About Us and Our History

**About our Parish Patron Saint - St. Francis Borgia**

Francis Borgia was born on October 28, 1510 into the noble family of Borgia in Spain. His ancestors included royalty and princes of the church. He was the great grandson of Pope Alexander VI and King Ferdinand of Aragon; nephew of an archbishop, Francis was heir to the Dukedom of Gandia. By the age of 17 he was part of the court of Charles V and by 19 he was married to Eleanor de Castro and was named Marquess of Lombay. He was charming, gallant and talented in music. Francis became one of the chief restorers of sacred music in the 16th century. By 1539 he had eight children. In 1543 after his father’s death, Francis became Duke of Gandia and was on the way to grander positions in the Spanish court when he fell in disfavor with the sovereigns of Portugal whose princess had married the prince of Spain. During the following years, Francis Borgia reorganized his duchy and striving to attain a higher level of virtue, founded a university and took the degree of Doctor of Theology.

After the death of his wife in 1546, Duke Francis invited the Jesuits to Gandia. His work with them inspired him to join the Jesuits. By 1550 he left his grand estates to follow St. Ignatius who was edified by the humility of one who had been part of the powerful, royal Borgias.

Francis Borgia was ordained priest on May 25, 1551 and began his inspiring preaching. His piety and humility was widely admired. The court of Portugal venerated him as a messenger from God and he won the favor of several Popes. By 1554, Francis was named commissary-general of the Jesuits in Spain and later was entrusted with the work of the missions of the Society. He founded the missions of Florida, New Spain and Peru. His leadership and piety inspired many noblemen to join the Jesuits.

In 1561 Francis Borgia went to Rome and befriended cardinals including the future Pope Pius V and St. Charles Boromeo. In 1565 he was elected general of the Society of Jesus. He preached less often but his writings were inspirational. He wrote the rules of the Society of Jesus which were to be followed by members of the order. His leadership of the Jesuits was filled with faith and action. He founded several colleges in France and was instrumental in foundations in Flanders, Bohemia, Tyrol, Germany and Poland.

In 1571 Pope Pius V asked Francis to travel to Spain and Portugal. He was recovering from a severe illness but obeyed the request. Spain and Portugal welcomed him as a saint. The Pope asked him to travel to France as well. Growing weaker, Francis longed to be in Rome during his final days. He arrived on September 28 and finally on September 30, 1571 his holy life came to a close.

The process for his canonization began in 1607 and on June 20, 1670 he became St. Francis Borgia. We celebrate his feast day on October 10.
St. Francis Borgia, Pray for us.

**About St. Francis Borgia Parish History**

St. Francis Borgia is on the northwest side of Chicago. It was formed in the summer of 1949 with the purchase of land at Addison and Forest Preserve Drive. Veterans of World War II were moving from the congested central areas of Chicago to the edges of the city to raise their families and build their futures. The Archdiocese responded to the growing area by adding the parishes of St. Monica, St. Eugene, and St. Francis Borgia.

The parish area encompassed the western reaches of St. Priscilla Parish and the northern part of St. Celestine Parish. Fr. Joseph Hemrick was appointed as the first pastor of St. Francis Borgia Parish. For the first few months, Sunday Masses were offered in the gym of Canty Public School, just two blocks away. The first Mass on parish land was celebrated at Midnight on Christmas Eve of 1949 in a Quonset hut chapel. In the six years of his pastorate, Fr. Hemrick was kept busy with a burgeoning parish with buildings to be built and a community of faith to form. In 1952 the school was built on Panama Avenue along with a convent to house 22 Sisters of Providence. After years of hard work, Our Lord called Fr. Hemrick home and he died of a heart attack on August 5, 1955.

Next to serve as Pastor was Fr. James Walsh whose time at SFB was a brief two years. The third Pastor, Fr. John Stokes, had the longest term of 18 years. His term at the parish was also a very busy time. Under his leadership the present Church building was erected. Additions were added to the school to add classrooms and a gym. He built a new rectory on Addison to replace the original one across the street from the school on Panama. In his rare spare time he loved golf and even gave lessons during his years at Mundelein Seminary. He did all that and more with the help of a growing family of parishioners. He served as pastor until 1976 and continued as a resident of the parish until the late 1980’s. Fr. Stokes died on April 24, 1993 at the age of 88.

Following Fr. Stokes as pastor was Fr. Robert Brodfuehrer who served from 1977 until 1991. Fr. Ralph Strand served from 1991 until 1993. In 1993, Fr. Dan Mayall became the sixth pastor to serve St. Francis Borgia Parish and continued until 2001 when he was asked to serve as Pastor of Holy Name Cathedral Parish. In May of 2002, the current pastor, Fr. Andrew Wypych, began his service to the parish faith community.

During the entire history of the parish, the Sisters of Providence offered their gifts in teaching the students of St. Francis Borgia School. Dozens of Sisters were members of the school faculty and offered countless hours sharing Christ’s message of faith with students and the parish.

In 1999, St. Francis Borgia Parish celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the parish. With the blessings of God and the devotion of the members and staff, the parish looks to the future.

SFB---Stands For the Best