and monumental spaces that evokes strong feelings that may one day lead to a search for things mysterious or divine.

Properly called Cathedral of the Holy Name; I’m of the opinion that it became the archdiocese’s Cathedral due to its very advantageous location, right in the heart of the city’s prosperous near north side. While the exterior is noteworthy, it’s not anything spectacular or out-​of-​the-​ordinary. Inside, the touches that are most inspiring are the red hats (galeros) of past cardinals suspended just under the unusual all-​wood latticework ceiling and the fabulous Flentrop organ, first dedicated in 1989.
If you watch WGN-TV’s coverage of Christmas Eve Midnight Mass, it has always been broadcast live from this sanctuary. To attend that in person usually involves somehow obtaining a ticket to the mass. Another way to experience the interior and the Flentrop is to attend one of the many free organ recitals sponsored by the parish throughout the year. You can take a virtual tour of the Cathedral here:
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Will I get smited (smitten? smote? you get it.) for not giving a church 5 stars? Or maybe for reviewing a church at all? I guess I’ll find out…
Holy Name was beautiful and I’m glad we chose to go during our trip, but it’s congregation is obviously mostly tourists, or at least it was on this particular Sunday. The overly detailed «worship aid» supports that by stepping you through each part of the mass, so you could participate with ease no matter what denomination you were.
There just didn’t seem to be a sense of community or passion since many are there to look at the building and not for worship (I’ve never seen so many cameras flashing during a mass. Really, people?). Not the church’s fault, that’s what happens when you’re a pretty, popular church in the middle of a big tourist destination city, I suppose.