St. Pius X Catholic Church: National Shrine of Mary Immaculate Queen of the Universe

A Franciscan Chapel: Portiuncula Chapel of St. Francis of Assisi

A Franciscan Chapel: Portiuncula Chapel of St. Francis of Assisi from Gardenia Hung on Vimeo.

A replica of the Chapel of St. Francis at the Mayslake Peabody Estate, from the original structural design in Assisi, Italy. The Portiuncula Chapel of St. Francis of Assisi was built in 1926 at the Mayslake Peabody Estate in memory of Mr. Peabody, who founded the family estate in Oak Brook, Illinois. The Portiuncula Chapel of St. Francis of Assisi celebrates the induction of Francis of Assisi into a monastic life during the 13th century when St. Francis of Assisi became a friar to answer God's calling. During the 21st century, the Mayslake Peabody Estate is managed by the DuPage Forest Preserve District in Oak Brook, Illinois, U.S.A.

©2010 Communications, Languages & Culture, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Pax et Bonum: Chapel of St. Francis of Assisi at Mayslake Peabody Estate

Wild Wednesday at the Lake View Nature Center in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois

A Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly at the Lake View Nature Center on Wild Wednesday from G. Hung Fong on Vimeo.

La Capilla de la Estrella en Sevilla España.wmv

Featuring La Giralda Tower at the Cathedral of Seville known for the Chapel of the Star, gilded in gold, precious stones, and a radiant diamond star scepter held by Immaculate Mary and the baby Jesus crowned in gold. In addition, there is an embedded pipe organ, ornamented in precious woods from Cuba and the Americas. The Cathedral of Seville is one of the largest holy sites in the world, following the Cathedral of Aya Sophia.

A Pilgrimage to Spain for Art and Architecture

Cardinal Francis George Visits Cuba To Pray at the Shrine of Our Lady Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre

Cardinal Francis George visits Cuba
June 23, 2010|By Manya A. Brachear, Tribune reporter
Chicago's Cardinal Francis George arrived by private plane in Cuba on Wednesday to meet with local Roman Catholic parishioners and pray at a shrine for the island nation's patron saint.

Archbishop Dionisio Garcia Ibanez of Santiago, Cuba, invited George to his archdiocese after a visit to Chicago last year for a film premiere that raised money for humanitarian work in Chicago and Cuba.

George's trip will include a Mass at the Santiago cathedral and a visit to the national shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre. Catholic Cubans in Chicago celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Charity on Sept. 8, with Mass at St. Ita in Chicago, St. Lambert in Skokie and Sacred Heart in Melrose Park.

AdvertisementColleen Dolan, communications director for the Chicago archdiocese, said the timing of the cardinal's visit had nothing to do with a recent five-day meeting in Havana between President Raul Castro and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican's foreign minister.

The purpose of the visit is "not an analysis for the government life of the area," Dolan said. "He's interested in church life. There is a Catholic church in Cuba. That's what he's going to see."

But in recent months, Catholic bishops have had a number of successful negotiations with the Cuban government. Mamberti, for example, did not meet with dissidents during his visit. And shortly after a meeting between Cuba's Cardinal Jaime Ortega and Castro, Cuba transferred about a dozen political prisoners closer to their families.

Miguel De La Torre, professor of social ethics at Iliff School of Theology in Denver who specializes in Cuban religion and politics, said George's 24-hour pastoral visit could carry long-term significance.

"It is up to the religious leaders to begin to deal with the Judeo-Christian issue of reconciliation," De La Torre said. "One of the problems I have with the U.S. embargo of Cuba is it prevents U.S. citizens from mingling and talking to Cuban citizens. The quickest way to begin to melt this animosity is for the people to begin to talk to each other, and hopefully the government will be able to catch up."

mbrachear@tribune.com