CHICAGO (May 20, 2004)

For the first time in 40 years, St. Mary of the Angels School, 1810 N. Hermitage Ave., will offer an optional Polish language, culture and history program as part of the elementary school's curriculum beginning with the 2004-05 academic year.

The final academic period of each day will be dedicated to an optional foreign language class for all students. Polish and Spanish will be offered for students in kindergarten through eighth grade; French will be offered for students in sixth through eighth grade. For those students who wish to enroll in the Polish class, reading, language arts, geography, history and religion will be taught. The students who do not chose the optional foreign language class will have band instruction or tutoring/study hall.

The Missionary Sisters of Christ the King for Polonia will develop and teach a Polish language curriculum and culture program for the school. The Missionary Sisters have provided services to Chicago parishes, as well as the Holy Trinity Polish Mission, for the past 15 years.

Founded in 1899, St. Mary of the Angels was once in the heart of Chicago's Polish ethnic community.

"Catholic parishes in Chicago were founded by ethnic groups from many cultures and countries. These parishes made an important contribution to the community by establishing Catholic elementary schools where children were taught the language and culture of their immigrant parents' homeland," said Joe Accardi, principal. "Many parents today want to maintain those same customs and traditions, as well as religious teachings."

Polish was taught at St. Mary of the Angels until the 1960s. When Polish families began moving out of the area in the 1970s, many parents enrolled their children in Saturday schools that offered language and culture instruction in Polish. Today, approximately 20,000 students participate in these schools in the Chicago area. Many families find it inconvenient for their children to attend school all day each Saturday. The program at St. Mary of the Angels is another option for those families, according to Mr. Accardi.

"Because of St. Mary of the Angels' proximity to the Kennedy Expressway, we hope to draw students from nearby Polish communities, as well as from commuter families who drive into the city to work each day."

Opened in 1920 as the "Polish Basilica in Chicago," the present church at St. Mary of the Angels was built by Father Francis Gordon, C.R. (Gordon Tech High School) and the Polish community. The Resurrection Fathers continued to minister to the changing community of Bucktown. The church was closed and slated for demolition in 1988 due to unsafe conditions. At the request of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, then Archbishop of Chicago, the priests of the Prelature of Opus Dei assumed responsibility for the parish in 1991 and the church has since been renovated as the "gem of St. Mary's square." This masterpiece of Roman Renaissance Revival is the largest Catholic church in Illinois. Today, the church has six masses every Sunday in three languages, and the parish is once again vibrant and full of life.

The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago play a critical role in the life of the community by providing academic excellence and faith formation for approximately 111,000 students of many races, faiths and backgrounds in the 283 elementary and secondary schools in Cook and Lake counties. There are more than 5,800 teachers in the Catholic school system who instill values, teach discipline and achieve strong, consistent academic results in the Archdiocese of Chicago's 242 elementary and 41 secondary schools. Visit the Archdiocese of Chicago Web site at www.archchicago. o rg/schools .