St Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church

Super friendly parishioners and a beautiful Church. Always having fun social events.

Disclaimer: I am not a churchgoer but I am a huge fan of architecture. The inside of this church is absolutely stunning and worth stepping foot in, maybe even converting. Beautiful.

Ok, so in the past other people probably mentioned to them that you can only fit a finite number of bodies into a finite space. No Einstein or Bohr required there. This year they expanded the physical space of the fest to include the street adjacent to the property and they added an extra stage so 2 bands were playing at once. Great moves on their part. Some downsides in my mind were the beer selection, beer prices (where am I… Wrigley?) and the location and low number of portable bathrooms. They were located behind in between church buildings, which makes sense because you don’t irritate the neighbors, but there were not signs for them and they were tucked away in a spot that was not so easy to find. There were also too few of them and the lines were long. So overall they have made some very good improvements and with a few more minor ones this could really turn into an above par experience.

I love this church. I think its very inviting to all ages of Catholics or those who are interested in Catholicism.
I have been attending services here for years and my husband (then boyfriend) wanted to attend Christmas Eve mass with me in 2012 and so I brought him. He fell inlove with the church and has started going to services with me. He has always been interested in Catholicism and now he is in the process of converting.
My only comment is that if you want to get married in this church, you have to book in advance. We’re talking about at least a year in advance. It is a very popular church especially to young adults.
They also have services in Spanish and German :)

Most of the recent reviews are for Oktoberfest, but my rating is for the overall church. I became a parishioner over the summer after just giving one mass a try. The architecture and interior of the church are beautiful. I really enjoy Fr. Shawn’s sermons and can easily follow his style and message.
I also think it’s a really fantastic community, always with so many activities going on and very welcoming. There is an especially active young adult group. Oktoberfest is obviously one of the most popular, but there are other social events like fish fries, trivia night, indoor volleyball, and the list goes on! To feed your spirit and intellectual side, there are weekend retreat opportunities, theology of the body, views from the veranda (speakers during the summer), and much more! My favorite is getting involved with volunteering. St. Al’s advocates for great causes ranging from some typical like giving trees to serving dinner at women’s shelters to helping with the school community. All in all, St. Alphonsus is a very nice church to belong to.

What they used to say back in the day, in Catholic school, was, «Our Lady of Victory, pray for us.» Surely, Catholics still use this incantation to rouse the troops to victory. And victory is just what St. Alphonsus achieved with their Oktoberfest this year. It’s good to always have The Lady and The Big Guy on your side.
Perhaps the good Catholics at St. Alphonsus read my prior review, as they really shored up their fest this year and did it up right. The Church says The Big Guy and the Church forgive you if you do your Penance, and St. Alphonsus surely did do its Penance.
In years past, the Oktoberfest had become too big for its britches in the area behind the church and had just gotten out of hand with too many people in way too small of a space.
This year, the church expanded the fest onto Southport over a span of a few blocks, alleviating the crush of crowds of yore and making this year’s fest possibly their best ever. Fest goers were able to get about the fest without any difficulty thanks to the more expansive fest grounds and open lanes for foot traffic.
The only nominal complaints I had were six-​dollar, twelve ounce Swill Lights (Oyster Fest did six-​dollar pints of Guinness), seven-​dollar craft beers (this isn’t Wrigley Field), no cookie truck this year for the first time in several years and the standard, boiler plate bad bands playing the same tunes on a loop. But I forgive you for that, St. Alphonsus, because forgiving is what Catholics are supposed to do, and I’m a team player.
Victory is at hand. Well done, St. Alphonsus.

Beautiful Church, super orthodox Catholic priests. Culturally very old school German. The church is gorgeous, even the basement looks amazing — like another church. The priest I spoke with is very Traditional and active in his parish. I went to a first communion by mistake — just happened to walk into a Mass and it was first communion — the priest made a point to tell the attendees that photos and videos are not the point, but to pray with and for the kids. He will make time for getting photos downstairs and outside later.

