Shining a LIGHT on Religion in BRIGHTon Park
The southside of Chicago is the most diverse area of Chicago. In the southside is where the majority of people of color live and a large part of the southside is the Latin community. In the Mexican community, religion plays a heavy role in upbringing and older generations value it above all else. Because of the heavy influence religion plays in the Mexican culture, many older generations feel it is necessary to live within less than a mile or even half of a mile radius of the church. In fact, historically when a new town is built, one of the first buildings to be made is a church due to its cultural significance. My map shows the sixteen churches or religious spaces spread out within Brighton Park. The story these churches show is generations of Sunday mass, early morning church bells, and the bedrock of a community. Malchik writes about life in a community, “I can open the door of my home, take my kids by their hands, and meet almost any need by lifting my feet and moving forward. Food, schools, social centres, books, playgrounds, even doctors and dentists and ice cream — nearly everything our family uses daily is within about a mile’s walk of home and well-served by wide, uncrowded sidewalks” (The End of Walking). The purpose of this map is to show the layout of a neighborhood, when looking at its size, the impact of how many churches there are in it grow in showing its importance to the culture residing there. The map itself is explanatory, it shows the buildings that are most important to the neighborhood. The map also shows travel elements such as highways and train stations to show accessibility to the neighborhood and its churches.
THE MAP
I chose a + to represent churches since it is not only the symbol for Jesus, a biblical figure, but it is the shape of the tombstones for those of the faith.
- Iglesia Bautista Castillo Fuerte — Western and 44th
As I got off the Western bus and began my walk, I noticed that the busy street was only busy going north and south, heavy traffic zooming by. To the east, there was a large strip of grass, spanning from Pershing to the Western Orange line on 49th. To the west, small shops and smaller streets. As I walked south on Western, I actually passed this church and kept walking, I had to turn back. As I got to this church, I noticed that its appearance was bland; a big beige building with no religious standouts like stain glass or a large sign. It simply had a blue banner with the name of the church. The block itself was rather dull, to the right of Iglesia Bautista Castillo Fuerte was a car shop and to its left, another nameless building.
2) Immaculate Conception Catholic Church — California and 44th
Walking down 44th street, the sounds were quieter. The only noise was the sound of wind. Walking down the smaller streets that connected Western to California, I came across a yard sale where quiet Spanish music played. It was a more residential area, the only activity being the squirrels running for snacks. Upon reaching Immaculate Conception Catholic Church , I was captivated by the simplistic beauty of the layout. On the left side was the rectory with a gothic style cross with a saint on its naval standing on the lawn. In front of the church was a koi pond surrounded by a garden. The Virgin Mary stood at the top of the pond, with a stone woman bowing to her from the garden’s bushes. The church itself was long and had a giant stain glass window of Jesus ascending into heaven. Along the streets were street vendors, men selling fruit out of pickup trucks, a firetruck’s siren blaring down the broken asphalt on the street.
3) Peace Lutheran Church — California and 43rd
As I came to the intersection, I could not find the sign where this church was. As I walked all around, I decided to find its address, it was the same as church #4, I found that the Peace Lutheran Church was the church for the German wave of residents, and during its current wave, it was now the Iglesia Cristiana Manantial De Vida.
4) Iglesia Cristiana Manantial De Vida — California and 43rd
This church had a gothic architecture. Its long pointy peaks painted mint green made it tall and stand out. Iglesia Cristiana Manantial De Vida was the first typical looking Catholic Church I saw on my walk. Although the church was on a busy street, California, it was not a very loud area. There was a medium amount of vehicle traffic, but lots of foot traffic. The signs on the church showed new events that were being hosted. This seemed like a church that was very active in its community.
5) Five Holy Martyrs Church — Richmond and 43rd
Five Holy Martyrs Church was on the intersection of two smalls streets. There was no traffic of any kind and the building, although seemingly kept up, had graffiti sprayed on the sides of the walls. There was no noises coming from inside the building. It was overall a sad sight.
