Hidden History of Cabrini Shrine in Lincoln Park

The Mother Cabrini Shrine in Lincoln Park is a perfect example of the kind of surprises you run into when wandering  Chicago. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini was a Roman Catholic saint who worked in Chicago. Many Chicagoans associate the Cabrini name with the infamous Cabrini-Green public housing project, but that’s a couple miles south of here.

The shrine, originally built in the 1950s, today sits behind a 39-story luxury condominium high-rise and abuts a massive new mansion built for the billionaire Mansueto family. And to be clear, it’s much more than a shrine – it’s an entire chapel structure. The incongruous sight of an old church attached to a new high-rise intrigued me. So I decided to launch an investigation into how this odd situation came to be.

We research stories from Chicago history, architecture and culture like this while developing our live virtual tours, in-person private tours, and custom content for corporate events. You can join us to experience Chicago’s stories in-person or online. We can also create custom tours and original content about this Chicago topic and countless others.

Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini’s Life

Mother Cabrini Shrine exterior Lincoln Park 2550

Frances Xavier Cabrini was an Italian nun who emigrated to the United States in the late 19th Century. She ministered to the gigantic number of poor Italian immigrants crowding into American cities. The order she founded, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, helped found schools, hospitals, and orphanages across the world. In Chicago, they catered to the predominantly Italian neighborhoods of the time, like Chicago’s Near West Side.

The Mother Cabrini Shrine in Lincoln Park evolved on the grounds of Columbus Hospital, which she helped found in 1905 and where she passed away in 1917. The Catholic Church canonized her in 1946. She was the first naturalized American citizen to be named a Catholic saint. So many pilgrims were coming to visit the room where she had lived (and died) in the hospital that they impeded the hospital’s operations. So the Archdiocese of Chicago decided to create a distinct shrine on the hospital grounds, which is the building that opened in 1955 and sits behind a high-rise today.

Both the Columbus Hospital and the Shrine closed in 2002. The Cabrini Shrine survived the demolition of the hospital though. The developers of Lincoln Park 2550, a new condo high-rise, agreed to preserve the shrine when they bought the property. Today, the Mother Cabrini Shrine’s entrance and exhibit halls are part of the larger Lincoln Park 2550 structure.

Visiting the Mother Cabrini Shrine

Mother Cabrini Shrine Lincoln Park ceiling murals

I made a call to the Mother Cabrini Shrine, and it ends up that you can easily arrange for a casual tour. So I stopped by, accessing the Shrine through an entrance in the gigantic new condo tower. It looked like there were units right above the shrine’s offices, in fact. Once inside, Sister Renee showed me the new exhibit hall’s photos and artifacts of the institutions the saint founded here. On display was Cabrini’s little black book, which included many bigwig Catholic bishops and politicians. There’s also a recreation of the room Mother Cabrini passed away in. Sister Renee explained that the furniture was original, including the chair Saint Cabrini was sitting in when she died.

The shrine is still at the heart of the complex. The chapel was to resemble the Romanesque churches that Saint Cabrini would have known in Italy. Vibrant ceiling murals depict the saint’s life. A relic from Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini’s femur bone relic is encased in glass under the altar.

Mother Cabrini Shrine Lincoln Park relic bone altar

Most Chicago high-rises don’t have a historic holy space like this in their backyards! It’s pretty special so I recommend a visit. The Mother Cabrini Shrine is open six days a week. Like me, you can call for a quick tour or attend the weekly Saturday mass. You can also reach out to us to arrange a custom tour of Chicago neighborhoods which swings by the Mother Cabrini Shrine.

– Alex Bean, Chicago Detours Tour Guide

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Chicago Detours is a boutique tour company passionate about connecting people to places and each other through the power of storytelling. We bring curious people to explore, learn and interact with Chicago’s history, architecture and culture through in-person private group tourscontent production, and virtual tours.

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Ellen

Private Tour Coordinator and Tour Guide

There is no shortage of things to discover in Chicago—I love being an urban explorer and uncovering its hidden places. I have an MA in Public History from Loyola University Chicago, and I have worked as a museum educator and kindergarten teacher. My desire to learn new things fuels my passion for educating others, which I get to experience every day as a Chicago tour guide. I live in the northern neighborhood of Rogers Park.

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Jen

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Whether you are a first-time visitor or a lifelong resident, the vibrant history and modern majesty of Chicago never ceases to amaze. I’m a graduate of Columbia College with an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Art. I’ve worked for many years as an educator at City Colleges of Chicago. As tour guide at Chicago Detours, I integrate my enthusiasm for culture and architecture with my passion as an educator. West Town/Noble Square area is home for me.

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Elyse

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With our Chicago neighborhoods, vibrant cultural institutions and nearly two centuries of larger-than-life stories, there’s never a dull moment here! I’m a fifth generation Chicagoan and a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. In addition to guiding tours, I’m a creative writer and amateur genealogist. I also enjoy the city’s dynamic theater scene. You can also read overlooked stories from 19th-century newspapers on my “Second Glance History” blog. I live in River North.

Anthony

Tour Guide

Chicago is unique as it always evolves into the future while holding on to the past. I’m fascinated by how people latch on to old architecture but happily pave over others. My background is in theater and performance and I’ve been a tour guide here for more than 10 years. Currently I’m finishing my Master’s in Public History at Loyola University because I love to teach the history of this scrappy city. I’m in the Edgewater neighborhood.

Marie

Operations Coordinator and Tour Guide

Chicago’s history is so fascinating, you could spend a lifetime uncovering its secrets…I’m willing to give it a try! I have an M.A. in US History from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and then pursued doctoral studies in Urban History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I love to learn new aspects of Chicago’s rich history and then share my knowledge as a tour guide with Chicago Detours. I live in Ravenswood.

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Sonny

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As a fourth generation Chicagoan, I have been living and loving Chicago by bike, on foot, public transit or automobile. I am a graduate of UIC where through the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, began my eagerness to understand the nature, history and impacts of urban planning and development. It is incredibly rewarding to give back to this wonderful city by helping out in the office of Chicago Detours. I live in the incredibly diverse neighborhood of Albany Park.
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Alex

Content Manager and Tour Guide

Chicago has so many neighborhoods, buildings, and by-ways that it’s hard to go long without seeing something new, or something familiar from a new angle. I studied Cinema History for my M.A. from the University of Chicago. I’ve worked as a culture writer for various publications and as an educator of the humanities at the City Colleges of Chicago. I’m thrilled to share my love of this city’s busy past and unique architectural spaces with Chicago Detours. I live in the Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park.

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Amanda Scotese

Executive Director and Tour Guide

I’m an interpreter of personal stories from the past and the city’s landscape. I love to imagine what originally happened inside old unmarked buildings, and what forces have shaped their design. I studied Chicago history, architectural history, and anything Chicago-related through my M.A. in the Humanities at the University of Chicago. My love for stories was enriched by my B.A. in Literature from the University of Michigan. I’ve written travel articles for publications like Rick Steves’ Italy best-selling travel guides, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and The Chicago Food Encyclopedia. I live in the Chicago neighborhood of West Avondale.
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