Herren und Damen *serious and earnest voice* Ich liebe Oktoberfest und es macht spass.
Very pleased with Oktoberfest. From the start I liked how diverse the crowd (though busy and got ÜBER busy as time went on). Singles, couples, families, people with dogs, older people, people with babies. Guys in liederhosen wandering around. A guy who dressed like David the Gnome.
The attractions were, in a word, interesting. Some booths sold Native American stuff. One sold Mexican panchos. Another vintage jewelry. Another I think cable. Ect. Typical for a Chicago Fest.
We ordered:
Beer!
No boots available, there were steins and cups and like four or five kinds.
Cavapcici
It was a minced meat kabob (not German) in a flatbread with chopped onions, pepper, salt, and ajvar (a relish made of bell peppers, garlic, and chili in this case). It was good.
Caponies
Deep fried feta and spinach dumplings with marinara on top. Good and nice portion size. Delicious.
Caponies
Margarita pizza
Thin crust with fresh delectable ingredients.
Deep fried cookie dough
These were three fried egg rolls filled with chocolate chip cookie dough with syrup and ice cream. Rich!
Everyone working was so nice. The crowd was really nice and friendly. I talked to several people and even spoke German with one :)
The Fest raises money and is non profit so I think it’s worth checking out.

I went back to my old parish this week and was quite shocked when I went in and saw how much the church interior has changed.
Seemed more like a glitzy hotel lobby now.

Please know first off: this review is not of the church, it is about the church’s Lenten fish fry. If you are going to the fish fry merely to support the church then obviously it’s a great cause and by all means, please go. However, if you are going to the fish fry to enjoy a great fish dinner, this is not the place for you.
Let me say that I recently moved to Chicago from Michigan, and where I’m from, Lenten fish fries are plentiful. For about $ 8 at a number of churches, you get a self-​serve, all you can eat, fish fry. I’m talking fresh, hand-​dipped fried fish, baked fish, salad, potatoes, french fries, rolls, macaroni and cheese, cole slaw, applesauce, juice, and dessert. Unlimited. Naturally, we wanted to continue the fish fry tradition and searched the Chicago area, and were actually disappointed to find a small number of churches who took on this tradition. Maybe we just didn’t look in the right place — who knows. But we chose St. Alphonsus.
The fish fry is $ 12, which is the most I’ve ever paid for a fish fry, but it’s also BYOB, which is a perk. The volunteers were all friendly, and once we were settled, we were eager to dig in! To our first surprise, it wasn’t self-​serve, but rather the plates were brought to us. We received two pieces of fried fish, a scoop of mac n cheese, some cole slaw, and a cookie. We asked for ketchup, they didn’t have any. They did have little packets of tarter sauce, but not all 6 of us like that, so that was disappointing. The fish tasted good, but clearly wasn’t fresh fish — it truly seemed like a box of frozen fish just fried up in oil. And that was it. No really — for $ 12… that. was…IT! My friend asked if there were seconds, and the volunteer said we could have seconds for $ 12. If the fish fry was $ 6, I wouldn’t be writing this review. But it was $ 12. I realize this is a church fundraiser, but I would have rather donated $ 10 to the church and spent my money elsewhere on a better dinner.
For six of us, we spent $ 72. For $ 20, we could have bought a box of Gordon’s frozen fried fish fillets, two boxes of Velveeta mac n’ cheese, a bag of cole slaw, and a bottle of wine. Or for $ 56, we could have gone to Edgewater Lounge, where they have UNLIMITED fish n’ chips for $ 8.95.
Again — I’m not giving a bad review of the church. But the fish fry was so disappointing — and half of our party left hungry. We ended up leaving and buying a couple of frozen pizzas to finish the night. I walked in with high expectations of what a fish fry should be because I only grew up with the all you can eat fish fries. I am not suggesting a fish fry to be a place to pig out on food — but for $ 12, I would at least expect some ketchup. I will cherish my fond memories of Michigan fish fries, and for now, leave the fish fries to the Chicago restaurants, not the churches. Jesus may have been able to multiply the fishes and the loaves, but St. Alphonsus can not.

The reviews of this fest on the church’s site are ridiculous.
Get over yourselves that all you had was Bud Lite left at 9:30pm. The world didn’t end and you’re still alive and well to write and moan about it.
I attended this fest on the Friday it was on, and it was fun. The church hall had entertainment, and the tent outdoors was fun too. Catching up with friends over beers, in a church hall, with polka? A good old-​fashioned night in Chicago (if you grew up in the area, you spent many a summer night running around to parish carnivals and fests).
This isn’t the Lincoln Square Mayfest, where you get the privilege to wait in line for everything on a slow day for up to 15 minutes and step around barf and overflowing porta-​johns.
The food was all local stuff. Yes, not all of it was German, but we’re also not in Munich either. How about you open up a German restaurant and donate bratwurst to the fest next year?
Keep in mind this is put on by a non-​for-​profit (a church), so everything was donated and served by volunteers. Thus, if you weren’t happy it wasn’t ‘German” enough, then put on some lederhosen and help out next year.
My main gripe is with how some patrons behaved. Granted, it’s a festival with alcohol in the youth ghetto of Lakeview. However, it’s still the grounds of a church. It’s not necessary to act like you’re at a fraternity party every time you leave the house.

