Last Sunday, May 3rd, the day traditionally celebrated as the Finding of the Cross, the Canons Regular of St John Cantius blessed the newly restored and regilded cross which stands on the center pediment of the façade of the church, over 100 feet above the street. The cross stands 6 feet high and has endured decades of theChicago climate with its extreme temperatures and high winds. In just a few days, artists and engineers worked to remove the cross and restored it to its former beauty and luster; new layers of gold leaf were added and the cross now shines forth over Chicago’s River West neighborhood, even being visible from the nearby Kennedy Expressway.
The blessing was done after the regular 12:30 Sunday Solemn Mass.
Workmen removing the cross from the façade.
The regilding
Prepared for the blessing.