6) Iglesia New Beginnings Cristo La Roca — Kedzie and Archer
From church #5 I walked west to Kedzie. Walking south on Kedzie, the foot traffic picked up again. The area was noisier. It was no longer a residential area but rather a business street with restaurants and shops. As I walked up to this church, it seemed like another shop rather than a church. The window’s blinds were shut and the building looked like a gray cube, the only distinguishing factor being the colorful purple and pink sign saying “Iglesia New Beginnings Cristo La Roca” in cursive.
7) St. John’s Polish National Church — Kedzie and 46th
By the name of the Church I knew that this church was one of the oldest in the neighborhood; a remnant from the previous wave of Polish and German residents. Across the street from a very active elementary school, St. John’s was a small church with a long wood staircase. The building was beige and was calming against the louder school across the street.
8) Evangelist Christian Mission — Homan and 38th
I walked all the way up Kedzie from 46th to 38th and west to Homan, towards the most west part of Brighton Park. The area was residential, but not upkept. The intersection of Homan and 38th was run down, and the Mission, though not a church was a religious space and did not look very fancy. The building itself had a peeling sign, dirty bricks and old paint. Its lawn was overgrown and the public sign standing next to it was slanted.
9) Jehovah Witnesses East Congregation — Homan and 38th
In the quietness of the block, the Jehovah’s Witness building was not a big easy to spot area either. This congregation was in a home. To me, this adds to the idea of the importance religion has in this neighborhood. The residents do not need a big building to congregate. Homan speaks on the idea of making a home, in this case the refuge of religion, in any place when he writes, “The two places had now combined to form a complicated internal landscape, a space where I could wander and feel at home, and in which stories could be generated” (Mapping Home).
10) Centro Comuitario Cristiano — Homan and 38th
The third religious space of the same intersection looked much like the others. The building was square and bland, a simple sign for the people to know it was a church, but not fancy like the gothic style.
11) La Iglesia De Dios Inc. — Albany and 38th
Walking down 38th , the residential area was quiet, but not too far you could hear the Pershing traffic. At La Iglesia De Dios Inc. , the look was more like the traditional church. Its pentagon shape was completed with a steeple. On the steeple was a cross statue.
12) St. Pancratius Church — Sacramento and 40th
Although Sacramento is not a main street, it is busy than the areas of the past few churches. St. Pancratius was a large church , with cross steeples and the generic light brown bricking. Along the street was lots of foot traffic and more vehicle traffic than the other residential areas. You could smell the food from the corner stores and people talking on their front porches.
13) Brighton Park Presbyterian Church (Formerly) ; Iglesia Cristiana Emanuel (Currently) — Francisco and Pershing
Upon some research, I found that this was the 3rd church that had a name from the previous wave of residents. Under google maps and other resources, this church was named Brighton Park Presbyterian Church, but when I got there, it was Iglesia Cristiana Emanuel.
14) St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church — Washtenaw and Pershing
The church was actually torn down many years ago. In its place is a strip mall called Archer Station that holds an LA Fitness, a Wendy’s, and Ross. What is left of the church is the rectory.
15) Our Lady of Fatima Shrine of St. Anne Catholic Church — California and 38th
This church is one of the most busiest in the neighborhood. It is very loud and has lots of vehicle and foot traffic. The church is close to the highway and many gas stations and a truck stop. On Sundays you can find many people walking out of Sunday mass.
16) Arcade Salvation — Rockwell and 35th
On the most northeast side of Brighton Park, near the viaducts was this church. It looked just like the other simple building with only a banner as verification of its existence.
In most neighborhoods, you can find an honorary street named after someone of great importance. In Brighton Park, the honorary street is named after a pope.
Most people view the southside as a scary place with dangers lurking everywhere. In my experience walking through Brighton Park, I never felt worried about my walking. Most areas of the southwest side I was in was a quiet and residential, the busy streets significantly less busy than that of Michigan Avenue. The popular perception of the southside reminds me of Sandburg’s poem, “They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I have seen your painted women under the gas lamps luring the farm boys…And having answered so I turn once more to those who sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer and say to them:Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the little soft cities” (Chicago).