Review for Oktoberfest
This was a pretty good time. When you walk in the church and don’t know what’s happening. You wander around and find an empty cafeteria with a smattering of people. Then you finally find the outdoors where bands are cranking, liederhosen (sp?) is worn and food is grilled and fried and however else it can be cooked. Major carnival food fun and some cool booths of goods to purchase. Neat little Oktoberter, late September, afternoon thing to do.

Disclaimer: I go to church here. That being said, I never felt like I had to review my church or any church for that matter. Unilocal does not seem to be the right place to evaluate where you put in your spiritual time or effort. If you are Christian, you should be going to church as regularly as possible, and you should try out churches on your own to see what fits your particular spiritual needs. I personally love this church: the vibrant and young (25 – 45) parishioners, the beautiful church and facilities (it’s incredibly gorgeous inside), and the intellectually and spiritually stimulating homilies from the priests. Majority of the church is well-​educated, and therefore the homilies are never dumb-​downed and more like an entertaining college lecture at times. They also try to honor and cater to the German and Spanish culture that helped form the church with Spanish and German masses. Education, Arts, and Charity works are abundant here. The Pastor, The Rev. James Hulbert, is a charismatic and magnetic figure with whom it is a pleasure to speak.
As for Oktoberfest; I will work on creating a separate page for that event, b/​c those reviews should not be here. Although it is a Saint Alphonsus sanctioned event, it is not the core identity or component of the church. Yes it is not perfect… it’s not even a 100% German experience, but the concentration should be on the fact that it is 95% staffed and worked by church volunteers, not some professional event company, and the funds help with so many amazing and charitable programs. If you want the fest to improve, write the church or attend a meeting for the event.

i keep reading the reviews, and they all seemed focused around Oktoberfest… yes this year was kinda disappointing compared to past years… but seriously thats 3 days out of a 365 day year… and a church is a 24÷7÷365 «business» so why are we all ripping the Church apart because of a feast?
St. Al’s is hands down the most beautiful Church in all of Chicago. Its architecture and décor are breathtaking. It’s an historic landmark to the neighborhood…
When I was living in Lincoln Park (a DePaul University Graduate) I was switching back and forth between attending mass at DePaul or St. Clements. A couple times I tried St. Michael’s as well. I parish hopped for several years and dislike most of the places I was attending. I began basing were I went to Mass on what had the most convenient times.
Then I attended Mass at St. Al’s. The music, the homily, the feeling you get when entering the Church, just blew me away and I knew I had to become a parishioner. I often bring a note pad to take notes during the Homilies (especially Fr. Shawn’s). Its a great parish for families, young adults, senior citizens, everyone! St. Al’s is just a great Church and has a great community.
Attending Mass at St. Al’s brought back the joy of attending Mass I use to get as a child.

[[Review for Oktoberfest]]
SHAME! How DARE you guys call this an Oktoberfest. Just an excuse for a bunch of hipsters to get drunk on MILLER LITE to NON-​GERMAN music. Bought a groupon for 3-​nights, free stein, and 22 food/​drink coupons. WASTED my damn money and time.
BECKS??? That’s your idea of German Beer? Sure it’s from Germany but where was the good, dark German beer? And pairing Becks with Miller Lite is just shameful in itself.
Pretzels were cold, flavorless and hard. The woman serving the pretzel apologized for only having spicy brown mustard but there was ketchup… I told her «it better be spicy brown mustard if since it’s German.» SHAME!
The bratwurst served was flavorless and shitty. The potatoes, I won’t even call them kartoffel, were disgustingly sweet and awful. The sauerkraut. Ugh. Overall, the food was horrible.
Gyros. Italian Sausages. Nachos. Pizza… THIS IS NOT FUCKING GERMAN FOOD.
This was just another Chicago festival with a bunch of drunks. Thanks for nothing. So much for celebrating German culture.

