Resurrection Catholic Cemetery & Mausoleums

Located 14 miles southwest of the Chicago Loop, the Village of Justice grew along the route of Archer Avenue. In 1904, Resurrection Catholic Cemetery was consecrated to serve the growing Polish Catholic community in the southwest area of the Archdiocese. The Cemetery stimulated economic growth in the area, as visitors from Chicago came to visit their loved ones at Resurrection.

The Cemetery spans 397 acres and has over 225,000 interments (as of 12/31/2022).
 

RESURRECTION COMMUNITY MAUSOLEUM

In 1969, Resurrection Mausoleum was constructed and became a major architectural landmark. The Mausoleum boasts the world record for largest stained-glass window. The continuous wall of glass stands 40 feet high and wraps around the entire building, amounting to nearly 23,000 square feet of stained glass, composed of over 2,400 panels.

The themes depicted on the Shrine and Chapel floors recount the History of Man’s Salvation, beginning with the Creation of Man and ending with the Final Judgement and the Second Coming of Christ.

The entire Terrace floor honors Polish, Czech and Slovak contributions to the growth of Christianity, and incorporates various artistic media, historical accounts, religious devotions, and shrines.

ST. JOHN PAUL II

Prior to his papacy, Karol Cardinal Wojtyla walked the grounds of Resurrection Cemetery as Archbishop of Cracow, Poland. In 1969, the Cardinal visited the Cemetery to bless the Polish Millennium Shrine, which celebrated the 1,000TH Anniversary of Christianity in Poland.

Karol Cardinal Wojtyla visited the Cemetery again in 1976, along with fifteen other Bishops from Poland to tour the Indoor Mausoleum, which honors the history of Polish Christianity. The entire Terrace floor of the Mausoleum incorporates mosaics, stained glass and statues depicting Poland’s history and features Saints dear to the Polish community.

A small Indoor Mausoleum, dedicated to Saint John Paul II, was opened in 1983. The building is located across from Section 31, contains 275 crypts, and features a collection of photographs and memorabilia recalling the Saint’s historic 1979 visit to Chicago as Pope John Paul II.

On Memorial Day of 2016, Archbishop of Chicago, Blase Cupich, celebrated Mass and blessed the 20-foot-tall bronze statue of Saint Pope John Paul II in front of approximately 2,500 people. During his reflection, the Archbishop called for everyone in attendance to live by the Saint’s example - to live life more fully, more simply and see that there is always a little bit of humor in everyone’s life.

The 8,000-pound statue rests atop an 86,000-pound black granite base and is located in Section 29, directly behind the Cemetery’s office building.

The Catholic Cemeteries of Chicago commissioned Teresa Clark of Clark Design to design the statue in 2013. From Teresa’s 18” clay model, the Crucible Foundry in Norman, Oklahoma worked over 52 months to recreate Teresa’s model in bronze at a much larger scale. The detailed statue captures the essence of the Saint over the years of his pontificate.