Dijakon Janez P. Vidmar, Slovensko Versko Središče, Lemont, Illinois

In 1926, the American Catholic Church was the growth center of the global church, and the center point of that growth was Chicago. The influx of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe between 1870 and World War I had created demands for churches, schools, orphanages, monasteries and healthcare systems. The auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn was brought in by the Pope and the papal nuncio to bring order to this chaos. He was also given the directive to create a pontifical university on par with the ones in Rome. To showcase how the Church in Chicago had been organized, the pope granted Cardinal Mundelein to host the Eucharistic Congress in 1926. Many Slovenian clergy participated from Slovenia as well as those located in the United States. Among the clergy from Slovenia were the Bishop of Ljubljana, Bonaventura Jeglič, the Bishop of Skopje, Janez Gnidovec (now Servant of God), Archbishop Rodič from Belgrade, the Franciscan Provincial, p. Regalat Čebulj, OFM, Rev. Kragl from Fram near Maribor, Rev. Michael Opeka, the cathedral canon in Ljubljana, and Rev. Ivan Štrajhar, the pastor in Borovnica. These dignitaries were in residence at the Slovenian parishes of Mother of God in Waukegan, St. Stephen in Chicago, and St. George in South Chicago. Coming from across the United States were Rev. Cyril Zupan, OSB, who was one of the founders of the Benedictine Abbey in Canon City, CO, and the founder of Slovenian parishes in Denver and Pueblo, Rev. John Smoley, pastor in Calis North Dakota, Rev. Simon Lampe, OSB, the famous Indian Missionary in Red Lake, Minnesota,  Rev. Francis Ažbe, the pastor of Mother of God in Waukegan, Illinois, Rev. Jakob Černe, the pastor of St. Cyril in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Rev. John Miklavčič, the pastor of St. Joseph in Leadville, Colorado, P. Cazimir Zakrajšek, OFM, the former Superior of the Commissariat of the Holy Cross and the current pastor of St. Stephen in Chicago and Rev. John Plevnik who was the current pastor of St. Joseph in Joliet. P. Benevut Winkler, OFM, was part of the Slovenian section in Mundelein. The Eucharistic Congress ended on June 24, and on Sunday June 27th, all of these men along with many other clergy and faithful came to Lemont to celebrate the crowning of the  Marija Pomagaj painting which had been installed in the chapel of the Slovenian Franciscans on December 1, 1924. P. John Capistran, OFM, had brought that painting with him from Slovenia in October of that year. That painting was executed by P. Blaž Farčnik, OFM, who had been professionaly trained as a painter in Florence. After it was completed, it was touched to the original Layer painting in Brezje and shipped with P. John to America. P. John also brought two Slovenian queen bees with him to initiate 100 years of continuous bee keeping in Lemont. P. Hugo Bren, OFM, the current superior in Lemont, had spent time recuperating in Brezje earlier in his career. He commissioned the painting to be a comfort to Slovenian Americans.

A huge stage was built on the hill which is now occupied by the Lourdes Grotto. The painting was brought from the monastery chapel at the bottom of the present hill in a procession which included all the clergy, the faithful, the St. Stephen Choir, Adria led by Ivan Račič which sang in between decades of the rosary which was recited along the way. This choir performed on some of the first Slovenian recordings. Ivan Račič went on to a career as the editor of  Enakopravnost in Cleveland. Four clergy carried the painting. Bishop Jeglič had gone to Brezje in 1907 to crown the famous Layer painting of Mary and the Infant Jesus. He commissioned the same goldsmith, Mr. Kregar to create the crowns for Lemont. After mass, a procession went back to the monastery chapel and the painting with its new crowns was installed on the main altar. When the new monastery and chapel were built in 1939, the painting moved to the new monastery chapel where it remains today. It was moved only once 25 years ago for restoration. That was accomplished with the aid of the famous Slovenian American religious artist Lillian Brulc. 

This year the Feast of Marija Pomagaj was moved to Monday to celebrate Pentecost. We here in Lemont remembered the events of 100 years ago on Sunday by reading the Šmarnice reading for that Sunday and Pete Litanje with Benediction after mass. A few days later we again celebrated the feast of Marija Pomagaj at St. Joseph in Joliet whose congregation participated in the famous crowning of the Lemont painting 100 years ago.

This celebration has special significance in my wife’s family. Her grandparents, along with her grandmother’s aunt and husband who had sponsored her to America, were in that procession in Lemont that Sunday. Her grandparents were married later that year at St. Stephen’s by p. Kazimir. Her family along with so many others celebrate 100 years of bringing multiple generations of children to Lemont to ask for Marija Pomagaj’s  motherly care.

May Marija Pomagaj continue to be a comfort for us in our time of need and our intercessor to her son Jesus!