The Slovenian Religious Center is a parish serving the spiritual needs of Slovenes from Lemont, Chicago, and the surrounding area. The main headquarters of the parish is at St. Mary’s Franciscan Monastery in Lemont. The parish strives to establish close connections with other communities and organizations, especially with the Slovenian Franciscans and the Slovenian Cultural Center. The idea to establish a religious and cultural center in Lemont had been developing for several years before its actual establishment, as many Slovenians had been moving to the suburbs. Thus, the Archdiocese of Chicago established the Slovenian Catholic Parish in Lemont in 1994 at the request of the Slovenian Franciscans.

The history of the image of Mary Help of Christians: Fr. Hugo Bren wrote in the magazine Ave Marija that he spent two years at Brezje in Slovenia, recovering from illness and regaining strength. He experienced this time as a period of peace and grace. He wanted Mary Help of Christians to come to Lemont, so he asked his confrere, Fr. Blaž Farčnik, to paint a copy of the image and send it to the United States. Fr. Blaž Farčnik, O.F.M. (1879-1945), was an academically trained artist who studied in Florence. He created a copy of the image of Mary Help of Christians, which had actually touched the original at Brezje before it was sent to the United States. Fr. Farčnik’s painting was brought to the U.S. on October 1, 1924, by Fr. John Capistran from the Holy Mountain in Slovenia. The image was officially placed on the altar of the temporary chapel on December 1, 1924, and on May 24, 1925, it was placed on the side altar of the new church.

When Ljubljana Archbishop Anton Bonaventura Jeglič attended the 28th International Eucharistic Congress in Chicago, the Franciscans from Lemont asked him to visit Lemont and crown the image of Mary Help of Christians. The Archbishop accepted the invitation and came with Franciscan Provincial Fr. Čebulj and other clergy. The solemn Mass with the crowning took place on June 27, 1926. Just as Archbishop Jeglič had crowned the original image of Mary Help of Christians at Brezje in 1907, he now crowned the copy of the image in the so-called American Brezje. The crowns for both occasions were made by the priest and artist Stane Kregar from Ljubljana. When the new monastery was completed in 1939, the image of Mary Help of Christians was moved to the main chapel of the monastery, where it remains to this day.

We invite you to share your memories, special expressions of devotion, and any possible graces received before the image of Mary Help of Christians. We hope to foster connections among those of us who love Mary. You can write to us at our email address.