Strange celebration of King's 'dream'
On the eve of Martin Luther King's birthday, I happened to be attending Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica in Chicago. Attached to that parish was my high school, St. Philip's, from which I graduated in 1963. A few years after that, it shut its doors forever.
As the celebrant of the Mass used his homily to extol King and his "dream", my mind wandered back to 1959 and how "Sorrows" had changed over the years. During its prime, thousands of Catholics took part in devotional services there, so many that the police had to block off Jackson Boulevard to contain the crowds. The boulevard itself boasted grand homes with large picture windows and stately greystone facades.
The houses along Jackson Boulevard now stand in shambles. In 1960, they at least stood there intact. Today, perhaps a third no longer exist, vacant lots have replaced them. Others wait to be bulldozed, with broken or boarded up picture windows. The priest's sermon included a story about a thief who broke into the monastery and stole $500 and a commentary on the local police who failed to respond to complaints about drug pushers in the neighborhood.
"Sorrows" itself has become a shrine. Tourists from the suburbs come and see the absolutely breathtaking and magnificent baroque architecture and donate a few bucks, because too few Catholics live in the parish to support the church and the Servite monks who take care of it.
I found the whole situation astounding. Here was a Catholic priest, along with a dwindling congregation of Catholics, celebrating the "dream" of the man who brought it all to fruition.
George Kocan
Warrenville