ABOUT US
Our History
In 2005, Father (now Bishop) Bob Lombardo came to Chicago in response to the invitation of the late Francis Cardinal George, then the Archbishop of Chicago. The Cardinal wanted Fr. Bob to start a mission to serve the poor, evangelize and maintain a Catholic presence in one of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods.
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Our Charism
Every religious community has a unique charism. A charism is a gift from the Holy Spirit, which gives the community its identity. You can’t pinpoint a charism in one word: the unique way of life of each community is their charism. It includes their life of prayer, their spirituality, their communal life and their apostolic works.
“Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves, that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally.”
— St. Francis, Letter to the Order
OUR LIFE
Prayer Life
Our life of prayer is at the heart of who we are as followers of Jesus Christ, and it is essential for us as Franciscans of the Eucharist of Chicago. Prayer fosters our life of ongoing conversion to Jesus Christ, following the spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi. As Franciscans of the Eucharist, the center of our life of prayer and our service to the Church is the Eucharist.
Fraternal Life
Our fraternal life is so essential because it is where we learn how to serve with unconditional charity, bearing with one another patiently. When we strive to grow as brothers and sisters in Christ in community, it bears great fruit among us, and also in all we do to serve those outside our community through our apostolates.
Eucharistic adoration
Over 800 years later, we still follow this example which St. Francis gave us, and strive to keep Christ in the Eucharist as the source of our strength and the center of our lives. The Mass flows into Eucharistic Adoration, which then flows into our fraternal life and apostolates.
APOSTOLATE
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Evangelization
Evangelization means sharing the Good News of what Jesus has done for us, so that we can help others get to Heaven. It is as simple as that. St. John Paul II often said that we don’t need new teachings, we need reminders. Today more than ever, we need to remind God’s people of His love and mercy and the treasures that await them in the Catholic Church.
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Teaching
Our community’s focus in teaching is to help our schools continue to build up a strong Catholic identity, grow in appreciation for the many treasures of the Catholic faith, and to try to help students, parents, and school staff alike to have a renewed encounter with Jesus and all develop a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church.
VOCATIONS
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St. Hyacinth Convent renovation project
The arduous journey of the St. Hyacinth convent project has recently made some very exciting progress! After many months of paperwork, inspections, and meetings, we finally signed the contract for the official purchase of the building. In order for work to begin, we now just need the purchase to be finalized and to obtain a City of Chicago permit for the construction. One step at a time! The total estimated cost of this project is $2.7 million. Please email Sr. Stephanie at olamission@gmail.com if you are interested in getting involved or helping with the project.