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St. Procopius
Every Sunday morning at St. Procopius, Spanish Mass is held and is followed by a confirmation class for 8th graders. If you were to walk into the classroom, you would hear young people passionately discussing the Bible and religion in Spanglish. The instructor, Tim Breen, makes sure to keep the lessons and discussions relevant to today and to the lives of the students, so they can connect and learn on a deeper level.
This beautiful church and school in Pilsen integrates the strong culture of its students and members into the religious practices. Everyone at St. Procopius has a strong sense of who they are and where they come from, and while stepping into the neighborhood may meet you with a culture shock, you will be happy you decided to venture there.
Many Jesuits from Loyola University Chicago are involved and work closely with St. Procopius and have extended the invitation to students. Jori Rappaport has taken advantage of this opportunity and has loved slowly developing relationships with the kids and furthering her Spanish speaking skills for her Spanish 364 service-learning class. By helping with the confirmation class’s discussions, Jori has not only improved her Spanish, but also says that she has learned a lot from the kids in terms of religion and their views on faith and life. She finds it very interesting and insightful to hear the “8th grader’s point of view on religious things.” Working with all the people at St. Procopius and is a huge plus as well, as they are all very friendly and excited to help Jori’s Spanish communication skills.
Jori suggests that anyone interested in getting involved with St. Procopius, or finding a similar opportunity, come to the CEL and check out our website.
