In the months since parishioners of St. Thaddeus Catholic Church were informed that the Archdiocese of Chicago had plans to close their place of worship, the members have turned to prayer and an online petition in hopes of keeping the doors of the historic church open.

Before Sunday morning Mass, about two dozen parishioners gathered in a circle outside the Far South Side church. The group held hands and sang hymns, recited the Lord’s Prayer and recounted their memories at the Roseland church, which was specifically built for black Catholics in 1959 at a time when minorities weren’t welcome in some congregations. MORE