One of them took place Sunday afternoon at Five Holy Martyrs on South Richmond. Parisioners held a special mass and celebration on the same platform Pope John Paul II used during his October 1979 trip to Chicago.
Five Holy Martyrs was the only neighborhood parish that the late pope visited at that time.
Other churches held special events or services marking the beatification, including Carmelite Brothers in Munster, Ind.; St. Francis Borgia Church on Addison in Chicago; and St. Hyacinth's Basilica on Wolfram in Chicago. At St. Hyacinth's, 30th Ward Alderman Ariel Reboyras will present Father Michael Osuch with a street sign dedicated to the late pope.
On Sunday evening, UIC students attended mass and watched the beatification ceremony during a dinner.