Mission of Our Lady of the Angels

08/29/2026

A few weeks ago, we hosted our annual giant back-to-school block party with free backpacks and school supplies for neighborhood kids with a new twist - a fully functional free medical and dental clinic that served over 400 people!!! Many pediatric specialists were on hand to help kids get the medical/dental attention needed to return to school, mental health and vision care mobile trucks were on site, and hundreds of attendees received referrals to providers who will be able to continue providing care for these families well into the future.

Additionally, over 700 backpacks packed with age-appropriate school supplies were also distributed and well over 1000 neighbors came out to enjoy the party and get connected with the resources they need.

It was an incredible day, made possible by the hundreds of volunteers and many community partnerships that made the event (and especially the free clinic) possible!

We would like to thank Vituity Cares, Chi Care, UIC COIP, Chamberlain University, Italian Dental Association, Erie Family Health, Near North Health, ACCESS, Chicago Department of Public Health, Northwestern Medicine, Loyola Medical School, Lurie’s FAN team, Experiences that Matter Foundation, Taller de Jose, Iskali, Jimmy’s Red Hots, Enchanted Backpacks, Notre Dame Parish (Clarendon Hills), Our Lady of Mercy (Aurora), and MANY MORE!

08/28/2026

We're looking for some additional volunteers for our pantry on Saturday, September 5th! 8 am to noon at Mission OLA!
Sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508094ba4a82aa6f85-mission #/
Thanks for considering!

08/09/2026

Team OLA was featured by the Chicago 13.1's social media! Yet another reason to get pumped for the 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon! We are halfway done with official training + almost halfway to our fundraising goal of $500K! Team OLA has raised over $247,000 so far + climbing fast! Support us today! God bless!
https://fundraisers.hakuapp.com/events/c033059d0d129416c606/fundraising?referring_url=aHR0cHM6Ly9taXNzaW9ub2xhLmNvbS8%3D%0A

The impact of the 2026 Bank of America Chicago 13.1 extends far beyond race day, and our Charity Program is a big reason why.

More than 500 participants ran on behalf of one of our 23 charity partners, each with a focus on empowering youth, advancing health equity and supporting community development on the West Side and throughout the city. Together, they raised an impressive $537,107, bringing the Charity Program's five-year fundraising total to more than $1 million. 🤯

Thank you to every runner, donor and charity partner who helped make this milestone possible!

07/28/2026

Congratulations to Sr. Maggie, who professed her First Vows at a beautiful profession Mass on July 15, the Feast of St. Bonaventure!! In our community, temporary vows are renewed each year for 3-5 years, at which time the member may then request to profess Final Vows. Please enjoy these beautiful photos of the day from our friend, Devin Rosa, and keep Sr. Maggie in your prayers as she goes forward in her formation journey!

07/25/2026

We are looking for a few more people to TRANSLATE English to Spanish at the clinic at our back to school health fair on August 8th!

9 am to 2:30 pm
Mission OLA- 3808 W. Iowa St

If you can help, please email Sr. Stephanie at [email protected]. Thanks!

07/17/2026

We are gearing up to distribute 900+ backpacks filled with school supplies at our back to school block party and FREE CLINIC on August 8th!

Can you help us be 100% ready to pack backpacks by purchasing crayons, colored pencils, scissors, pencil sharpeners, glue sticks, and/or rulers off the wish list? https://a.co/0fGR8aCg

Thanks for your consideration! God bless!

07/07/2026

This summer we have been taking care of our many gardens, including our community garden right next Kelly Hall YMCA. In recent weeks, the novices have been working alongside the kids at Kelly Hall’s summer camp to care for the community garden. It has been an amazing experience to teach the kids about nature, get them outside, and spend time with them in the garden! Special thanks to our friends at Home Depot who helped us by providing so much of the mulch, plants, and other landscaping supplies we needed!

06/30/2026

Recently, we were very blessed to celebrate the ordination of the 3 new priests for the Archdiocese of Chicago! This year’s class included two men who spent summers with us as seminarians and helped to serve at the Mission - Fr. Conrad Espino and Fr. John Rahimi. Fr. Conrad had also run for Team OLA 5+ times and encouraged many other seminarians to run in support of the Mission throughout his time in seminary. Enjoy these pictures of the Franciscans receiving first blessings from Fr. Conrad and Fr. Ray. Congratulations to all the newly ordained!

06/12/2026

Our food pantry continues to feed 3000+ families per month. We are out of bags to pack food in. Can you buy a pack of bags for our food pantry? See the Amazon wish list to do so: https://a.co/0bKs6UiO

06/11/2026

Congratulations to Team OLA’s Chicago 13.1 HALF-MARATHON TEAM on an incredible race this past Sunday!! Sr. Stephanie and Sr. Anna ran alongside an amazing team, and altogether the half marathon team raised just over $16,000 to help support the beautiful work we do at Mission OLA!!

Pope Leo made another appearance at the official Team OLA cheer station, and once again, we were touched and humbled by how many runners stopped by for high fives, prayers, and selfies with the pope. To see ALL SIX Pope Leo cutouts in action, be sure to come to our Chicago Marathon cheer station at mile 14 on race day in October!

Over 200 runners and running the full marathon and fundraising to support the Mission. So far, the full marathon team has raised an amazing $160,000, but they still have a ways to go to meet their goal! You can support Team OLA 2026 by making a donation at
https://tinyurl.com/TeamOLA2026

Special thanks to for stopping by and for the great cover shot!