The Mission of Our Lady of the Angels establishes a Catholic presence in the Humboldt Park area on Chicago’s west side. This area presently is one of the poorest neighborhoods in the City of Chicago. The purpose of the Mission is to assist the poor and evangelize through an apostolate of prayer, retreat and preaching. Mention of Our Lady of the Angels brings to mind for many people the school fire of December 1, 1958, in which 92 students and three religious sisters perished. In 2005, Cardinal George invited Fr. Bob Lombardo, CFR, to establish the Mission at the site of the tragic fire. Fr. Bob is one of the founding friars of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, along with Fr. Benedict Groeschel.
prayer/adoration and fourteen bedrooms to accommodate people wishing to come for retreat or volunteer opportunities. It also serves as Fr. Bob's headquarters from which he helps coordinate programs at the new Kelly Hall YMCA and oversees the renovation of the Convent across the street. The pictures you see on this web site testify to the many who have shared their time, talent and resources to help create this Mission. Fr. Bob is grateful to everyone, and considers what has occurred at the Mission to be miraculous. Yet, there is still much work to be done... |
The Old Rectory (above):
Mission Headquarters & Food Pantry
With the skyrocketing cost of
heating, families and seniors in the
area do not have the necessary
resources for sufficient heat and
nutritious meals.
Fr. Bob has already started serving
the neighborhood and Volunteers
distribute food on Tuesday
mornings to the parents of Head
Start children in the neighborhood.
The first Saturday of the month, the
mission also serves as a model of
how to efficiently run a mobile food
pantry. The Mission was recently
featured in USA Today. The rectory
was renovated by with the help of
many wonderful volunteers and
donors.
Mission of Our Lady of the Angels
| Mission of Our Lady of the Angels 3808 W. Iowa St., Chicago, IL 60651 (773) 486-8431 Fax (773) 486-8432 |
| Click Here to locate the Mission on google maps |
Fr. Bob Lombardo
| Welcome to the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels --A Catholic outreach on the West side of Chicago |
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| Updated May 10, 2009- mostly to the Convent page, Wish List and a few additions to the Mobile Food Pantry page. |
Kelly Hall (below left):
Youth Outreach, Food Pantry &
Senior Services
Drugs and gangs pose a constant
threat to at-risk youth in the
neighborhood. The former Parish
Center (Kelly Hall), now almost a
brand new community center is ideal
for a youth outreach/ neighborhood
center. The programs will include
sports, computer lab, and classes
such as English as a second
language, etc. In addition to great
programs for youth, Kelly Hall will have
programs for area seniors that help them
live healthy, safe, meaningful lives, in
dignity.
This project is the result of a partnership
between the Archdiocese of Chicago,
the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, and
the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
The Convent (below right):
Housing for Volunteers on programs
such as Urban Plunge and additional
retreat space.
Across the street from the Rectory
and around the corner from Kelly
Hall, is the Convent which is also
currently being renovated. It has
forty (40) bedrooms, a kitchen, dining
room, sitting room, chapel and other
miscellaneous smaller rooms that
will serve as offices.
The Convent is being renovated with
the help of many, many volunteers
and donors - individuals, families,
church and other groups, the unions
and trades, and many businesses.
Housing for Volunteers on programs
such as Urban Plunge and additional
retreat space.
Across the street from the Rectory
and around the corner from Kelly
Hall, is the Convent which is also
currently being renovated. It has
forty (40) bedrooms, a kitchen, dining
room, sitting room, chapel and other
miscellaneous smaller rooms that
will serve as offices.
The Convent is being renovated with
the help of many, many volunteers
and donors - individuals, families,
church and other groups, the unions
and trades, and many businesses.
For those new to the Mission, it is comprised of three components: The Rectory, Kelly Hall and the Convent. |
Some of our favorite pages from the past: Although we have revamped the web site to streamline it a bit, we did not want to lose some of our favorite pages from the past. The Mission is not just about who comes to volunteer today or tomorrow, but it is about the whole Mission family, including those who got us to where we are today. It's about those who come week after week to volunteer from the Chicagoland area, those who come for a yearly project like our Virginia Tech students who were just hear for their second spring break in a row, those who fly in from other parts of the country to help Fr. Bob for a weekend, and even those who come from other parts of the world. We have such great memories from the last few years. We don't want to forget that we are more than just what you see today. We are building not just futures, but also a legacy- a legacy of love. So, from the past, here are a few of our favorite pages that we didn't want to lose in the web site renovation. When you are finished viewing one of the following web pages, just hit the "back" button on your browser to return to this page. September 2007: Who do we serve? October 2007: Why do we serve? June 2008: Are you a disciple, an apostle or both? Fr. Bob rides into the Big-Hearted Midwest! A New Year's Reflection |
In addition to the Mobile Food Pantry days and the General Work Days listed on
the "Calendar" page, volunteers are currently needed as follows:
- For the programs for the seniors on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from
10:00 am to 1:30 pm;
- About 15 volunteers are needed every day of the week to tutor the kids in
the after-school program at Kelly Hall. Any time you can spare between 3:
00 - 6:30 pm would be great. We need volunteers to tutor all ages and to help
them with their computer skills; and
- We are beginning to serve the children dinners now. 4-5 volunteers from
4:30 until about 6:30 Monday through Friday to help serve and clean up.
Maybe you and a few friends could help out one day a month. Maybe your
parish would like to take on one day a month and provide volunteers.
| CURRENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES & PROJECTS |
Contact Fr. Bob if you would like to be part of something wonderful! (773) 486-8431 |
