Few cities in America can boast the richness of Catholic heritage the way Chicago can. If you’re going to be in the Windy City for the Chant Intensive or the Colloquium, it will be well worth your while to do a little exploring on your own.

A good place to start is with the many, many beautiful churches that stand as a testament to the faith of the city’s citizens since its first days. Read more about them in author Denis McNamara’s acclaimed Heavenly City: The Architectural Tradition of Catholic Chicago.

Camera and missal in hand, your first visit might be to the liturgical oasis St. John Cantius. Founded by Polish immigrants at the end of the 19th century, today it thrives as a vibrant parish in the Archdiocese of Chicago that offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to the Roman Rite in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms, and is also home of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, a religious community of men dedicated to the Restoration of the Sacred.

Another must see, not far from St. John Cantius, is The Sanctuary of The Divine Mercy. By the way, EWTN will be broadcasting live from the Sanctuary on May 31, 2008 to witness the unveiling of the Iconic Monstrance (a nine foot tall Marian monstrance). You’ll be sure to want to go by for yourself to have a look.

Caffeinate your tour of the Catholic city with a visit to a new attraction for young Catholics: the faith based cafe called The Ark. It is very easy to get there from Loyola on the El, Chicago’s famed above ground public transportation system.

If you’re still downtown, getting hungry, and don’t want to spend a bundle – run, don’t walk – to the fabulous diner with the trendiest name going: Feed. Nowhere else in the city will you get the kind of down home Southern fare you’ll be served up by Donna and her crew. The men of St. John Cantius swear by her cooking. Don’t forget to tell her that the Church Music Association of America sent you.