Cardinal dedicates Alexian Brothers chapel
Sun unleashed the bright blues, reds and greens of a 60-foot-tall stained glass window, as Cardinal Francis George on Thursday blessed the new home of a hospital chapel in Elk Grove Village.
After 42 years, the chapel at Alexian Brothers Medical Center has moved to a new location to make way for a new hospital tower that will add private rooms.
George blessed and dedicated the Maddalena and Charles Pastika Memorial Chapel of the Immaculate Conception.
"We thank God. For whatever happens, this is a place of hope," the cardinal said.
The new chapel features all of the facets of its old home, including the window containing stained glass from Italy dating back 300 years. It also features a new marble floor.
Brother Valentino Bianco, who leads the chapel, said it took a year to move everything. A temporary home was set up as the new home was built over a grassy area.
The window had to be moved piece by piece.
Dr. Charles Pastika, whose wife died in 2001, said he was honored to be able to help the chapel as a donor. It is named for him and his late wife.
His daughter Terry Pastika said she was pleased to be part of the celebration.
"The chapel is just a memorial to the relationship between Alexian Brothers and my family," she said.
While initially intended to serve patients, relatives and hospital employees in need of quiet reflection, the chapel quickly drew regular worshippers who gather for weekly Mass.
"They love the closeness," Bianco said.
Several of the worshippers who have been coming since the chapel opened in 1966 attended the dedication.
Elk Grove Village resident Dedo Brandt says there's something that makes the chapel more special than other Roman Catholic churches. She's been coming every Sunday since she started working at Alexian Brothers in 1966.
"It's very soothing, very prayerful and reverent," Brandt said. "It's a parish family."
Marilyn and Ed Tucker of Elk Grove Village, who also have been coming since it opened, gave the new chapel glowing reviews.
"It is beautiful. This is a little bigger," Marilyn Tucker said. "It seems brighter. The window seems more prominent."