Oct. 09--Supporters have begun to donate toward the $3 million or more cost of restoring a Woodlawn Catholic church following a devastating fire early Wednesday.
The Shrine of Christ the King, 6401 S. Woodlawn Ave., built between 1923 and 1928 and first known as St. Clara, then for much of its life, St. Gelasius, suffered a massive fire that burned for hours after apparently igniting from spontaneous combustion of clothes used to stain the church's floor.
Firefighters were able to save a historic statue donated to the church, an 18th century statue of the Divine Infant Jesus, as well as the tabernacle containing the Eucharist, according to a statement issued by the U.S. Province of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, the Catholic order that has run the church since 2004. The church previously survived a 1976 fire, and has undergone extensive renovations since the order took it over a decade ago.
Supporters Thursday morning started a GoFundMe page for the church, which by about 9 p.m. Thursday had collected about $15,000 of its initial goal of $500,000.
For the time being, priests from Christ the King, will be holding Masses at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 5472 S. Kimbark Ave., in Hyde Park. The vicar general of the Christ the King order, Mgsr. Michael Schmitz, was scheduled to celebrate Mass at St. Thomas at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the release. Priests in the order usually celebrate Mass in the traditional Latin.
The Renassaince Revival-style Woodlawn church was designed by architect Henry J. Schlacks, who also designed St. Mary of the Lake, St. Ignatius and St. Henry Catholic churches on the North Side, according to an original report by city researches put together when the Woodlawn church was designated a landmark.
An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect time for the Sunday Mass being celebrated by Schmitz. It is 12:30 p.m. Sunday, not 11 a.m.
