History
The first Mass in the existing Church building was on Christmas, 1924; however, it was not until 1927 that the construction was entirely completed and named St. Clara Church, designed by architect Henry Schlacks. Suffering a bad fire in 1976 and renamed St. Gelasius in 1990, a serious decline in membership in the ensuing years culminated in the shuttering of the building in the 1990s. In 2003, with St. Gelasius on the brink of demolition, Cardinal George entrusted it to the order of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. The Institute's Motherhouse is in Italy and its American Headquarters is in Chicago at this Shrine. An amazing rebirth has taken place in the years since. Now that the Renaissance-style building has been made structurally stable, work has begun on the interior which is being remodeled according to early Baroque churches in Rome. Services have been held in the unfinished main space since 2007, a year after Cardinal George designated the church a shrine.
Specialties
The Shrine of Christ the King is a Historic Landmark Church Community which endeavors to bring beauty and friendship to the neighborhood & surrounding area by means of Music, the Arts, and educational & social activities.