Be mindful of the fact that as a result of the Great Chicago Fire, which preceded the founding of this church by nine short years, Chicago was flooded with immigrants who came to Chicago to rebuild this City of Big Shoulders.  In addition to the Irish, other traditional Catholic immigrant groups of Germans, Polish, Italians and Lithuanians established communities during this “Great Migration“ to Chicago.

Chicago, though founded by an immigrant of color Jean Pointe DuSable, had its challenges as new ethnic groups migrated to the city. When the original 20 Irish immigrants gathered for mass with Fr. Denis Tighe in an upstairs room over a furniture store on 37th & Cottage Grove, they were met with resistance in an area that was strongly anti-Catholic.   But under the leadership of founding Pastor Denis Tighe, along with persistence and a little trickery, the group secretly purchased land which resulted in the formation of Holy Angles Church on the corner of Vincennes and Oakwood Blvd. The parish moved forward, but it would not be without some bumps in the road along the way.

As part of the “Great Migration” in the 1930’s – 1950’s, the world around Holy Angels was again changing as another group of immigrants, Blacks, moved from the south to Chicago.  This period began the “Bronzing” of the community as southern Blacks set up residency in the surround community now known as Bronzeville.   During this time of turmoil, white resentment and prejudice reared its head in the church as Whites began their “flight” to other white communities such as Bridgeport, Canaryville, South Shore and Beverly. There were even “Jim Crow” rules with the seating of Blacks in the sanctuary.

In 1946 a visionary named Cardinal Stritch went against the times and mandated that Holy Angels become an open church and that in fact recruitment of black families and evangelization of African-Americans be the rule of the day.  His appointment of Fr. James Duffin and the subsequent leadership of Fr. Joseph C. Richards began a new era of tremendous growth of the church.  

A variety of priests then served as pastors of Holy Angels.  One of the most notable was Fr. George Clements, a very dynamic and outspoken activist who would become Holy Angel’s first African- American pastor in 1969.  It was during his tenure that the nationally known Holy Angels would experience its own “Great Fire” in 1986.  But like the mythical Phoenix and the city of Chicago, Holy Angels rose from the ashes. Its history continued under the leadership of its second African- American priest and alumni Fr. John Calicott in 1992, a very dynamic preacher who was highly respected. Another notable leader was Fr. Bob Miller who with the Genesis Housing Foundation helped to reintroduce affordable housing to the surrounding community.  The motherland even played a role in this parish’s history as Fr. John Bola Atoyebi, the first African to become ordained a Catholic priest by the Archdiocese of Chicago, became Pastor of Holy Angels in 2005.  Following him in 2012 was the current Pastor Fr.  Andrew C.  Smith Jr., who aside from being an alumnus of Holy Angels School, brings a special sense of community with his years of experience as a former Chicago police officer and his vision to Build…Spread…Grow   Holy Angels.

 History of the Pastors of Holy Angels Catholic Church 
•Father Andrew C. Smith, Jr. (July 1, 2012- July 1, 2021)
•Father John Atoyebi (2005-2012)
•Father Robert Miller (Administrator) (2002-2005)
•Father John W. Calicott (1991-2002)
•Father George H. Clements (1969-1991)
•Father Joseph C. Richards (1955-1969)
•Monsignor James A. Duffin (1945-1955)
•Father Maurice McKenna (1921-1945)
•Bishop Alexander McGavick (1900-1921)
•Father Denis A. Tighe (Founder and First Pastor) (1878-1900)