Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica National Shrine — Attraction in West Chicago Township

Be careful! This basilica is beautiful, but it's not in the best area. I walked there from the "L" nearby during the day and did not feel safe on my walk there and back (details below).

That said, the basilica itself is wonderful. A nice man let me in after hours (since it closes so early). He even gave me a behind the scenes tour to view private relics not open to the public. The Pieta is gorgeous.

On my walk to the basilica, a family was in front of their home. A man was sitting on the porch. His wife and kids were playing with toys on the sidewalk. As I walked by, the wife started complimenting me loud enough for the husband to hear, asked me if I had a phone number and what I was doing later. She grabbed my hand and tried to keep the conversation going, but I politely went on my way. The husband was clearly not happy. This put me on edge, and noticed on my walk this was not a nice area at all. On my way back, I walked on the other side of the street from that house. The wife, kids, and toys were all inside. The husband was still outside with another man watching me. They started to walk down the street as I walked, mirroring me on the other side. When I got close to the "L" they stopped. I am so glad I had the presence of mind to walk on the other side of the street, because if I walked in front of them I'm pretty sure I would have got...

The church is accessible through the office on the right from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is unbelievable that such a church exists! It is an architectural beauty and is absolutely breathtaking. I learned about this church because it was featured in this great video on the Mass narrated by Bl. Fulton Sheen in 1940:

https://youtu.be/DUEODk9Tvs0?si=Z7SFlXd82bMDMORP

It was made a basilica after the film was made. The church is also open for services throughout the week. Please see the photo attached. The parish staff is very friendly.

I feel that if the priests here do what St. John Cantius does by restoring the sacred and the traditional ritual that attendance would boom as it once did and as is evidenced in the above film. Restore the sacred and people will come! ❤️✝️🕯️

Please leave a donation so that the building can...

What a beautiful basilica, go visit it! The end.

Alright for more details, I would recommend checking the pictures, as they only provide a glimpse of the magnificent architecture and the unspoken holiness of this establishment. My one advice is to consider Uber or taxis to get here as this basilica is located in a fairly developing neighborhood, which can seem intimidating, especially during certain...