Personal ties bring tears for Holy Name
News of the Holy Name Cathedral fire brought tears to Rev. Tom Rzepiela's eyes. He served as associate pastor at there for five years before becoming pastor at St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic Parish in Palatine. "I'm just devastated," he said. "So much time and energy has been put into taking care of other structural problems already." Rzepiela said the abundance of weddings made the church a joyful place and feels sorry for all the brides and grooms forced to find other venues. He's confident the storied landmark will reopen soon. "It exhibits the spirit of Chicago and will come back better and strong and if possible, even more beautiful," he said.
- Kimberly Pohl
Rev. Michael McGovern imagines most of the priests were already awake and dressed when the fire broke out early Wednesday, having presided over many 6 a.m. Masses when he lived in the adjacent rectory about six years ago. McGovern, now pastor at St. Mary's Church in Lake Forest, called Holy Name special because of the cross section of people it draws. "There are poor and wealthy, dignitaries and homeless, locals and tourists with American Girl shopping bags," he said. "They've been through a fire before. They'll pull through this. It'll just take a little while."
- Kimberly Pohl
Cindy Wong, a 1998 graduate of Fremd High School in Palatine, married her husband Bryan at Holy Name in 2006. "I love the vastness of its space, how it's awe-inspiring but not overwhelming," she said. "We had a lot of out-of-towners and wanted to let them experience something that's quintessential Chicago. One of my favorite memories was the soloist singing 'Ave Maria.' Her lone voice filled the entire cathedral. It totally captured the moment and gave me goose bumps."
- Kimberly Pohl
Rev. Patrick Cecil has fond memories of Holy Name Cathedral that date back to when he was a teen. Cecil, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Wadsworth in northern Lake County, experienced high school graduation from Quigley Preparatory Seminary at the downtown cathedral in 1970. One of the nuances of the church that always struck Cecil was how Holy Name's stained-glass windows gradually went from darker to lighted going from the back of the church to the altar. Holy Name is more than just a building. "It's the church for all of Chicago," said Cecil.
- Bob Susnjara