Monastery of the Holy Cross — Attraction in Chicago

Great little retreat space in Bridgeport, attached to a Gothic style church building. The monks have a vow of silence but take good care and are responsive to their community, their congregation, and their b&b guests. When we visit, we opt for the attached space as it provides 3 separate rooms, relaxing living space (in the northeast turret), convenient private parking lot, very helpful local info, and a cozy breakfast nook. Speaking of which, they deliver to the stair landing every morning of your stay a varied, generous, and deliciously hearty breakfast. You can expect pleasant surprises on the menu, such as Eggs Benedict (punnily enough) and fruit crepes. There is a standalone guest house across the alley south of the church, but by law since the monastery is not a food establishment they cannot deliver prepared food to its guest. I was told though that they keep the pantry and fridge well stocked for diy breakfast (which we'll try at our next stay). Masses are said in Latin and the chants and songs transport you through time, allowing for a meditative framework from which to gather your thoughts or leave them, if you choose. The sanctuary space is replete with gorgeous works, both old and new. Ask the master of hospitality for a tour and stop by the gift shop if you have time--you won't regret it. It's convenient to many good coffee shops, restaurants, and bars, not to mention artist ateliers, a maritime museum, a wonderfully landscaped urban walking park, next to a quarry that's now used for fishing. Lastly, for Chicago, the room rate is very good and they have easy access to bus and train, if you want to ride downtown. It's been a year since we visited and after the nation has flattened the curve and there's finally general immunity, we look forward to...

My husband and I recently stayed in one of the Chicago monastery's guest apartments and thoroughly enjoyed it. Our space was in the church, tucked up over the sacristy in a former large storage area converted into a private, quiet, cozy and comfortable living space - it felt like a secret hideaway! There were 3 bedrooms (1 single, 2 doubles), a living room, small kitchen, bath with shower, and all the amenities you'd want, including thick, sizeable towels, a quality flat-screen TV (though not huge, if that's important to you; it's not to us), comfortable furniture, an inviting decor with many homey touches, and breakfast foods including various cereals, bread, butter, jam, milk, and fresh fruit. Fr. Timothy, the Guestmaster, was a delight to work with and so helpful and responsive to our questions, etc. He told us the monks did the renovation work themselves and do almost all of the ongoing maintenance. The space is warm, welcoming, and well cared for, and the monks really have thought of everything you might need - they certainly live out the Rule of St. Benedict in welcoming guests! It was a lovely space and stay and we would enjoy returning if we're ever in the Chicago area again. Well worth the donation we made....

We visited as part of Open House Chicago. The experience included seeing the interior art work, hearing the superior give a 15 minute lecture and answer some Q and A, and being present when the monks chanted afternoon Nones prayer. The lecture definitely helped. I'm not sure the monastery wants to be a tourist site. But if it does, then more interpretive material or a docent would be good. The chant was good, and not just in a performative way. The reverb in the nave is quite long, and my wife could not tell that the psalms were in English. But of course we aren't the intended audience. It would not take much to help a secular visitor to experience this with...