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Our Lady Of Lebanon

It was a new horizon for a handful of Catholics of the Eastern Rite, called Maronites, when Cardinal Samuel Stritch provided them with a priest of their own to take care of their spiritual needs. Services were held at first in a house located at 2622 West 14^th Place in Chicago. In 1958 they moved into a church that later became a landmark for its architectural design, located at 5701 Midway Park in Chicago.

Their founder, Saint Maron, a monk of the Anchorite School in the fourth century, died in 410 A. D.  The many persecutions suffered by the Maronites in the early days caused them to find a refuge in the mountains of Lebanon. Although Lebanon became their country, the Maronites' relationship with Rome was kept intact during those early centuries and the Church remained strictly Roman Catholic by faith.

On June 1, 1973, Our Lady of Lebanon Church moved into its new home, the old Servite Seminary building (formerly Mater Dolorosa), located at Butterfield Road and Hillside Avenue, which they purchased and, with continued remodeling, are keeping in good repair.

Since moving to Hillside, Father John Naffah of Our Lady of Lebanon Church carries on its purpose and tradition of cultural and social activities without distinction of country, color or creed.

The primary source of this information is:

"Progress, Pride, Growth, 1905 - 1980, 75^th Anniversary --Village of Hillside", C.1981 published by Village of Hillside, Hillside, IL, by Ruth Lommatzsch and Ann Hoogstra

Last Modified:  06/10/2002