Review for Oktoberfest only.
Oktoberfest! Yes, German food, beer, and music! Nope. It was only another reason for people to get together and drink. Becks and Bud Light? Rib sandwiches, pretzels, funnel cake, and fried snickers? Don’t get me wrong I’m all down for having those at a festival, but when it’s one to represent a huge deal in Germany then it’s just not right to NOT have things from the homeland. Where’s the German potatoes and spaetzle? The Warsteiner or Oettinger beers?
The band sound fantastic and I get it, this festival aims to attract the 21 – 30 crowd, but sometimes you just gotta teach people a little bit about a culture not give them another reason to down a drink.
The layout was also awkward. Wouldn’t pay $ 5 for this again.

Disclosure: this is really a review of the «Oktoberfest» they held this year. It’s a total joke.
No polka music, no lederhosen (no German attire what so ever), and no German beer (MILLER LITE?!)… ok, ok so they had Beck’s which ran out in five minutes. I don’t even remember if there were any «German» decorations. It was held in their basement (I had high school flashbacks) and a giant tent outside. It was too f’ing packed and poorly laid out. The rumor was they had sauerkraut and brats somewhere, but hell, it was probably vienna beef sausages from here in Chicago, not bratwurst, but I didn’t even see where it was being sold. Instead they had places that served Cajun food (come on…), fried dough, sold cheap plastic necklaces and even had a tent where you can sign up for paintball out in the burbs.
If you want to host a carnival, then call it a CARNIVAL. You just can’t put up a tent, serve some kind of beer, and offer random food and call it «Oktoberfest»…
In all, it’s just a carnival they host every year that happens to be around the time of Oktoberfest which people from the Southport area can get hammered at (and create income for the Church) before they head to the bars after the place closes at 11pm. Stupid.
On a personal note, I have take issue with a church hosting a drunk fest… If you’re looking to get the youth back into church this probably isn’t the way to do I.
So lame. Not going back — and definitely recommending my friends against going.

Something feels wrong about reviewing a church. But you know what, who cares?
I used to pop in here a few years ago while my husband and I were in our «courting» days. I loved this church, the architecture, the people, the excitement that I felt from others about actually being Catholic and practicing together.
When we moved back in the area a few months ago, we registered for the parish together. The Sunday 10:30am mass is filled to the brim with young families with little munchkins running around the back of the church. The homilies are sometimes a bit slow going but there’s always a great message. I can really get my prayer on here and that’s really what it’s all about!

This review is for Oktoberfest. Will definitely be returning next year.
My fiancé and I had an amazing time, even if we went on Sunday afternoon (the last day) when the weather wasn’t great and the festival was being wrapped up. We clearly missed the 20-​something Saturday-​night crowd who came to see Sixteen Candles. I see why other reviewers would be grumpy about the crowds, but all street festivals are overcrowded. (Besides…why would you go to Oktoberfest to see an 80’s cover band? We had a much more authentic experience waving our beer mugs at the Polka band in the tent! They rocked! :)
The festival is held in the parking lot of the church, with port-​a-​potties and a huge white tent. We had bought Groupons which were an amazing deal. 3 day entrance, 3 beers, a plastic souvenir mug and a bratwurst — $ 20. The festival was well-​organized in my opinion, and our VIP tags, coupons and mugs were laid out and given to us at the same table. We had no problems getting beer (three plus stations) and they had good selection — including Stella and 312, if I remember right. We waited probably 15 – 20 minutes to get bratwurst, but the other stations (funnel cake, potato pancakes) were minimal wait times.
Do try the combination platter of authentic Polish/​German food which was SO YUMMY — applesauce, sour cream with potato latkes, polish sausage, and pierogies. It was affordable (maybe $ 8 – 10) and we were full and very happy after all the beer, and bratwurst, and the combination platter!

Very poorly planned and executed oktoberfest. There is no way that they obeyed firecodes — there were so many people packed into the basement and the parking lot.
It literally took 45 minutes to get a bratwurst. Another 30 to get a drink. ONE drink. Well, I might as well get back in line to get my second drink. I really wish I hadn’t bought the groupon because that meant I was stuck standing in lines until all of my tickets were used up.
Literally 80% of the people at the fest were in a line of some sort, meanwhile the band was playing Katy Perry and Lady Gaga songs. I don’t know of any other oktoberfest where everyone is as bored, sober, and hungry as the one here.